You’ve surely heard of this yellow Czech specialty coffee roaster. And if not, you’ve at least seen it, because you can find Respekt Coffee in many places around Prague.
The history of Respekt Coffee began in 2010, when Zdeněk Smrčka and Adam Dvořák, two passionate baristas, founded the Coffee Club. After several successful years of working together, they both decided to go their separate ways. And so, during the pandemic, RESPEKT COFFEE was born under the leadership of Zdeněk Smrčka, a veteran of the specialty coffee scene and multiple winner of barista competitions. In addition to the Respekt Coffee roastery, he also runs two cafés—Kafe Kolej and Respekt Radlická—and you can also meet their baristas at markets in Dejvice. Thanks to a collaboration with the design studio Artbureau, led by the talented Jakub Wdowka, the brand has developed a unique and distinctive visual style that emphasizes respect and the brand’s identity. When Respekt says something, they mean it!
We have friends and farmers all over the world. Together, we strive to ensure that work on coffee plantations is fair and that coffee is grown in harmony with nature. That’s why we support farms with biodiversity, ecological and social projects (jobs for women in countries where this isn’t the norm, schools for children, etc.), and the people we know. A great example of this kind of collaboration is our Peru coffee from Sergio Julcarim— it’s a direct trade partnership that’s now in its third year. Sergio is a wonderful small-scale farmer from Peru, from the beautiful Junin region, where we loved just about everything, and for the third year in a row, we’ve been buying his entire harvest and supporting him.
What do we roast and how do we do it?
Honestly and from the heart—we roast coffee! That’s it. We’re not going to pretend we have some kind of know-how that no one else has, because there are so many of us in the specialty coffee scene that it’s simply not possible. We roast to the best of our ability and focus on what makes sense to us in terms of both flavor and the value we want to convey to the customer along with the product. Coffee is definitely not just your morning espresso; it’s a beautiful story spanning time, continents, and cultures, and in our view, that’s what needs to be remembered and shared today. And the fact that we also have excellent beans from direct trade or from a supplier who shares our vision of respect? That’s simply a wonderful bonus, and we’re grateful for it—which is why we strive to roast every batch of coffee to the best of our ability, paying homage to the entire cycle.
Respect for the environment: Supporting sustainable agricultural practices that minimize environmental impact. This includes protecting biodiversity, reducing the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and supporting organic coffee farming.
Respect for customers: Providing high-quality, fresh, and authentically processed coffee. This also means transparency in the supply chain, so customers know where their coffee comes from and how it was grown and processed—known as “check & trace.”
Respect for cultural heritage: Recognizing and preserving traditional coffee growing and processing methods specific to different regions and cultures. This includes supporting projects that help keep these traditions alive and educate consumers about the uniqueness of each type of coffee.
Respect for working conditions: Ensuring that all individuals involved in coffee production and distribution work in safe and healthy conditions. This means supporting initiatives that improve working conditions, offer fair wages, promote employee professional development, and help achieve equality in both pay and social benefits.
Respect in specialty coffee is therefore not just about product quality, but also about ethics and sustainability in all aspects of its production and distribution. Through this, we strive to build strong relationships with producers, consumers, and communities, while contributing to a better and more sustainable world.
The truth is that great specialty coffee is now available almost everywhere, and many amazing people and friends of ours are dedicated to it. But we’re different in how we view coffee. It’s not just a commodity for sale. We see the people behind it—farmers and producers who pour everything they have into it, and for whom it’s the only way to feed their families. We’re fascinated by how coffee cherries have helped economies, transformed societies, and influenced culture, art, and the daily lives of people around the world for centuries. Working with coffee is a constant quest for the best flavor and a source of joy, stress, and bitterness, because things don’t always go as we’d like.
Our idea is simple—to make great espresso and share our respect for coffee and the people around us. Because respect is the foundation of everything!