About Stories Café EU
At Stories Café EU, our ambition is simple: to share the very best African coffees with European roasters and coffee lovers. For us, coffee is not just a product — it’s a bridge between farmers and communities, culture and craftsmanship. Guided by our values of transparency, quality, and respect, we curate every step of the journey, from the hills of Africa to the cup in your hands.
Connecting Farmers and Roasters
Our Story
At Stories Café EU, we believe that coffee is more than a product. It is a living story, told at both ends of the supply chain — by the farmers who grow it, and by the people who roast, serve, and drink it.
Our ambition is to bring the very best African coffees to Europe. But for us, that ambition is not only about taste. It is about connection. Coffee is a bridge between continents, cultures, and communities. Every bag we source, every shipment we prepare, and every cup that is brewed carries with it the dedication, skill, and resilience of the people behind each bean.
Farmers at the Heart
We begin where coffee begins: on the hillsides, in the fields, and at the cooperatives where farmers tend their crops. Many of these farmers cultivate small plots of land, often with limited resources but with extraordinary commitment. Their work is not only agricultural — it is generational. It is a craft passed down, refined, and adapted to changing seasons, markets, and climates.
At Stories Café EU, we make sure their work is more than invisible labor behind a commodity. We bring their stories forward, highlighting their expertise in picking, processing, and preparing coffee that stands among the best in the world. In every shipment, we see not just coffee, but the fingerprints of families and communities who have dedicated their lives to it.
Roasters as Storytellers
When that coffee arrives in Europe, its story continues. Roasters transform green beans into flavor, revealing the complexity of terroir, processing, and varietal. But more than that, roasters are the next link in the chain of storytelling. They pass along to baristas and consumers not just taste, but meaning: where the coffee came from, who cultivated it, and why it matters.
We work closely with roasters to ensure they have the knowledge and context to share this story authentically. The result is a coffee experience that is richer, not only in flavor but in depth of connection.
Stories Flow Both Ways
But storytelling is not a one-way street. We believe that farmers deserve to know how their work changes lives thousands of kilometers away. That somewhere in Amsterdam, Warsaw, or Berlin, a person’s day just became brighter because of a cup they helped create.
This feedback matters. It validates the immense effort behind each harvest. It reminds farmers that they are not anonymous producers at the start of a global chain, but partners in a shared journey. Their work creates joy, sparks conversations, fuels creativity, and comforts people across the world.
Our Role in the Chain
We see ourselves as bridge-builders. Our work is to connect these two ends of the story: to make sure farmers’ voices are heard in Europe, and to bring back the voices of coffee drinkers to origin. We do this through transparent sourcing, direct relationships, and a deep respect for both sides of the chain.
In practice, that means walking the fields, listening to farmers, visiting mills, and understanding challenges at the ground level. It means meeting with cooperatives, exporters, and government officials to support systems that allow fair prices and high quality to thrive. And it means working with roasters to deliver not just beans, but context — to empower them as storytellers of coffee’s journey.
One Shared Story
Farmers and coffee drinkers may never meet. They may never shake hands or share a table. Yet in every cup, their lives are connected. At Stories Café EU, we believe they are part of the same narrative — one of dignity, collaboration, and shared value.
This is why we exist: not only to move coffee from Africa to Europe, but to move stories, trust, and recognition along with it. With every season, with every harvest, and with every roast, we are writing a story together. And we invite you to be part of it.
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The Story Behind Stories Café
Stories Café was born out of friendship and a shared love for coffee.
For years, Volkert, based in The Hague, traveled back and forth to Burundi. His work in international development gave him a close connection to East Africa, but it was the warmth of the people and the richness of Burundian coffee that left a lasting impression. At the same time, Rémy, in Bujumbura, was building long-standing relationships with cooperatives and farmers, ensuring that harvests were carefully processed and ready for export. Their paths crossed through a common idea: that coffee could be more than a product — it could be a bridge between communities.
Together, they began connecting their worlds. With Volkert reaching out to partners in Europe and Rémy ensuring smooth operations on the ground, they created a supply chain rooted in trust. Later, Eric joined, bringing deep technical knowledge of coffee growing and processing, while Martyna, from Poznań, added her years of expertise in communication and structure, helping expand Stories Café into Central and Eastern Europe.
From the beginning, our vision was simple: to bring the best African coffees to Europe while keeping farmers and roasters connected through stories.
We believe that every bean carries more than flavor — it carries the history of a land, the skill of a farmer, and the dedication of communities. Stories Café exists to make those stories visible. When we ship coffee from Burundi to a roastery in Amsterdam, Warsaw, or Berlin, we’re not just moving a product. We’re carrying relationships, trust, and meaning across continents.
That’s why our name is Stories Café. Because coffee is a story told at both ends of the chain. Farmers and drinkers may never meet, but they are part of the same narrative. Our role is to make sure that story is heard, shared, and valued.
And this is just the beginning. From Burundi to Kilimanjaro, from cooperatives to cafés, Stories Café continues to grow as a hub for specialty coffee — uniting people and communities, one story at a time.
Meet Our Team
Together, we combine field knowledge, ethical trade, and a shared passion for East African coffee.
Founder of Stories Café EU. With a background in international development and a deep connection to East Africa, Volkert manages sourcing, partnerships and logistics in Europe.
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With 15 years of experience in education and communication, Martyna brings insight, structure, and care to our operations and outreach in Central Europe.
Rémy is an expert in Burundi local development. He supports the cooperatives in developing their potential, strengthen their internal processes and helps them face regulatory challenges.
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Eric has vast technical knowledge of the coffee production process and supports the cooperative by overseeing the harvests, ensure smooth processing and export.