Man Met Bril Koffie just opened a “coffee hotel” in Rotterdam, equipped with a roastery, education space, and custom espresso machine.
BY TANYA NANETTI
SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT
Photos courtesy of Man Met Bril Koffie
After months of hard work and high expectations, Man Met Bril Koffie (MMBK)’s coffee hotel—the first of its kind—has finally opened its doors in Rotterdam, Netherlands, in a stunning location along the iconic Rotte River.
This unique, innovative space blends specialty coffee, hospitality, and culture into one intriguing mix: Here, a coffee shop sits alongside a roastery, an education space, a podcast studio, and of course, a fully equipped hotel with 20 modern rooms.
But the MMBK Hotel is special for other reasons as well: First, there’s the unique espresso machine featured in the coffee bar. Frank (that’s what the machine is called) is one-of-a-kind: a five-group wonder crafted by Kees van der Westen, combining three infusion and extraction methods in one machine. It seems unbelievable, but Frank is alive and well—and can already be found serving guests, pouring one delicious espresso after another.
Second is the Residency Program, created with the intent of inviting some of the world’s best baristas and roasters to live and work at the hotel together, exchanging knowledge, ideas, and their passion for coffee.
Paul Sharo, owner of MMBK and mastermind behind the coffee hotel project, cannot contain his excitement when speaking of the recent opening. “The first few weeks have been incredible! We were overwhelmed by the positive response and enthusiasm of residents and visitors. It was amazing to see people’s enthusiasm for this project,” he says.
He then goes on to introduce the coffee hotel’s residency program, which he describes as a “work adventure,” designed for coffee professionals who want to enhance their skills and be a part of an international coffee community.
Paul shares that over the course of several months, residents will not only work in various areas of the hotel, but also take part in a hands-on program covering the entire coffee journey, from sourcing to roasting to selling.
“In essence,” Paul says, “we want to expand the international coffee community by bringing top baristas, roasters, and other enthusiasts from around the world to the hotel, where they will be able to live and work temporarily—this includes a paid position, lodging in the hotel, and coffee galore.”
”The goal is simple: to share knowledge, learn from each other, and collaborate with creative minds from around the world,” he continues. “With the program, we (hope to bring) together people from all walks of life—with different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences—behind one espresso machine. We want to create a meeting place between the local and global coffee community.”
We also had the chance to speak to Silke Fass and Martina Ceretková, among the first residents to be invited to the hotel. Silke came to the hotel for a three-month residency from the southwestern part of Germany, where she works as manager of a café/deli in Saarbruecken.
“I applied to become one of the residents (at the MMBK Hotel) because I love working in the coffee industry and being a barista—and I was looking for a new challenge,” Silke says. “That’s why I’m here. The residency program offers the opportunity to combine my prior knowledge with new input from like-minded people working in the coffee industry in other countries.”
Silke also shares what she hopes to gain from her stay at the hotel. “I expect to be able to gather a lot of knowledge both during working hours and in between, as coffee knowledge is pretty much everywhere: (at the) roastery, bar, and (amongst all of the) coffee-savvy staff members under one roof. I would like to deepen my barista skills and gain knowledge about roasting,” she says.
Martina is a former manager and coffee worker who also came to the MMBK Hotel for a three-month residency. “For as long as I can remember, I was fascinated by coffee itself and coffee culture,” Martina says, explaining why she applied for the residency.
“I have a lot of experience in the service industry. … I wanted to combine that with coffee. That’s why I applied: to learn as much as I could about coffee, from the roasting process, to brewing and serving, to become a full-fledged coffee professional,” she continues.
After the first few weeks of residency, Silke and Martina cannot be happier with how things are going.
“The first few days went smoothly. (We were) visited mostly by neighbors and coffee lovers, (who were) curious about the place and very encouraging in their words about the whole project,” Martina says. “And when the first weekend came, we were full, but we had a good workflow and everything went very well.”
“During the day, we take care of the cafeteria, covering various shifts divided between service shifts, barista shifts, and roasting shifts,” Martina continues. “It’s definitely a nice opportunity to work together, get to know each other a bit better, and, again, to learn from each other as well. On our days off, we like to (tour) Rotterdam and other beautiful cities nearby—or we continue our conversations in the residency wing while cooking dinner and having fun.”
Silke shares similar sentiments. “Since the hotel bar opened, it has been very exciting to be a part of it and see the progress, since we’re the first group of residents,” she says. “Every day, we come into contact with a lot of creativity—coffee-related and not coffee-related—and have the opportunity to meet and learn from people from all over the world. … It’s definitely exciting to be a part of.”
Learn More
To find out more about the MMBK coffee hotel, visit their website—and to book a room, click here.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tanya Nanetti (she/her) is a specialty-coffee barista, a traveler, and a dreamer. When she’s not behind the coffee machine (or visiting some hidden corner of the world), she’s busy writing for Coffee Insurrection, a website about specialty coffee that she’s creating along with her boyfriend.
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