Each month, a new, renowned coffee roaster or coffee brand from across the US or elsewhere in the world will take over the La Marzocco Café space, implement a new menu, train our staff on their coffees and drink preparation, and curate a new experience for guests. This month, we welcome Campos Coffee out of Australia.
We thought it’d be nice for you to get to know them a little better, so we sat down with Campos co-owner Raf Bartkowski to learn a little more
1. Tell us a little about yourself and your past in coffee
I have been working with coffee for almost 20 years now. Absolutely love the industry!
Just over 12 years ago, I started at Campos Coffee. From day one I looked after Business Partnerships making sure that we will make a positive mark on coffee industry. Our purpose always was to unleash the power of good coffee across the world by creating the resource and knowledge to cultivate quality coffee that empowers people, preserves our planet and inspires more ‘good’ coffee moments around the world.
To me that was our idea of Specialty Coffee. Based on that approach Campos Coffee now is Australia’s most recognized and respected specialty coffee roaster and that means a lot to us as a business and me personally.
2. If there was one fact you could share with coffee enthusiasts about the coffee program at Campos, what would it be?
Quality! Goes without saying it’s very important. Quality across Green Beans Sourcing and Buying, Roasting, and Delivering quality Specialty Coffee is certainly one of our main goals. Not the only one though. We need to ensure that we offer consistent product, appropriate coaching and different types of training to match customer needs and support in all aspects of business. That’s when our customers, and the coffee really start to shine. I call it Quality.
3. What is the most exciting part of serving your coffee at the La Marzocco Cafe?
Being able to showcase Australian Coffee Culture and coffee to a completely new audience, [who is] already educated when it comes to Specialty Coffee [and] alongside LaMarzocco who we’ve built an amazing business relationship with over a decade.
4. What one tip would you give people to help them make better coffee at home?
Always buy freshly roasted bag of whole beans and grind it at home!
5. Describe your perfect espresso:
Clean and sweet structured complex acidity, juicy ‘mouth feel’ with a long finish. Flavors that excites you and take you places…
Bonus: How have you seen the coffee industry change over the last 10 years?
It has been an incredible decade for coffee. Roasters and baristas are becoming ever more connected with their producers. This has led to greater coffee knowledge and accountability through these direct and traceable relationships. Roasting knowledge is becoming increasingly sophisticated and diversified allowing the unique identities of each coffee to be fully expressed. Baristas too are better educated and better equipped to be able to consistently reflect, produce and explain these ideas to customers. Technology has had such a powerful role in helping the industry to evolve as well as the collaborative hard work and integrity of the people in it. Overall and at every stage of specialty coffee production, the levels of passion and professionalism are showing through and I feel this is what makes this industry more magnetic and more interesting than ever.
Read more about Campos’ Residency at the Cafe over on the La Marzocco USA Blog
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** Be sure to visit La Marzocco Cafe throughout the month of August to experience Campos for yourself **
La Marzocco Cafe is located in the KEXP Studios at 472 1st Ave. N, Seattle, WA 98109 and is open daily:
Monday: Friday 7am—8pm
Saturday: 7am—8pm
Sunday: 8am—6pm
