#333 Klaus Thomsen Co-Founder at Coffee Collective - Direct Trade, Craftsmanship, and Scaling Culture
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- Klaus Thomsen and his co-founders established Coffee Collective in 2007 to combat unfair farmer compensation by cutting out middlemen and engaging in direct trade.
- Transparency is a core value of the brand, highlighted by openly sharing origin payments and costs directly on their product labels.
- Scaling a craft coffee business successfully requires documenting explicit written standards to maintain high quality across multiple locations.
- Coffee Collective utilizes a dedicated internal staff app to streamline employee onboarding, communication, and training as the company grows.
- Balancing rapid business ambition with a healthy work-life balance and continuous learning is essential for long-term leadership sustainability.
Michael interviews Klaus Thomsen of The Coffee Collective about building a Denmark-based coffee company rooted in direct trade, transparency, and barista craftsmanship.
After Thomsen won the 2006 World Barista Championship, he and co-founders Casper and Peter started the company in 2007 to address unfair farmer compensation by cutting middlemen, contracting directly with producers, and sharing costs openly, including listing origin payments on labels.
They began with a small roaster and long-term relationships with farms in Brazil and Guatemala, and continue origin visits with a team to maintain trust and feedback. The company expanded organically to eight coffee shops and a bakery (mostly Copenhagen, one in Aarhus), ~160–170 employees, and about one million cups annually, selling to wholesale, shops, and a global webshop in 45 countries.
They discuss scaling quality through written standards, a staff app for onboarding and communication, hiring an external CEO for leadership expertise, balancing ambition with work-life balance, learning from mistakes, and sustaining motivation through continual learning and working with young staff.
Connect with Klaus:
https://www.instagram.com/klausthomsen/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/klausthomsencoffee/
A big thank you to our epsiode sponsor Sideways. Head to their website hospitality.sideways.ai or email them directly at john@sideways.ai
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Klaus Thomsen?
Klaus Thomsen is the co-founder of Coffee Collective and winner of the 2006 World Barista Championship, known for pioneering direct-trade practices in Denmark.
What is Coffee Collective?
Coffee Collective is a specialty coffee roaster and retailer based in Denmark founded in 2007, operating multiple shops and a bakery with a strong focus on direct trade, transparency, and craftsmanship.
How does Coffee Collective ensure direct trade transparency?
They contract directly with coffee producers, cut out unnecessary middlemen, and openly share origin payments and cost breakdowns directly on their product labels.
How many locations and employees does Coffee Collective have?
The company has grown organically to include around eight coffee shops and a bakery primarily in Copenhagen and Aarhus, employing roughly 160 to 170 staff members.
