Featured: Alti Coffee in Chiang Mai

It is that the Zeeland Dutchman Albert Rijk posted a reaction to this blog on a recent story about coffee drinking in Thailand, otherwise we, outside his friends and customers, might never have known that he is the founder / owner of the Alti Coffee, a coffee roasting company annex coffee shop in chiang mai.

Coffee trader

Albert Rijk calls himself a coffee trader in green and roasted coffee beans, which are harvested in the north of Thailand. He supplies the beans in three qualities, from a soft Morning Blend to a somewhat stronger Medium Blend and then the spicy Royal Blend. He supplies the coffee to several coffee shops in and around Chiang Mai and you can also enjoy the coffee in his own coffee shop. If you don't live nearby, he will gladly ship your order all over Thailand and even beyond.

History

Albert Rijk has been living in Thailand with his Thai wife Tim since 1998. Before that, he lived in Belgium for 12 years and ran a restaurant there. Initially he had plans to start a coffee trade, but he soon saw that Thailand was not yet ready to start the coffee trade.

He started a business in handmade greeting cards. He sold those greeting cards in many European countries with great success. The emergence of E-mail, Skype, etc. threw a spanner in the works. Sales of handmade greeting cards declined every year and in 2009 he picked up his old love and plans for coffee again.

He went into the mountains with his wife in search of his first purchase of green coffee beans. He hesitantly bought 15 kilos and had it roasted at MC Chiang Mai. He then founded Alti Coffee, the name being a link from his name Albert and van The team, his wife.

Own company

Two years of hard work and trying to make customers by visiting coffee shops, restaurants in Chiang Mai area. That worked, because sales were increasing and he had now also mastered the art of coffee roasting. Albert and Tim bought a piece of land on the Hangdong-Sanpatong main road, where they built a coffee shop with a roasting facility.

Since then everything has gained momentum, with your own company it is easier to make contacts for sales. Coffee beans are roasted almost every day, so the deliveries are "farm fresh". Customers are still mainly coffee shops, but the number of private individuals ordering Alti coffee is steadily increasing.

Future

Where 7 people (all family of his wife) still work, there will undoubtedly be more in the future. Albert has plans for a new, larger coffee roaster and he also wants to open a few new coffee shops.

Website

For more information about location, assortment and prices, visit the website: www.alti-coffee.com

In an additional e-mail, Albert informed me that he now also sells the coffee in capsules, which are compatible with the well-known Nespresso capsule machines. This is not yet on the website.

We wish Albert and Tim every success with their venture!