THE PERFECT CUP
Alakef Coffee Roasters was born out of a passion for coffee and our search for the “perfect cup”
In the 1980’s, finding a great, satisfying, cup of coffee wasn’t easy. We decided that the solution was to acquire a small home roaster and roast our own coffee.
While buying the green Arabica beans from a small local roaster, we began experimenting with the art of roasting at home for a few years. The love of this craft triggered our desire to start a roasting company. In 1990, we created Alakef Coffee Roasters in the basement of an old school by the lake in Duluth, Minn. As demand for our specialty coffees grew, so did our need for employees and a new building. In May of 2000, Alakef Coffee moved into our current home on Superior Street in Duluth.
Great care and attention to detail goes into everything our company does. Before any coffee is purchased, all of our coffees are sampled and cupped by everyone on our staff. We buy many quality organic, shade-grown and certified Rainforest Alliance or Fair Trade coffees. Alakef provides our customers with the highest quality selection and variety of coffees as we can, while reinforcing our commitment to the coffee farmers, the environment, and sustainability. We are a USDA organic certified facility.
We service coffee houses, shops and restaurants throughout the Midwest. We have also made our wide selection of coffees available to everyone through our online store. We currently ship to customers throughout the United States from coast to coast.
Roasting specialty coffee is a craft, a fine art. Coffee beans from different regions require different care when roasting. By sampling (or cupping) coffees daily and roasting to order, Alakef ensures quality, consistency and freshness with every cup. Our experience and personal attention goes into every batch of Alakef Coffee.
We personally guarantee all of our coffee and appreciate your support and feedback. So sit back, take a sip and enjoy!
“Our new logo was inspired by my father’s training. The new mark is an adaptation of caffeine’s chemical formula and pays homage not only to his background but also to the hard work my parents invested to create ‘the perfect cup.’”
“We set out to refresh our brand image to be reflective of Alakef’s heritage and also to state that our reason for being is our customers, those who have been with us for nearly 30 years and those we will be privileged to serve in the future. While working to create our new tagline, we kept coming back to our family, friends, and supporters. Every decision Alakef has made – and those we will continue to make as our company grows – will always keep the coffee drinker top-of-mind as they make our brewing possible.”
– Alyza Bohbot, owner of Alakef Coffee
OUR WHY IS YOU
When we sat down to come up with a new motto for Alakef, we kept coming back to you. Our family, friends, and supporters have been the reason why we set out to roast almost 30 years ago. Every decision made with Alakef has always kept you – the coffee drinker – in mind. This being said, we wanted to show our appreciation for the people that make our brewing possible.
ROASTING IS OUR CRAFT
For over two decades, Alakef Coffee has dedicated itself to bringing you the finest coffees available from countries around the world. Our business has supported direct links between local and world markets. We buy green coffee, we sell roasted beans to commercial customers throughout the Midwest, who in turn sell coffee beverages to their customers. Along the way, that chain also involves suppliers, transportation and financial components that are interdependent on each other.
SERVICE IS OUR MISSION
Our commitment to making Alakef Coffee as environmentally and socially conscious as possible is ongoing. We will always investigate alternative energy programs to reduce our consumption and seek out new ways to further reduce our overall waste by making use of more environmentally friendly products and packaging as they become accessible to us.
