Velvet Coffee was born from a simple vision: to bridge worlds through quality coffee, connecting Colombian farmers and Belgian roasters in one seamless, sustainable journey.

Direct trade, specialty-grade Colombian coffee, with the whole journey from farm to cup in one pair of hands — sourced directly from producers, exported, imported, roasted and distributed in-house, so transparency, freshness and fairness are guaranteed at every step.

Every coffee is bought at origin and prepaid in full, in local currency, at the farm gate. That gives producers certainty when they need it most, and it gives us the relationships that let us buy the exclusive lots you want.

We travel to Colombia twice a year, in sync with the harvests. We know every producer we sell. What we ship back ranges from regional lots at +83 points to competition coffees. We sell green and roasted. For fellow roasters and for cafés, bakeries and restaurants, and for anyone who takes their coffee seriously at home.

Roasters who export and import vs those who buy from importers

Velvet Coffee: exporter and importer

Roasters who import

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Our story

Velvet Coffee was established in 2013 by Ilse Geyskens, with the vision of bringing Colombian coffee to Belgium and Belgian coffee culture to Colombia. Her journey led her down beautiful paths, connecting with some of the finest coffee farmers in the industry. Along the way, she established Velvet Coffee (formerly Café Velvet) in Medellín, Colombia, and in Brussels, Belgium, with the roastery just south of the city.

In 2022 her husband joined her and is now master roaster of all Velvet Coffee.

It's safe to say, we love all things coffee. If you're here, chances are you do too.

How we roast

We roast short. Not necessarily light — short.

Our roaster is 100% convection: a fluid bed, where the beans are lifted and carried on hot air rather than tumbled against hot metal. Air is the most efficient way to move heat into a bean, and nothing touches a hot surface, so nothing scorches.

That efficiency buys control where it matters most. Excess moisture leaves quickly, in a short drying phase, while plenty of water stays in the cell structure to carry flavor. High pressure is generated and an even high bean temperature is achieved. With still plenty of moisture present, and heat and pressure rising together, the Maillard phase builds the Melanoidins, Pyrazines, Furans, Strecker Aldehydes, Pyrroles Esters and others that give our specific Velvet Coffee taste. We drop the coffee seconds after first crack. Everything the bean has, is still in it.