MOK Specialty Coffee
Brussels · Belgium
MOK was founded in 2012 in Leuven by then-21-year-old Jens Crabbé, a two-time Belgian Cup Tasters Champion who scraped h
Overview
Caffènation was founded in 2003 in Antwerp by Rob Berghmans, who opened what is widely credited as the first specialty coffee bar in Belgium's largest city before adding a roastery in 2010. The roasts skew Scandinavian-light with a deep bench of African origins, and Caffènation supplies more than 100 wholesale 'dealers' across Europe alongside its four cafés (three in Antwerp plus an Amsterdam outpost). The current HQ at PAKT in Berchem combines roastery, espresso bar, and offices in a converted industrial site, and Berghmans has been a fixture of the European competition circuit and a name many Amsterdam specialty operators cite as an early influence.
Known for
- First specialty coffee bar in Antwerp — founded 2003 by Rob Berghmans
- Roastery added 2010 — supplies 100+ wholesale 'dealers' across Europe
- Light, Scandinavian-leaning roasts; deep African origin focus
- PAKT roastery + bar in Berchem (current HQ since 2017) in a converted industrial site
- Amsterdam outpost + Caffènation Blue (latest Antwerp location)
Why it matters
Antwerp is now widely considered Belgium's leading specialty coffee city, and the historical reason for that is Caffènation. Berghmans opened the original espresso bar in 2003 when Belgium was still dominated by old-school cafés and dark roasts, and his 2010 roastery turned that bar into a regional supply backbone — Amsterdam specialty operators in the early years frequently cited him as the influence that pushed them into the trade. For a directory, Caffènation is the heritage-specialty Belgian flagship and the only realistic anchor for the country's third-wave story.
Production
- destoning
- null
- head roaster
- Rob Berghmans
- color sorting
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- roaster machine
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- filter equipment
- null
- cupping frequency
- null
- roastery location
- PAKT, Berchem (Antwerp, Belgium) — combined roastery, espresso bar, offices
- espresso equipment
- null
- annual volume tonnes
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Café
Mechelsesteenweg 16, 2000 Antwerp (original)
Recognitions
- First specialty coffee bar in Antwerp (2003) — recognized as Belgium's specialty pioneer
- Trans-seasonal espresso blends widely cited across European specialty
- Hosts Belgian AeroPress Championship qualifiers
Sources
- https://sprudge.com/rob-berghmans-interview-112726.html
- https://caffenation.be/pages/frontpage
- https://www.drinkmorning.com/blogs/roasters/caffenation
- https://europeancoffeetrip.com/caffenation-roastery-new-address-antwerp/
- https://thecoffeevine.com/reviews/cafes/belgium/antwerp/caffenation-blue-in-antwerp/
- https://www.thewaytocoffee.com/roasters/caffenation/
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