Budapest · Hungary
Casino Mocca
Since 2013 · Lajos Horváth, Zoltán Kis, Szabolcs Temesvári
Overview
Casino Mocca was founded in 2013 by three Hungarian competition baristas — Lajos Horváth (2013 World Cup Tasters Champion), Zoltán Kis (2012 World Cezve/Ibrik Champion) and Szabolcs Temesvári — who felt the country lacked a serious specialty roastery. They started the company as a side gig while keeping their day jobs and grew it into Hungary's defining new-wave roaster, supplying most of Budapest's third-wave cafés including Espresso Embassy.
Known for
- Co-founder Lajos Horváth — 2013 World Cup Tasters Champion
- Co-founder Zoltán Kis — 2012 SCAE World Cezve/Ibrik Champion (won using his own home-roasted coffee)
- Hungary's first serious third-wave roastery; supplies the country's leading specialty cafés
- 'Engineering mindset' approach — Kis's UX-engineering background applied to roast consistency
- No own café — pure-play roastery wholesaling across Hungary and to a dozen-plus European markets
Why it matters
Casino Mocca is the reason Budapest has a specialty coffee scene at all. The trio's competition pedigree gave their roasts immediate credibility, and their decision to stay roastery-only (rather than open a flagship café) seeded a wholesale ecosystem of independent third-wave shops across the city.
Production
- head roaster
- Zoltán Kis
- roaster machine
- Probat
- roastery location
- Budapest, Hungary
Recognitions
- Lajos Horváth — 2013 World Cup Tasters Champion
- Zoltán Kis — 2012 SCAE World Cezve/Ibrik Champion