Seoul · South Korea
Fritz Coffee Company
Fritz Coffee Company is one of 4 Seoul roasters tracked on day9, in Mapo-gu.
Since 2014 · Kim Byung-ki (BK Kim), Kim Do-hyun, Park Geun-ha, Song Sung-man, Kyung-mi Jeon, Heo Min-soo
Overview
Fritz was founded in 2014 by six friends who came to be known as Seoul's 'Avengers of coffee' — green-buyer Kim Byung-ki (a Coffee Libre co-founder), roaster Kim Do-hyun, 2014 Korea Barista Champion Park Geun-ha, Song Sung-man, Kyung-mi Jeon and pastry chef Heo Min-soo. The first café opened in a renovated Hanok traditional house with the now-iconic seal mascot on the door, and the roastery operates out of Paju, north of Seoul.
Known for
- Founded by six Korean coffee professionals nicknamed 'the Avengers of coffee'
- Co-founder Kim Byung-ki was previously a co-founder of Coffee Libre; co-founder Park Geun-ha is the 2014 Korea National Barista Champion
- First Fritz café occupies a renovated Hanok traditional Korean house
- Iconic seal-with-bread mascot has crossed over into mainstream Korean culture (Samsung and Hera collaborations)
- Audi Korea / Magazine B named Fritz the most 'Korean' brand in Seoul (2018)
Why it matters
Fritz redefined what a Korean specialty roaster could be. By bundling competition pedigree, direct trade and a serious bakery program inside heritage Korean architecture, the founders built a brand that travelled out of the coffee world into mainstream Korean design discourse — without sacrificing the coffee quality that brought the founders together in the first place.
Production
- head roaster
- Kim Do-hyun
- filter equipment
- Paper and metal filters offered for pour-over
- roastery location
- Paju, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Café
Dohwa-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul (one of four Seoul locations)
Recognitions
- Park Geun-ha — 2014 Korea National Barista Champion
- Audi Korea / Magazine B 'most Korean brand in Seoul' (2018)
- Brand collaborations with Samsung and Hera