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Reykjavík · Iceland

Reykjavík Roasters

Since 2008 · Sonja Björk Grant, Ingibjörg "Imma" Jóna Sigurðardóttir

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Overview

Founded in 2008 as Kaffismiðja Íslands by Sonja Björk Grant and Ingibjörg "Imma" Jóna Sigurðardóttir, the company opened its first cafe two months after Iceland's banking collapse and quickly became the country's first true third-wave coffee shop and the first roasting in-store in Reykjavík. Imma had won the Icelandic Barista Championship in 2006 and 2007; Sonja, who later went on to chair the Coffee Roaster Guild internationally, had pioneered Icelandic specialty at Kaffitár before founding the company. Renamed Reykjavík Roasters in 2013, the operation runs a pink Giesen 6kg roaster five days a week from its small Kárastígur cafe and a second location at Brautarholt 2. New Zealand–trained Torfi Þór Torfason — who learned roasting at Copenhagen's Coffee Collective — joined the ownership group after Sonja moved on.

Known for

  • Iceland's first third-wave coffee shop
  • First in-store roastery in Reykjavík
  • Pink Giesen 6kg roaster visible from the cafe
  • Co-founder Sonja Björk Grant — past WCE Chairwoman, founding chair of Coffee Roaster Guild
  • Five-time Best Coffee Shop in Iceland

Why it matters

Reykjavík Roasters is Iceland's third-wave specialty origin point — opened as the country's banking system collapsed and built a loyal following in a city of 130,000. Sonja Björk Grant's broader role at the WCE and Coffee Roaster Guild puts a small Icelandic operation at the center of how the global industry organized itself.

Production

roaster machine
Giesen 6kg (pink)
cupping frequency
regular profile development per lot
roastery location
Kárastígur 1, downtown Reykjavík

Café

Kárastígur 1, 101 Reykjavík (with second location at Brautarholt 2)

Recognitions

  • Best Coffee Shop in Iceland (5 consecutive years as Kaffismiðja Íslands)
  • Founder Sonja Björk Grant — past WCE Chairwoman, founding chair Coffee Roaster Guild

Sources

More roasters