The Special Grain starts here a series of reports about special coffees in Portugal. Check it out:
The third wave of specialty coffees in Portugal is just beginning, unlike most of the European countries, such as Germany, England, Finland, Norway etc. But it has already been showing signs that it can be a big deal in Portugal as well.
Attention to this movement, the Portuguese Gonçalo Gonzy, after returning to the country after a long study and work season in England and Spain, decided to join his brother, Francisco Cardoso and his friend, João Avilar, to invest in a coffee truck.
(The three partners of Combi Café: Gonçalo Gonzy, Francisco Cardoso & João Avilar)
At first, it was just a Volkswagen Kombi that took a year to get renovated. Then, circulating in places established by the city hall of the city of Porto, began to attract attention by offering special coffees, until then, something unique in the country.
(In the beginning, the cafeteria operated as a food truck, serving the cafes in the Kombi itself)
Then the carrinha, as it is called there, began to appear in music events and markets in Porto. Today, the Combi / kombi continues to circulate around the city, but it already has a fixed point, a 120-square-meter coffee shop at Baixa.
“I remember we were, all three, on the beach in Matosinhos, and the idea came up. We did not have money to buy a shop, so we started with the van”, he says. “We bought it on OLX”, he recalls. While the vehicle was not ready, the partners took intensive courses certified by SCAA, the barista, roast and fermentation courses.
(The Kees van der Westen Mirage espresso machine at the fixed point of the Combi Café)
After three months circulating in the streets of Porto, and participating in cultural events, the business began to take off.
They started looking for green beans suppliers from specialty coffees. “We started with a blend of Guatemala and now we also serve a single origin coffee of the country”, he says. Currently, they buy from a Spanish supplier, who provides them with green beans from Brazil, Guatemala, Colombia, Ethiopia and Indonesia.
With a fixed shop and the Kombi, they sell about 200 coffees a day, which are made in a La Marzocco GS 3 and a Kees Vander Western Mirage. They consume 30 kg of specialty coffees per month. The kombi can now be found in the Batalha neighborhood (near the Batalha theater), in the funicular railway, at São Bento station more precisely, at Jardim da Cordoaria and Jardim da Praça da República.
(One of the coffees offered by Combi: blend of grains from Brazil, Colombia and Guatemala)
With the fixed address, they intend, soon, to start roasting to provide coffee for restaurants and other coffee shops.
They are highly sought after by Australian, New Zealand and Japanese tourists. “From time to time, we also serve some Brazilians”, he says.
In addition to the coffees, they serve pastéis de nata, chocolate and walnut muffins, small savory snacks (salgadinhos) and açai with granola, banana, strawberry, Greek yoghurt and honey. A luxury!!
(The nice space of the Combi Café in Portugal)
Combi
Rua Morgado de Mateus, 29, Porto – Portugal
Opening Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. – every day
Address on Facebook- @combicoffeept
