Behind the Beans: Torsten Hahn, founder of Good Karma Coffee

About “Behind the Beans”

Since cumpa was founded, we have met many exciting personalities from the world of coffee and made friends. In “Behind the Beans” we want to introduce you to them and take a look behind the scenes together. For our third edition we interviewed Torsten, Hahn, founder of  Good Karma Coffee. During his studies Lukas worked in the roastery of Good Karma Coffee. At that time Lukas and Daniel had not even founded cumpa. We can therefore look back on a long friendship and partnership and are happy to introduce Torsten to you today.

What is your relationship with cumpa?

My relationship with cumpa is a very familial one. It feels like Lukas, Daniel and I come from the same family home. We started working in the coffee business together and share the same values and goals.

Why did you end up in the coffee industry?

Many factors contributed to this. Firstly, I have always enjoyed working with food and was interested not only in cooking but also in cultivation and exotic products from other countries. Then I love to travel and visits to coffee farmers in the countries of origin are a good occasion. Coffee is also a great opportunity to do something good in the world with a good product. In addition, you always meet the nicest people in the world in the industry.

What do you like about the specialty coffee industry?

That you have the feeling of being one big family, pulling together: We all want to make great coffee, and we want to do it for the benefit of coffee farmers, not at their expense.

What do you want to achieve with coffee?

The taste buds of as many people as possible 😉 I also want to build sustainable, long-term connections between producers and consumers – relationships that are built on trust and create security.

What does (specialty) coffee mean to you?

Of course, on the one hand, a remarkable quality of the raw product, which with a little skill then becomes a remarkable roasted coffee. But on the other hand also that the people who have made the raw product possible are made visible.

What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened to you in a coffee context? 

That today, after 9 years, I can sit in my roastery with a fantastic coffee in my hand and it works: “The business is running” – I can make a living from it, have the best employees in the world and can look proudly but also full of gratitude and humility at what I have achieved.

What coffee prejudice would you like to dispel?

That there are better roasters than Good Karma Coffee 😉 In addition, I would like to insist here again to question the background of the coffees in the supermarket and not blindly believe in labels.

What coffee highlight are you most looking forward to right now?

I look forward to my next coffee trip! And to every first roasting and subsequent tasting of a new coffee. That is and remains my favorite part of the whole roasting business.