Bonanza Coffee Heroes

Overview

Bonanza was founded in 2006 in Berlin's Prenzlauer Berg by South Korean-born designer Kiduk Reus and his Berlin-based partner Yumi Choi, opening on Oderberger Straße as one of the first specialty coffee roasteries in Germany. Reus famously roasted on antique cast-iron Probats — a 1918 model and a 1950 model — and built a parallel side business restoring vintage Probat equipment for roughly 250 roasteries worldwide, including Blue Bottle and Seven Seeds, which underwrote Bonanza's early years.

Known for

• One of the earliest third-wave specialty roasters in Germany (2006)
• Antique Probat roasters — 1918 and 1950 cast-iron drum machines
• Founder's vintage Probat restoration business that supplied ~250 roasteries worldwide
• Slow, gentle roasting approach (~5x typical roast duration)
• Coffee-only menu — minimalist Prenzlauer Berg shop with no food

Why it matters

Bonanza is the founding house of Berlin third-wave coffee — predating The Barn and Five Elephant — and Kiduk Reus's Probat restoration work materially shaped early specialty roasting equipment availability in Europe and the United States. The 1918 Probat G45 still in daily production is the oldest documented working specialty roaster in Berlin.

Production

head roaster

Kiduk Reus

roaster machine

Antique Probats — 1918 G45 and 1950 model; original 3kg Probat from 1918 at Oderberger flagship

roastery location

Production facility in Wedding district; flagship in Prenzlauer Berg; expanded location in former Kreuzberg factory courtyard

Café

Oderberger Straße 35, 10435 Berlin

Sources

• https://typica.coffee/en/narratives/roasters/bonanza-coffee-roasters/
• https://www.meikepeters.com/blog/meet-in-your-kitchen-kiduk-reus-bonanza-the-perfect-coffee
• https://freshcup.com/bonanza-coffee-roasters/
• https://www.slowtravelberlin.com/bonanza-coffee-heroes/