La Cabra

Overview

La Cabra was founded by Esben Piper in Aarhus, Denmark in 2012 as a single cafe far from the city center, then began sourcing and roasting its own coffee in 2013. The roastery later moved to Copenhagen, and the company has expanded internationally with locations in New York (East Village 2021, Soho 2023, Bushwick roastery), Bangkok, and Oman.

Known for

• Single-roast philosophy — one profile per coffee, designed to work for both filter and espresso
• Light Nordic-style roasting that prioritizes origin transparency
• Ranked #5 in the Roastful Coffee Top 100 Roasters in the World (2024)
• In-house bakeries paired with cafes — modern Scandinavian pastries and sourdough
• Subscribers in more than 60 countries
• Aarhus Kampanilen flagship in a BIG-designed 19-story tower (March 2024)
• Handmade KH Wurtz tile bars as a signature design element

Why it matters

La Cabra is the sharpest example of a small-town European roastery that became a global specialty brand without giving up its roast philosophy. The single-roast approach — one profile per coffee, regardless of brew method — is a real editorial position rather than a marketing line, and the cafe-plus-bakery format has become a template that other Nordic-leaning roasters are now following.

Production

head roaster

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roastery location

Main roastery in Copenhagen; second roastery under construction/operating in Bushwick, Brooklyn for North American supply

Café

This roaster operates a café.

Recognitions

• Ranked #5, Roastful Coffee Top 100 Roasters in the World (2024)

Sources

• https://lacabra.com/pages/about-la-cabra
• https://every.coffee/roaster/la-cabra
• https://sprudge.com/with-soho-expansion-denmarks-la-cabra-enters-its-nyc-coffee-powerhouse-era-207991.html
• https://t3roasters.com/blogs/gateway/travel-guides-la-cabra
• https://therightroast.com/blogs/roasters/la-cabra
• https://www.greenplantation.com/a/danish-roaster-la-cabra-coffee