You don't have to walk far to quench your coffee thirst in Tromsø's compact city center. And the bean selection in the Paris of the North is not limited to French roast espresso. With Bjørn "Bønna" Helberg at the helm, Tromsø has established itself as a coffee hotspot in the north. A lot has happened since he opened the doors of his first coffee bar 16 years ago.
18 years at Stortorget
It was really quite random. In the mid-90s, the coffee scene in Oslo started to stir, and suddenly coffee shops started popping up all over the city. Christian and I saw the opportunity to do the same here in Tromsø. Besides, it was cheaper to start with coffee than to start with beer and outdoor seating. So in 1998 we opened Kaffebønna on Stortorget in Tromsø, in the same premises where we are located today.
Since then, Kaffebønna on Stortorget has been joined by more coffee beans, and today the stylish coffee bars make their mark on the Tromsø cityscape. A gathering place for the city's coffee thirsty, and a warming comfort for tourists thirsty for northern light. In the small city center, Kaffebønna is currently represented by four coffee shops, while the last one is located in the large Jekta center outside the city. What they all have in common are shelves filled with coffee from the country's leading roasters.
When we started up, it was natural to contact the same suppliers that supplied the coffee bars in Oslo. In this way, players like Solberg & Hansen have helped to shape the coffee culture in the city. Sixteen years later, we still have coffee from Oslo roasters on our shelves, with Tim Wendelboe, Kaffa and Solberg & Hansen represented.
Arne Risø started his coffee career during a work week at Kaffebønna. He later worked for several years as a barista at the restaurant De 4 roser, but last summer he decided to follow his dream of starting his own business. In the space of just under a year, Arne and his brothers have established a frequently visited food and coffee bar just a stone's throw away from Kaffebønna on Strandtorget. He reports curious and enthusiastic customers.
- My ambition was to create a coffee and food place with a consistent focus on quality. With the final touch. I thought it would be more difficult, but it has turned out to exceed all expectations. People demand quality, good ingredients and are open to new flavors. We have old ladies who come back to try new hand brews: "I'll take one of those pots of coffee, try one from Kenya today". That's probably why it works so well - people want quality, but also find it exciting to try something new.
Solberg & Hansen's man in Tromsø, Alexander Scheen Jensen, agrees.
Tromsø people are usually very open and sociable - they think "everything is cool", and you can see that when you introduce them to something new, such as hand-brewing.
Perhaps that's why a focus on quality and raw materials has become a natural part of the coffee culture in Tromsø. A city where coffee bags from Solberg & Hansens share a shelf with local produce at shops like Helmersens delikatesser, and where a coffee bar chain like Kaffebønna is constantly opening new premises. One thing is for sure: next time you're in Tromsø, the question is not whether you'll get good coffee, but rather how many coffee shops you'll visit on your trip.
