- "I was probably the best customer they had," reminisces Aase Spinnangr. Four years ago, she took over a little giant at the foot of Fløien, Bergen's oldest coffee shop built in a potato cellar on the corner of Nedre Fjellsmauet.
A crooked brick building welcomes you to the archbergenian alleyway a stone's throw from the entrance to Fløibanen. The rickety houses lean against each other in a friendly manner and bear witness to 300 years of struggle against the elements in the capital of western Norway. Few places in Norway live up to Bergen's charm when the sun lights up the cobblestones in the alleys, shuffling along with a coffee in hand and the company of a lazy cat on every street corner. Here in the heart of Bergen's idyll, a group of students opened Det Lille Kaffekompaniet exactly 20 years ago.
The family behind the bayonets
I live just down the street and was a regular customer at Det Lille Kaffekompaniet. In 2012, the coffee shop went bankrupt and there was talk of opening a kebab restaurant on the premises. "That was enough for us to throw ourselves into it; we had to have somewhere we could go in the morning. We've always been interested in taste, food and details. Besides, the barista wanted to continue. But we were also thinking about our own needs," says Aase Spinnangr.
"We had to have somewhere to go in the morning"
Aase Spinnangr
Det Lille Kaffekompaniet is a family business in the true sense of the word. Aase's daughter, Susanne, brewed her first coffee behind the counter in the small coffee shop ten years ago. Aase's partner, Hans Flø, takes care of the accounts. "Susanne started working here at the age of 14, before we took over. She taught me in the beginning, but now I like to think it's a bit the other way around," she says with a sly smile. "It's great fun to run it together, and I think the personal involvement of everyone is the key to it going well," says Aase.
"On weekends, there can be a queue around the corner towards Fløibanen."
Aase Spinnangr
An idyllic location, charming premises and great coffee have made Det Lille Kaffekompaniet a popular attraction for visitors from all over the world. And where tourists gather, myths and stereotypes are often confirmed or debunked.
- On weekends, there can be a queue around the corner towards Fløibanen. "A lot of tourists come because of Trip Advisor and other travel guides. We have a lot of Japanese and Koreans who like hand brew, while American tourists prefer cappuccino and mocha drinks. We always have two different espressos on the espresso machine. We think it's fun to serve Kenyan coffee to Italian tourists, who are shocked when they taste the fresh and fruity espresso. It's as far from what you get served in Italian coffee shops as it's possible to get," says Aase Spinnangr.
From jewelry to black coffee
Close to Det Lille Kaffekompaniet, Aase Spinnangr ran a shop selling custom-designed jewelry for more than 20 years. The shop has now closed, but Aase's commitment to craftsmanship and quality lives on through the coffee shop at Nedre Fjellsmauet 2.
When we took over, the syrup shelf was bigger than the coffee shelf. Times have changed. "Today's coffee" (filter-brewed, black coffee) has exploded. More and more people are becoming aware of taste and quality, even those who are not part of the hipster culture of hand-brewed and black coffee. "We always have two choices on the pot, so customers get used to the fact that even black coffee can taste very different. We usually have a fresh and fruity option, preferably something from Kenya, as well as a safe and classic choice in a South American coffee. Most people actually choose Kenya!
No secrets
In a coffee shop filled with regulars, tourists, students and pensioners, many stories are written in the encounters between all the people who stop by. Within the narrow walls, there are no corners in which to hide away, but it's not hard to understand that the rustic charm also attracts the lovebirds.
"There's no point in keeping secrets at Det Lille Kaffekompaniet"
Aase Spinnangr
Yesterday I hired a guy from Australia. He came in off the street and said he was a barista, so I asked him to make an espresso. He got the job on the spot and one of the regulars offered him to rent the apartment. There's no point in keeping secrets at Det Lille Kaffekompaniet, but many people still arrange romantic meetings here. "People have been asked to marry us several times; they often call in advance and ask us to arrange flowers and romantic music. Everyone has said yes," says Aase with a smile.
"Big in Asia
Among Det Lille Kaffekompaniet's biggest fans may be the Asian tourists who flock to Nedre Fjellsmauet with cameras around their necks. And although it's really Aase and her family who run the ship in the alleyway, a large proportion of Chinese people have a completely different opinion. Recently, the story of the coffee shop was rewritten to satisfy the Chinese TV audience. It starred Craig the barista.
"It turned out that 10 million people saw the clip and suddenly Craig's inbox was full of Chinese proposal letters"
Aase Spinnagr
Craig has been working here for three years. A little while ago, a Chinese TV company came by and made a feature story portraying him as a hard-working and poor coffee farmer working around the clock to make ends meet. He was asked to approach the girls back home in China. As it turned out, 10 million saw the cut and suddenly Craig's inbox was full of Chinese suitors. Recently, the company returned, this time with a Chinese diva in tow, to make a sequel. She didn't take it very well when Craig rejected a kiss over the bar counter. "It was all quite absurd," says Aase with a laugh.
Only one coffee company
Sometimes, when the queue winds around the street corner down towards the pier, it's natural to think that the potato cellar can feel a little cramped at times. But for the family behind Det lille Kaffekompaniet, there is no alternative to Nedre Fjellsmauet 2.
- "We belong here in these premises. It wouldn't be the same in a new and modern coffee shop. Many people find themselves at home here. We have a very special atmosphere and are genuinely committed to making good coffee," says Aase Spinnangr with calm conviction.
Bergen tips from the smugglers
Start the day with a quiet awakening in the alleys, perhaps a coffee at a small corner café by Fløibanen. From there, it's natural to take a trip up to Fløien, preferably on foot. Nordnes sea baths are great on a nice summer day, while Escalon by Fløibanen offers good tapas. Take a trip to Trollhaugen, Edvard Grieg's home. If you're two, a date at Mon Plasier, the old minilyst house by Fjellveien, is an experience. The day can be rounded off at the Italian restaurant Pergola in Skostredet, or the wine bar "To glass" on Vetrlidsallmenningen, just below Det Lille Kaffekompaniet.
Iced coffee with freshly grated lime
Summer drink from Bergen signed Det Lille Kaffekompaniet:
- 200 g ice cubes
- 2 dl boiling water
- 30 g Rukira or other Kenyan coffee
- 20 g sugar dissolved in boiling water
- Plenty of freshly grated lime zest
Fill the brewing pot with ice cubes before brewing coffee as usual in a coffee maker or hand brewer. When the brew is ready, add the sugar syrup and stir. Serve in a glass filled with ice cubes and freshly grated lime on top.
