Who are you and what is your position at BOOT?
I am Barend Boot. Owner, advisor to the purchasing team and marketing. And of course I taste the coffees too! Brother Willem and I took over BOOT in 1993 from our parents Jacob and Marianne, from 1998 I became full owner.

Why do you work with coffee?
From an early age I have been infused with it. That incredible range of aromas of coffee, it's fantastic. At least, when you smell specialty coffee. Then you may be touched by a kaleidoscope and rainbow of scents from nature, from organic gardens, from magical places. A history of olfactory awareness opens up, and it all continues in your taste and in the aftertaste. Such a specialty coffee experience brings me into the now, and I feel at one with my mind, body and soul. And the great thing is: I see the same in so many other coffee drinkers. A feeling of happiness and "I'm all there. The art of producing, roasting and brewing coffee is to touch the heart of those potential scents and flavors. Like dancing with your coffee to the next intense experience.

Is it fanaticism or madness? Is it exaggeration? It really isn't. A cup of coffee like this is an incredible luxury that can make many people happy.

An important other reason I work with specialty coffee is that it allows me to make the world a more beautiful place. BOOT is about making the world and everyone who contributes to coffee, from the farmer to the coffee drinker, better off and seen. The farmer with good earnings and with the family name on the package, the pickers with a living wage. Farmer families that we have sometimes known for decades. And coffee that is grown and produced naturally and as organically as possible. So that the flora and fauna also remain pure and benefit. And the coffee drinker who can trust that the next coffee experience will be intense again.

That is Happiness through Taste.

What is your most memorable moment as a coffee professional?
There are thousands of moments. The moments when Panamanian farmers visited our Coffee store and tasted their coffee from BOOT packaging. Maria's visit to catering establishments serving the Panamaria and the visit of the royal family of Thailand. Tasting the coffee with my father Jacob and singing the Coffee Song "Smell the Coffee Bush" to hundreds of farmers in Colombia. With Willem tasting dozens of coffees in Ethiopia, Colombia to pick the best coffees for the coffee auctions. Paulo's organic earth and his happiness and pride with it. The times when a coffee lot on the tasting table touches me all the way down to my toes. Like the first time I tasted the Hartmann Natural in 2012 on the tasting table at Ratibor and Tessie. I knew : This is the ultimate winner. And just recently the visit of the specialty section of the Federation of Coffee Farmers from Colombia to Boot Coffee Shop and Roastery to intensify the joint project for 86+ coffee from organic Kachalu farmers.

In your opinion, what is a coffee that everyone should try?
Good question. Again, try our organic Colombia Kachalu and filter and espresso and our Limited Edition coffees! For example, we will soon have a very special organic certified Geisha from Kachalu farmer Adriana Beltran. My advice: put aside your standard coffee brewing methods. Instead, go through the different coffee brewing methods one by one as listed in the BOOT brewing handbook, using the same filter coffee.

You'll be amazed at how more brilliantly you can sometimes hit the heart of the coffee because you perform the actions more precisely. And that will make you (and me) happy, too.