About Kawa Coffee
Kawa Coffee is a roastery from France and Alexis Gagnaire is behind its opening.
It all started in 2016. Alexis Gagnaire leads young employees with an emphasis on creating a team in which everyone has the same word. Alexis, has a lot of experience in the coffee world and even participated in the AeroPress Championship 2019 where he took 3rd place and in 2021 won second place at the French Roasting Championship.
Although France is famous for its gastronomic culture, it was difficult to find good coffee in the capital Paris. This surprise was the impetus for Alexis to found Kawa Coffee. The company consists of three main operations. These are wholesale sales for cafes and restaurants, retail sales in the online store and in cafes, and a delivery service for offices.
How did you come up with the name of the company?
As you may know, Kawa is a common word in the coffee industry. However, we wanted to find something catchy and easy to remember, and in France in the 1990s, people called coffee kawa.
How long have you been in business and how did the idea come about?
It all started in London and then in Colombia. My business partner and I lived in London for three years, where we discovered the world of fine coffee. When we returned to France, we were surprised by how small the selection of coffee in the country, which is supposed to be a country of gastronomy, and we immediately saw the opportunity. Then we started trying to get to know the product better from the very beginning of the supply chain, which led us to Colombia. For us, this journey marked the birth of Kawa.
What do you like most about life in your city?
Paris is a city full of surprises, even for the people who live here. It's definitely smaller than London, but still busy and innovative enough to discover all the new places on foot. Parisians are known to complain all the time, but most of all they are honest, so when someone praises my coffee, I definitely know they mean it, the same thing otherwise 😀
What is your favorite coffee or variety?
I would say Pacamara or Maragogype, I like these varieties for their body and taste. The most amazing are mostly from Colombia.
How do you like to make coffee?
Since I participated in the WAC 2019 competition in London, I would say that Aeropress has become my favorite method. I think it's a great tool for experimenting with coffee by changing the brewing temperature, water or grinding size. It also allows you to get the best out of coffee with a simple recipe.
What is your hobby when you're not frying?
Music! I founded a label with a few friends and we have the opportunity to lead artists from all over the world (France, Brazil and soon Japan). I like to look for music from the 80's and 90's.