About 80plus
The 80plus is an independent project of Agricola Marcilla with the aim to bring specialty coffee to the general public.
Our objective is to help people move on from commercial to specialty which means traceability, sustainability and a completely different appreciation of the sensory qualities of a coffee.
That means:
- Knowing where the product comes from, who cultivated and harvested it.
- Experimenting with the best roast profile for each and every single origin, (not leaving it undercooked by not evolving its real potential and leaving its volatile compounds underdeveloped, nor overcooking it by developing more roast aromas than the coffee’s own)
- Adapting not only the perfect roast color but the perfect time of roast for each coffee, for each extraction will require a faster or a slower roast (did you know that you can obtain the same color roast at different roasting times?)
Can you please introduce your roastery in few short sentences?
80plus is located in Barcelona and has been up and running for the past 4 years. We are focused on spreading coffee culture to everybody who is interested in gastronomy, and is fascinated by the sensory world and tasting different things. We want specialty coffee to be accessible to people who have never heard of it and help them get to know it and fall in love with it.
What is the story behind your name and logo?
80plus is a very simple way of explaining that we only deal with specialty coffees. We think of it also as a + to everything: flavour, attitude, knowledge, transparency. As an addition to the sense, visually speaking, the big plus is a very easily recognisable and memorable sign.
What is the hardest part about being a roastery?
We still don’t have a physical store, so our main clients are coffee shops and restaurants that we supply. You have to work extra hard to help them achieve a great cup of coffee, so they can become a good communicator of our vision of our green coffee selection and on our way of roasting. It is constant knowledge sharing in combination with a delicate approach to someone else’s business.
What is the one thing people still don’t get about coffee?
I think we forget very often that there is a very long value chain and we still tend to overlook the fact that it is an agricultural product that needs the utmost respect, there are so many uncontrollable aspects like yearly climate changes, sudden draughts or infinite rains, for example, that lead to significant difficulties for the farmers.No matter if it is a 90 or an 82 point coffee, we want to honor all of them, because it was cultivated and taken care of by the hands of small producers whose livelihoods depend on it.
Which one thing do you wish you’d done differently since starting a roasting business?
Probably planning more and putting objectives and future aspirations on a piece of paper from the beginning instead of only speaking about them. When something is written down, it always gives you more clarity and makes you focus your energies better on your chosen goals.
Is there a person in the industry people should know about?
When we speak about the specialty coffee industry, those people who come first to mind are those, that show themselves the most when speaking, posting on social media, going to all the coffee events, networking. But we often don’t speak about those who are behind the scenes making all that possible. Farmers, green coffee buyers, scientists and researchers usually stay in the shade. But they are the ones that bring the basis so we can all find ourselves enjoying the product. We are proud to have a person who puts it all together in our roastery. Anete Dinne, a gastronome, science person, who is dedicated to the quality control and coffee sourcing in 80plus. You won't notice her much out there in the festivals or public cuppings, but this is a real encyclopaedia of coffee knowledge that is always ready to share her experience. We are happy to have the opportunity and mention her.
What’s been your biggest failure?
The biggest failure in any company is the fact of not being authentic and true. We started out not knowing how to define our authenticity and how to communicate us and our intentions, but the past year has been a huge change and we have been able to find ourselves, our voice and our equilibrium as 80plus.
What are you most proud of?
We have had a very long road to conquer the specialty coffee world, but we are so proud to be growing stronger every year, proving ourselves with our work and coffee. We are proud of our team and all the people we collaborate with, and definitely being able to buy coffee while supporting different sustainability projects in the producing countries.
How will the specialty coffee market look like in 2025?
It’s pretty hard to say, especially of what is happening now during the pandemic. But we think more and more people will start consuming specialty coffee at home. So hopefully retail will grow and the consumer will be willing to pay a bit more for a better quality cup, which at the same time will be a more sustainable and a more tasty product.
Tell us little bit about “The Cup” - best cup of coffee you’ve ever tasted?
As we are 4 in the company at the moment, surely each one has their own. But no doubt "The Cup" for everyone is probably the one that started our journey to discover specialty coffee. These are new fresh feelings that will never get out of your mind. For Anna, for example, it was in Russia, her country of origin. Just before leaving for Barcelona she was in St. Petersburg. She had a chat with the coffee shop owner where she was (she makes friends so easily, especially when coffee is in the middle!). He told her that most baristas were looking for acidity in espresso, but he was convinced that sweetness was the most important aspect. She has always been a filter coffee person, but the espresso that she was served with the incredible sweetness was THE perfect SIP and THE CUP.So sometimes it is really about the overall experience - the coffee, the people, the places, the moments.