In 2015, Mateo González and Carlos Moral met at a specialty coffee workshop. Then, they realized that, despite its potential, it remained unknown to most consumers, and that a transformation was already taking place in certain markets, which would soon reach Spain. They then decided to lead this transformation, in which coffee is valued for its quality and origin, and in which those who drink it wonder where it comes from, how it tastes, and what makes it different.
“Everyone drinks coffee, but it is a very underestimated product,” explains González, CEO of the company. Faced with the idea of coffee as an anonymous drink, they decided to launch Hidden Coffee, to turn coffee into a product with a name and surname. To do this, Hidden began to focus on its origin and the people behind it. And it is that “coffee is a fruit, it is seasonal, and it can be naturally sweet,” as González, who came from the legal world, recalls. Moral, for his part, was already part of the coffee world: he comes from a coffee family, with a coffee importer founded in 1978.
“Coffee is a very selected product, and of rotation. Depending on the time of year, it comes from one country or another. But very few people know it,” González continues. For this reason, the coffee selection process begins long before the beans arrive in Barcelona: Hidden receives samples from different producers and, its managers even often travel to the countries of origin to meet them and taste their coffees. Sometimes, they even prefer to taste first without too much information about the product, to focus on what they have in the cup and reward the producer's work without being carried away by marketing and the brand.
This direct relationship with producers allows them to discover “incredible little-known coffees, and bring them closer to the consumer at more affordable prices,” according to González. Once selected at origin, the beans begin their journey to Barcelona. It is here that Hidden Coffee completes much of its work: in its space in La Verneda, where it has a warehouse and workshop, it roasts between 3,000 and 4,000 kilos of coffee every week. “We select at origin, bring it to Barcelona, package it and roast it,” González summarizes.
Now, a decade after that workshop where the founders met, the company has four locations in Barcelona, and has added a fifth establishment in Barceloneta during the summer season. But the coffee shops are only part of a project that its founders define as a "360-degree" coffee brand, and that is because Hidden works from bean selection to roasting and sales, but also training and consulting for other coffee shops.
The company has been expanding these facets over the years. At first, it focused its activity on sales, and also on workshops and dissemination. Over time, Hidden consolidated itself as a roaster and began selling coffee to other businesses, and even accompanying them in the creation of new projects. So much so that it has advised other specialty coffee businesses throughout Spain, and also in more distant markets, such as Puerto Rico, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi.
The company has grown, practically doubling its turnover each year, especially boosted by distribution to businesses and the online channel. The team now numbers around 60 people and incorporates very diverse profiles, from baristas to roasters and quality control specialists, as well as design, communication, and administration professionals.
More filter coffee, more exotic varieties
In parallel to the evolution of Hidden Coffee, there has also been a change in coffee consumer habits and the way it is consumed. The product is part of the gastronomic world and has been valued by both the restaurant sector and the diner —"now, if they bring you a coffee and you don't like it, you ask for another one"—. Filter coffee is gaining ground and more and more customers are daring to try "more experimental, more exotic" varieties, according to González. "Even older people who have come to Hidden Coffee accompanied by their children have changed their habits and are the ones who buy coffee from us for their home."
Along with these regular buyers, Hidden continues to add new customers: “We still have people in our premises who are entering for the first time, and who don't really know where they have entered. That's why the barista's accompaniment is very important when someone enters: they have to explain who we are and what we do, and advise them.” Customers can drink coffee or buy bags, with beans that can be ground on the spot and with prices ranging between 12 and 30 euros for 250 grams.
In addition, in terms of trends, “people are looking at how to take care of themselves and how to be more ecological,” which is in line with specialty coffee that values the origin and production of the bean. In addition, it is accompanied by a growing use of plant-based drinks —such as those from Yosoy, a Catalan brand “of zero kilometer,” as González highlights.
Barcelona smells of coffee
For González, Barcelona is at the center of this transformation of the coffee world. Along with Madrid, he considers the city one of the main drivers of specialty coffee in Spain.
In addition, for Hidden Coffee it is the place where their coffee is roasted, and the starting point for its distribution, always with the aim that, behind each cup, there is a recognizable coffee, a producer and a story; a coffee with its own name.