People are struck by the enticing smell of coffee when they enter Daniel Zeller’s shop. The 44-year-old resident of Plauen is unique in the Vogtland District with his “Neue Kaffeerösterei” – and the store is a real hit with customers.

The trained construction mechanic fulfilled his dream of having his own coffee-roasting house five years ago. However, his special attachment to this popular hot drink goes back even further in time.

He restored an old espresso machine shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall and his taste buds quickly showed him that high-quality roasted beans are absolutely essential for this too.

He acquired the necessary expertise, roasted beans for his own use initially and finally registered his business in 2013.

His customers have been able to find him in his shop with its modern design on Neundorfer Strasse in Plauen since that time. The front section is used for sales, while production goes on at the rear. Using computer technology and different profiles, Daniel Zeller can roast the beans at heat levels as accurate as one tenth of a degree Celsius. The roasting machine itself is operated manually. The expert relies on his natural senses and recognises when it is time to remove the beans by their colour and consistency. Depending on whether the beans are being roasted for a filter coffee or an espresso, the process takes between 12 and 18 minutes.

More and more people are learning to appreciate that a great deal of work and love are involved in roasting coffee.

Daniel Zeller roasted no more than 3 tonnes of beans at the outset – but that figure has doubled today. He now supplies beans, which originate from a wide selection of places around the globe, to major customers in the region, restaurants and bakeries.

Membership in a so-called network of roasters ensures the certified source of the beans. Purchasers from the network visit plantations in Peru, Ethiopia, Brazil or Guatemala and sign agreements with local farmers on the spot.

This not only guarantees the quality, but fair conditions too.

In addition to the coffee beans that have travelled from distant countries and are delivered in large sacks by forwarding companies, Daniel Zeller places great importance on regional products at his “Neue Kaffeerösterei” in Plauen. The beer on offer comes from Eibenstock, the tea from a tea shop in Plauen and the biscuits and cakes from a local bakery.

“More and more people are insisting on quality and regional products – and that’s a good thing,” says the coffee expert with a smile on his face and recalls the last five years. His journey was not easy and he went through some hard times. However, his business has grown and continues to grow. At some stage, he will need a new roasting machine that can roast far more than the 12 kilograms of beans per hour handled by his current unit. However, that kind of purchase costs about EUR 45,000. It would also be necessary to relocate the production if larger volumes were being roasted.

He has rejected various offers of moving his “Neue Kaffeerösterei” shop to Bayreuth, Rehau or even Chemnitz. He feels far too attached to his home region.

“What’s more, regular customers have become real friends. I wouldn’t want to miss out on that,” says the 44-year-old father of a family.