Our Story
Matubu didn't start on a drawing board, but in a brewery. What began as a side project next to the beer grew into a family business that today supplies coffee, tea and machines to more than 250 businesses in the Benelux.
Oost-Vleteren
A craving that never went away
In 2017 Nathan Ghysbrecht helped De Struise Brouwers in Oost-Vleteren give their Black Albert beer some extra character, with coffee. While searching for the right beans, he discovered something that stuck with him: when you roast yourself, with care, you taste the difference straight away.
That craving to do it yourself, and do it better, never went away.
Dudzele & Bruges
From hobby to a story of our own
What started as a side project next to the beer gradually grew into a story of its own. The roastery moved to Dudzele, with a shop and a terrace where people simply dropped in for a good cup of coffee.
In 2021 a small shop on the Burg in Bruges was added, a second place where coffee lovers could get to know us.
KMO-Park Zeveneke
Next-gen
Today Matubu is a true family business. Nathan passed the torch to his sons Elie and Félix, who built the business up step by step. This year we moved to a new, larger roastery at KMO-Park Zeveneke, from where we supply coffee, tea and machines to more than 250 businesses in the Benelux.
“We want to bring quality coffee to people in an accessible, affordable way. Good coffee makes the difference between a flying start and a wasted day.”
— Elie Ghysbrecht
Who we are
The team
Nathan
Head roaster and facilities
Nathan is the man who started it all. He still tastes every roast himself.
Elie
Operations and head of sales
Elie keeps the business running on the floor and makes sure sales grow along with it.
Félix
Admin, marketing and e-commerce
Félix makes sure the webshop, the admin and the communication keep pace with the rest.
Filip
Roaster
Side by side with Nathan and Sezen at the roaster.
Sezen
Roaster
Side by side with Nathan and Filip at the roaster.
Sylvia
Bar manager, Dudzele shop
Sylvia runs the shop and the terrace in Dudzele.
Robbert
Machine technician
Robbert keeps the coffee machines at our customers' running.
Why Matubu
Seriously good coffee at seriously good prices
Specialty quality, no elite price
Our beans score above 80 for quality, the level of specialty coffee bars, without the mark-up that usually comes with it.
Craft-roasted, not factory volumes
We follow every roast ourselves. No pushing tens of tonnes a day through the ovens, but attention for every batch.
One point of contact, no call centre
A question or a change? You deal directly with the people who deliver your coffee, not with a ticket system.
No frills, no mystery: just good coffee, roasted by people who know their craft.
Our mission
What drives Matubu, day after day
Our mission as a West Flemish coffee roastery is to embrace and champion the values of the short supply chain, craftsmanship, attention to our ecological footprint, quality and a family spirit. Not words on a poster, but the way we make decisions every day.
5 core values
Discover what we stand for
Click a value to discover what it means to us: in practice, not just on paper.
- 100% West-Vlaanderen
- Official label holder
- Handmade in Brugge
- Official label holder
- 20 kg
- Per roast batch, for optimal quality
- Afterburning of industrial exhaust gases
- Aiming for CO2 neutrality by 2030.
Short supply chain
At Matubu we want to work in the short supply chain as much as possible. Not only to give Flemish craftsmanship a boost, but also because we believe in the entrepreneurial spirit and the family approach that connect us all.
The short supply chain is the core value we start from. We work with Belgian makers and local partners as much as possible to support our economy and promote sustainable trade. That's why we are also loyal partners and label holders of 100% West-Vlaanderen and Handmade in Brugge, labels for which the producer carries out the entire production process on West Flemish soil.
Craftsmanship
Our passion for the craft of coffee roasting drives us to keep striving for excellence. We want to be recognised as a symbol of craftsmanship, where every step of the roasting process is carried out with the utmost care and precision.
By roasting our coffee in batches of 20 kilograms, we get the full potential out of every bean. What's more, each blend is only mixed after roasting, in our roastery in Dudzele, so the individuality of every type of bean is preserved. Before roasting, the beans undergo extensive tests on density, humidity and ambient temperature: that's how we guarantee consistent, excellent quality in every batch.
Ecological footprint
Matubu aims to become fully CO2 neutral. For a small roastery that is a long-term effort, but we're well on our way: we give all our waste to partners who reuse it, and our smoke and odour particles are removed during roasting by state-of-the-art electrostatic smoke filters and afterburners.
An honest note: as a small roastery, we don't buy our green coffee beans directly from the farmer, but through a specialised importer. We keep a close eye on that partner treating people and nature with respect throughout the whole life of the bean, and as we grow, a more direct relationship with our producers is something we are working towards.
Quality over quantity
We want to be known as the benchmark for quality in the coffee world. Our constant search for the best coffee beans, our pursuit of perfection in roasting and our unmatched flavour profiles make us a trusted choice for coffee lovers looking for the ultimate coffee experience.
A family approach
Matubu is a family business, and you can tell in everything we do. It shows in our genuine attention for every customer, the extensive service we offer and our gratitude for the trust placed in us with every order.
Our roastery is a welcoming meeting place where people come together to enjoy quality coffee, learn and get inspired.