Swedish coffee strikes Google's fancy

The Brits are more and more interested in Swedish flavours. Google's office in London has decided to invest in Swedish coffee. The goal is to make their staff best in town. They are turning to coffee experts from Löfbergs for help. 

The Brits have discovered Swedish cuisine and for the past five years, the export of Swedish food to Great Britain has increased with almost 30 per cent according to the Swedish Board of Agriculture. This trend also includes Swedish coffee. For the past year, the coffee roaster Löfbergs has doubled its turnover in Great Britain - despite the general recession.

When Google's office in London wanted to train their staff, not to be professionals in IT, but to be baristas, they turned to Swedes for help. Experts from the Swedish coffee roaster Löfbergs are training the staff every fourteen days. Their goal is to be better than the baristas in the cafés of London.

- Sweden is known for its coffee-drinking, and we are a family business that for a long time have been taking sustainability matters seriously. That reputation has come to Google's attention. They see us as exotic coffee specialists, says Kathrine Löfberg.

Their own coffee lab
At Google's European headquarters, they have their own coffee lab with seats in a rowboat. This is where the staff goes on their longboards for a cup of coffee. 

- I see them as a bit quirky and trendy. If they do something, they go all in. They are particular, even when it comes to coffee. At the moment, the speciality coffee Cumbia is their favourite. But many do like Ethiopian Sidamo as well, says Anna Nordström at Löfbergs, who is involved with the training.

A lot to learn from Sweden
Drinking coffee at work is something people do all around the world. But a coffee culture like the one in Swedish workplaces cannot be found elsewhere. And apart from the Finnish people, no one drinks as much coffee as Swedes do. 

- We are unique in Sweden, and we have a lot to teach others. Our time for coffee at work makes it easy to talk to people at other departments, get to know each other and the people behind the titles. It is also a great opportunity to have the courage to ask others for help, says Kathrine Löfberg. 

For more information, please contact:
Kathrine Löfberg, Director of Communications, Löfbergs, +46 (0) 54-14 01 20