MAME Coffee: Zürich Roots, Champion Founders and Sourcing
MAME Coffee brings competition experience into an approachable question: what do you actually enjoy drinking? Its range can lead from a smooth Brazilian filter coffee to a floral Colombian lot or a more adventurous fermentation profile. The value of that range is choice, rather than a requirement to buy the rarest or most expensive bag.
Founded in Zürich, Switzerland, MAME has a story shaped by its two founders, cafés, roasting and the search for distinctive coffees. This guide connects that background to the MAME coffees in our Canadian selection, with practical ways to choose and brew them.
Who founded MAME Coffee?
Emi Fukahori and Mathieu Theis founded MAME in 2016 after connecting through coffee championships. Emi was born in Japan and Mathieu in France; Zürich became the home of their shared project. The name MAME refers to the Japanese word for beans, and the brand connects its identity with craftsmanship and community.
Their expertise is part of the story: Emi won the 2018 World Brewers Cup, while Mathieu has multiple Swiss Barista Championship titles. Those achievements explain the competition background, but they should not turn an everyday coffee purchase into a test of expertise. A useful introduction begins with your preferred flavours and brewing method.
From a neighbourhood café to a roastery
MAME’s first café opened on Josefstrasse in Zürich in October 2016, in a former laundry space. Its café history also includes Seefeld, followed by a dedicated Zürich roastery with a training area. This combination of cafés and roasting helps explain why serving coffee and learning about preparation are visible parts of the brand.
For a customer buying beans, that café perspective is valuable as context. Coffee is ultimately prepared and tasted, not simply described on a label. It also explains why the range contains accessible everyday options alongside coffees intended for a more focused tasting experience.
Daily coffees and competition coffees: what is the difference?
MAME’s own shop separates Daily Coffee from Competition Coffee. The daily range includes filter and espresso options, while its competition offer includes distinctive lots and an ongoing competition subscription. These categories help organise the experience; they do not mean daily coffee is uninteresting or that every competition coffee will suit every drinker.
Start with the daily range if you want an easy point of reference for your morning routine. Consider a more unusual lot when you want to explore a specific variety, producer or process. The most satisfying purchase is the one that fits the occasion: a generous everyday cup and a small, carefully tasted release can both have a place.
Always check whether the bag is labelled filter, espresso or omni. An omni designation invites use across methods, but it does not remove the need to adjust your recipe. A filter version and an espresso version of the same named coffee can be separate products.
Sourcing through producer relationships and lot information
MAME’s approach is most tangible when you read the individual coffee stories. Our collection includes Daterra in Brazil, La Riviera and Finca Milan in Colombia, Kamundu Estate in Kenya and Chelchele in Ethiopia. These examples connect the brand to named producers or production sites, rather than presenting origin as a country alone.
Compare the level of detail on each listing: farm or station, variety, process and tasting notes. Specific information helps you recognise a coffee you liked and explore a related release later. It also keeps sourcing claims grounded. A named farm is informative, but it does not by itself establish a certification, a particular payment level or an identical buying arrangement for every lot.
Different producers offer different possibilities. A Brazilian peaberry selection, a washed Kenyan SL28/SL34 lot and a Colombian co-fermented Caturra are not interchangeable simply because MAME roasted all three. The brand provides a point of connection; the agricultural and processing details explain much of the variety within the range.
Which MAME coffees should you explore?
Pearl: a smooth Brazilian starting point
Pearl Filter is our listing for MAME’s Brazilian Mundo Novo peaberry selection from Daterra, processed as pulped natural. Its tasting notes centre on chocolate, almond and a smooth texture. A peaberry is a coffee seed form, not a separate coffee variety; Mundo Novo is the variety identified here.
Pearl makes sense when you want a familiar flavour direction without needing a dark, roast-dominated cup. It also offers a useful reference against which to taste a brighter or more floral coffee. Check that you are choosing the filter version if that is your intended method.
Full Bloom: texture and sweet, nutty notes
Full Bloom Filter is another Daterra coffee in our collection, identified as natural Yellow Catuai. The listed profile includes almond biscotti, walnut and velvety texture. It gives you a way to compare two Brazilian selections while paying attention to variety, process and the shape of sweetness in the cup.
Rather than declaring one superior, ask which texture and finish suit your daily routine. Someone who drinks coffee with breakfast may choose differently from someone arranging a small tasting of delicate filter coffees.
Pink Bourbon: Colombian florals and a detailed process
Pink Bourbon Filter is linked in our store to Julio Cesar Madrid’s family and La Riviera in Colombia. The listing describes resting whole cherries, pulping and fermentation with a selected microbial culture before washing and drying. Its tasting direction is peach, Earl Grey and rose hips.
This is a good example of why a processing label benefits from an explanation. Read the specific treatment, not only the word “washed,” and distinguish the variety from the process. Our Pink Bourbon collection allows you to compare other expressions without assuming that the variety always tastes the same.
Kamundu AA and Brayan Smith: two routes to clarity
Kamundu AA Filter is a washed Kenyan SL28/SL34 coffee with hibiscus, redcurrant and cranberry in its listed profile. Brayan Smith Filter is a washed Colombian Geisha with Earl Grey, marzipan and lemon candy notes. Both invite a focused filter tasting, through different varieties and origins.
Choose the Kenyan direction for an exploration of crisp berry acidity; consider the Colombian Geisha description if tea-like perfume and delicate sweetness attract you. These are suggestions based on the listed profiles, rather than a claim that everyone will experience the same flavours.
UBA Sangria: understand the co-fermentation before buying
UBA Sangria Omni is listed as a co-fermented Caturra from Finca Milan — UBA in Colombia, produced by Julio Cesar Madrid. Its notes include blackberry, orange blossom and lychee. Co-fermentation is distinct from merely describing a coffee as fruity; the processing information belongs in the buying decision.
If you prefer conventional flavour expressions, start elsewhere in the range. If you want to explore processing-led aromatics, read our co-fermented coffee guide alongside the product description.
Understanding MAME’s roasting through the bag
There is more practical value in the individual roast designation than in assigning one blanket roast level to the entire brand. Pearl Filter, Full Bloom Filter and an omni competition release have different intended contexts. Use the product information to decide whether a coffee suits your brewer and your appetite for experimentation.
For milk drinks, look for a suitable espresso or omni offering and enough flavour structure for your preferred milk quantity. For a delicate black filter cup, focus on aroma, clarity and the specific lot. Competition credentials provide background; the correct product choice still depends on preparation.
Brewing, freshness and a useful first comparison
Follow the recipe supplied for the particular coffee when available. Without one, our general filter starting point is 15 g of coffee to 250 g of water. Keep the brewer, dose and pouring pattern steady, then adjust grind in small steps. This is our editorial starting point, not a universal MAME recipe.
For a first comparison, brew Pearl and a contrasting floral or berry-led lot using the same equipment. Taste both warm and cooler, noting sweetness, texture and finish. That comparison is more useful than changing the water, grinder setting and brewer simultaneously.
Check the individual roast date and preserve the beans in a sealed container away from heat and moisture. Our freshness guide explains storage and resting. A carefully chosen bag deserves preparation that lets you understand its profile over more than one cup.
Frequently asked questions about MAME Coffee
Where is MAME Coffee from?
MAME was founded in Zürich, Switzerland. The coffees in its range are grown in several producing countries; Swiss roasting does not mean the beans were grown in Switzerland.
Do I need competition-level equipment to enjoy MAME?
No. Match the coffee to your method, use repeatable measurements and choose a flavour profile you enjoy. More unusual lots may reward extra attention, but a champion’s name does not require a professional setup.
Can I buy MAME Coffee in Canada?
Yes, browse our MAME collection at SpecialityCoffee.ca. Check each product for its current format, roast details and availability.
Choose MAME by the experience you want
For a smooth daily filter coffee, start with a chocolate or nut-led description. For a focused tasting, explore florals, washed Geisha or Kenyan berry notes. For a more adventurous session, examine the process carefully. Your preference is the most useful way to navigate the range.
Discover our MAME Coffee selection and find the bag that fits your next cup.
Sources and further reading
Brand history and credentials were checked against MAME’s official founders and champions page, café history, daily and competition categories and competition subscription. Coffee examples refer to the linked SpecialityCoffee.ca listings. Brewing suggestions are editorial guidance.
