The Roastery
Welcome in our artisan coffee roastery, where passion and craft come together to create the most refined and delicious coffees.
Go with the slow
We consciously choose to roast fresh coffee every week in small batches using the slow roast method . This careful approach enables us to guarantee a coffee of unparalleled freshness, easy digestibility and extraordinary taste every time. The result is a cup of coffee that will delight your taste buds. Discover here how we work to let you enjoy the true essence of coffee time after time.
The Origin of Taste: A journey through coffee cultures
Our commitment begins with the selection of the highest quality green coffee beans from all over the world. We are passionate about discovering unique coffee varieties grown with care and sustainability by small coffee farmers. Tasting and evaluating different beans helps us choose the best batches that will yield the most complex and compelling flavors.
From green to gold: The burning process
When the green coffee beans reach our roastery, the real magical process begins. Our master roaster, Tom Duran has years of experience and knowledge that enable him to create the optimal roast profiles for each coffee variety and blend. Using traditional roasting methods and advanced technology, he ensures the beans are roasted evenly and gently to reveal their full flavor potential. Unlike mass production, we take the time to carefully roast each batch of beans so that they retain their unique character. We strongly believe in quality over quantity and strive to deliver a high quality product that impresses every time.
We are all about roasting fresh coffee beans with the utmost care and dedication. Every week we strive to provide our customers with an unforgettable coffee experience
Our Commitment: Fair Trade, Real Change
Our focus on artisanal craftsmanship also means that we strive for sustainability and ethical business practices. Together with our Belgian partner, we work closely with small coffee farmers who are committed to environmentally friendly farming methods and fair wages for their workers. In this way, we not only want to deliver high-quality coffee, but also have a positive impact on the communities from which our beans originate.
Coffee with flavour & character: from bean to cup
In our artisanal coffee roasting facility, everything revolves around sharing a special coffee experience with our customers. From carefully selecting the best coffee beans to hand-roasting each batch, we always strive to create a unique and memorable cup of coffee. We hope you enjoy our coffee as much as we enjoy roasting it for you. Welcome to the world of real flavors and artisanal coffee.
Our story
1937
Start up Mokabon as a coffee roastery
Erminio Mazzaro moved away from Padua to Zelzate in the 1930s. There he met his wife Bertha Gauwe and they moved to the Donkersteeg in Ghent, where they started a coffee roasting company. He roasted the beans in the cellar, she sold the freshly roasted coffee beans on the ground floor
1951
The oldest coffee house in Ghent
In the 1950s, the taproom was also added, and that "Salon du Café" was an instant hit. The first Turkish and North African labor migrants also immediately felt welcome here. And that word mokabon? Shouldn't that be done with two k's? No, it's just a short Italian way of saying 'good coffee'. Did you know that there is also a Mokabon in Verona?
1964
Erminio Mazzaro develops his own espresso machine
Erminio soon noticed that the Belgians drank their coffee differently than the Italians. He conceived the plan to design a coffee machine himself, which would serve coffee according to the taste of his Belgian clientele. In Italy he set up a small coffee machine company, which he transferred to Destelbergen around the mid-1960s.
1991
Tom Duran takes over: Passion for the profession and an eye for detail
When Erminio reached retirement age, the children would normally continue the business in Donkersteeg. But they too felt the attraction of migrating and moved to the United States. The Mokabon came into the hands of new owner Tom Duran.
Tom lifted the coffee shop to a higher level because of his expertise and professional knowledge. He roasted his coffee blends fresh every week using the slow-roast method. Premium coffee beans carefully selected, roasted and tested, that was his motto.
2023
Generation change for the Mokabon
Grace Ishiekwene and Quentin Magnette took over the business from Christine Berth and Tom Duran in mid-January 2023. Grace is Christine's daughter and grew up above the Mokabon, so to speak. She has therefore played a lot in the business that her mother took over with Tom Duran in 1991. That she is the new face of the business and is therefore obvious. Meanwhile Quentin Magnette perfects himself as a coffee roaster under the watchful eye of Tom Duran.
