The Coffee Story: Alexander Skrinjaric
I’ve been slacking off in this segment. It’s been a year since I featured someone on The Coffee Story. There’s no excuse to why I’ve been procrastinating. Nonetheless, I am determined get through my back log starting this month.
My next guest is the owner and founder of a coffee shop and roastery based in Sofia, Bulgaria. I find Alexander’s story fascinating because he was quick to identify a gap and capitalize on it by putting in the work. He wears many hats, from running the business to roasting and training. You will enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed working on it.
Tell me a bit about yourself and how you started your coffee journey?
My name is Alexander Skrinjaric. I am originally from Peru and I have been living in Bulgaria since 2018. I went to Germany during my last year of university for a student exchange program and this is where I met my wife, Anes, who is also from Bulgaria. When the exchange program concluded, I was asked to move to Bulgaria to be part of Anes’ family business — Martines, a coffee roasting company.
I have never worked in the coffee industry and I was not ready to take such a big responsibility. I decided to head back to Peru for a year to gain experience before moving back to Bulgaria. This is exactly what happened and so much more.
When I arrived in Bulgaria, I noticed that there were many coffee experts packed with years of experience but were not certified. Since I lacked the experience, being certified was the gap I focused on i.e. SCA courses. Today, I am the only Authorized SCA Trainer in roasting at a professional level.
Tell me about Martines and the coffee scene in Bulgaria?
Martines is a family business that is specialized in coffee roasting. It was founded by Vladimir Malkanov in 2005 and has evolved with the Bulgarian coffee industry.
Martines shifted its focus on specialty coffees not too long from now. It was in 2018 when we also engaged with consumers and educated them about specialty coffee and the industry in addition to sourcing and roasting great coffee.
That is why we decided to open our own coffee shop called Martines Specialty Coffee Shop, with a purpose to help customers find their own taste and to grow the coffee culture in Bulgaria.
Consumers have great taste, so much so that they have started paying attention to the quality instead of the price. Naturally, things pick up from there.
Even though Bulgaria is in Europe, a lot of work needs to be put in to change taste preference and make consumers realize what specialty coffee is all about. After all, there is no need to mask quality coffee with sugar.
This change might be inevitable or due to COVID as some might say but the fact is that people are more aware than before. Which is why I have changed my approach as well. I now prefer quality over quantity.
The demand to drink the finest brewed coffee is increasing, and it is our responsibility to educate consumers in recognizing that and help them develop their taste.
We are excited to try your coffee. What are you currently roasting?
We are constantly in search for interesting profiles. We are currently working with some exciting anaerobic fermented coffees like the Hermanos Mena from El Salvador, the elegant pulped natural double fermented Colombian from Jhoan Vergara and a Peruvian washed Geisha from Cayetano Fernandez.
What is your definition of great coffee?
A light to medium roasted coffee is the perfect balance between acidity and sweetness in my opinion.
Being a roaster, how do you source your coffee?
There are several factors when it comes to this. I pay attention on how importers work with certain origins. I try to dig deeper and check the relationship between the importer and the producer. Simultaneously, I also identify the taste preference of my customers. Some prefer bright and complex while others are inclined towards balanced coffees. Sometimes I take a risk and buy which could be a hit or a miss. It’s all about trusting yourself and the direction you want to take your business in.
You are also an AST, according to you what makes for a good trainer in the coffee industry?
The very first prerequisite needed is the passion for coffee, followed by an interest to teach, and sharing your knowledge and experience. That is the value addition you can have on the coffee industry.
What is the future of specialty coffee?
I strongly believe that the future will be inclined towards those that cater to a wide variety of specialty coffee roasted meticulously and strive to work towards a transparent coffee value chain.
Where can we find you online, and how do we order your coffee?
We have interesting coffees from different origins on our online store. We can also ship our coffees if you are based out of Europe, email us on info@martines.coffee.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
