Journal — February 2023

Happy February! Here in NC, it’s starting to feel like spring has arrived, bringing with it newness, life, and fresh excitement. But if—wherever this finds you—the ground is still frozen and the air is still thick with cold, we hope this month’s coffees inspire sunshiny thoughts of warmer days ahead.

We just celebrated two months of being open here in Durham! It’s been incredible watching the space grow and develop a strong community so soon. We had a lovely time hosting Casino Mocca (I hope y’all enjoyed Roberto Mata as much as our cafe guests did) and are excited to have Morgon Coffee Roasters in our coffee shop and back on the subscription this month.

Morgon Coffee Roasters is a long-time passion project that came to fruition in the summer of 2018 (just like Yonder, actually). Christian Gullbrandsson, Gabriella Runesson, and Markus Vestergaard united together, combining their nearly 40 years of coffee experience to finally start a roastery of their own.

And that is where we find Morgon today, nestled under a crane in the port of Gothenburg, Sweden—at the cusp of the world and all the possibility that the ocean brings. The roastery approaches coffee and branding with the spirit of the harbor in mind, somehow connecting this little port at the top of the world to so many places throughout the rest of it.

Scandinavian design sensibility is obvious in all they do—vibrantly constructed scenes showcase the taste and personality of each of their coffees not just in words but in visual language.

This month’s line up is a lot of fun. It was hard to choose which of their Kenyan offerings to share as the main feature, as both Gakuyuini and Oreti are lovely, but the gooseberry notes stole the show at our cupping. I also love coffees from both the Baraona and Montero families and both lots are delicious.

Gabriella, Christian, Markus, and their team approach coffee by demonstrating careful passion for each step of the growing, sourcing, buying, and roasting process. Just like every morning, every bean is a seed of endless potential, each more wonderful and exceptional than the last. We can’t wait for you to enjoy their work and to experience their coffee for yourself. I know you’ll have a god morgon (“good morning” in Swedish) when it starts with a cup of Gakuyuini.