Malaga's landmark coffee roaster: father and son qualify for AeroPress national finals

Food and drink

At the helm of Artisan Coffee, Nacho Prado Ramos has won the Andalusian championship and aspires to the next stage alongside his father, who also won the regional title last year

Marina Martínez

In a corner of the centre of Malaga. In the middle of Plaza San Francisco. There hides an oasis for coffee lovers. You only have ... to cross the door to realise it. The smell says it all. It is roasted there... and served there. But be aware, Artisan Coffee is not just a coffee shop but a coffee roastery where you can also try any of the different types of coffee. From Ethiopia, Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil, Uganda or Mexico. They select the origin and the beans very well.

"We try to have a bit of everything, from blend, which is cleaner and more pleasant, to other rarer, complex or fruity varieties", says Nacho Prado, the head of this Malaga-based company, which includes another Nacho Prado, his son. Both have set a milestone: the younger one has just become Andalusian champion in the AeroPress category, the same title his father won last year.

Passport to the international phase

But the milestone is even greater, as both have qualified for the national final, which gives a passport to the world final. In total, there will be eleven Andalusian aspirants. Among them, Adolfo Alaiz (Granada Coffee Blend), María Alonso Quiroga (Mia Coffee), Mauro Cabrera (Sagrado Specialty Coffee), and Juan Miguel Bertani (Bertani Café). Along with Prado Ramos, the podium was completed by David Vargas and Jonathan Calderón.

That's why father and son are serious about tasting "lots and lots of coffee". They recognise flavours and nuances easily. They are passionate about it. They don't need to swear by it. They can spend hours and hours between coffee beans without realising it. They can roast around a thousand kilos a month. They have their audience. And it is a large one. Both outside, with online sales, and inside, with direct consumers, coffee shops and also online.

"Coffee used to be something you drank just to wake up, today more and more people are looking for it as a gourmet experience

"In general, people are starting to drink better coffee. In recent years there has been a big change in mentality. Before it was seen as something you drank just to wake up, today more and more people are looking for it as a gourmet experience," say the Prados, who change their menu every two months or so.

They have made Artisan a dynamic business. Such is their success that they are already planning an extension with a new warehouse in Campanillas. "We needed more space. We already sell to the whole of Spain and to many coffee shops both in Malaga and in other Andalusian provinces such as Cadiz," says Nacho Prado. In this case, the father. But he could also be the son. Both feel the same bond with Artisan. They will be known by smell. Also by ear. Here sounds the Kanka', they announce at the entrance. And there it is in the background. One hundred percent Malagueños.