About

'm Benjamin Hohlmann. Born in Germany's Ruhr region, now based in Basel.

I studied law and didn't finish, did a year of voluntary service in Bolivia and then ran an NGO. At some point I realised I was spending more time chasing grants than doing meaningful work. So I started thinking about social business. And stumbled into coffee through a coffeehouse in Basel.

Since 2017 I've been running Kaffeemacher. Together with my brother Felix and Philipp Schallberger, we've built a company that thinks coffee from farm to cup. Cafés in Basel, a roastery, coffee schools in Switzerland and Germany, a YouTube channel with over 130,000 subscribers, and the most in-depth espresso machine and grinder reviews in the German-speaking world. Around 50 people work with us today.

Kaffeemacher is a purpose-driven company. Profits stay in the business and go back into development. We're bootstrapped, Economy for the Common Good certified, and we belong to ourselves. I believe companies should be platforms where people can grow, and that one of the most important tasks for founders is to work from day one towards creating space for others to take on responsibility.

I'm a Q Grader for Arabica and Robusta, former Swiss Brewers Cup Champion and German Cup Tasting Champion. Away from coffee, I ride gravel bikes. In 2026 I'm doing the Tuscany Trail, 440 kilometres through Tuscany. I'm a father of two daughters.

This site is for everything that doesn't fit into other formats. For thoughts that need more room. For topics that deserve to go deeper. For writing that sits somewhere between personal blog and thinking out loud.