Why did we choose Al-Gharb Coffee Roasters as a name for our coffee journey ?

So, what does Al-Gharb mean?

Al-Gharb is Arabic and means “the west”.

During the period of Moorish rule in the Iberian Peninsula, the Algarve was known as Al-Gharb, meaning roughly “the west”.

Which makes sense.

If you're looking at the Iberian Peninsula from further east, this bit at the bottom left really is rather conveniently located in the west.

Although, from somewhere like Barcelona, I suppose you could also just point vaguely in this direction and call it “over there.”

The name eventually evolved into the name we know today: Algarve.

So the name of the region where we live still carries a little piece of that history with it.

And there is something rather nice about that.

The people who used the name Al-Gharb have long since gone, but the name stayed.

Languages changed. People changed. The region changed.

But somehow, a version of that old name is still being used every day.

And then we came along and put coffee on it.

Finding a name for a coffee roastery

When we first started planning the roastery, we didn't actually know exactly where it was going to be.

We were looking at locations all over the Algarve and trying to work out where this whole coffee adventure was going to happen.

But, of course, we wanted to start working on the branding.

So we needed a name.

Our temporary working title was fairly predictable:

Algarve Coffee Roasters.

It did exactly what it said on the tin.

It was clear.

It was local.

It was a coffee roastery.

And we didn't really like it.

There was nothing particularly wrong with it.

It just didn't feel like us.

Then a local friend, Daniel, suggested:

Al-Gharb Coffee Roasters.

And that was it.

Sometimes you spend weeks trying to come up with the perfect idea and then someone else says something over a coffee and you immediately know they've got it.

Thanks, Daniel.

Why Al-Gharb felt right

The name gave us something that Algarve Coffee Roasters didn't.

It connected us to where we live, but it also gave us a little bit of history.

And, more importantly, it fitted with how we wanted to approach coffee.

We weren't interested in simply taking something traditional and reproducing it exactly as it had always been done.

We wanted to learn from what came before us, keep the bits we liked, and then give them our own twist.

That's really what Al-Gharb represents to us.

Traditional, but not stuck in the past.

Local, but looking outward.

Respectful of where things came from, while being happy to experiment with where they could go next.

And that seemed like a pretty good philosophy for a coffee roastery.

And then there's the logo

If you've ever looked closely at the Al-Gharb logo, you'll probably notice the tiles.

They're inspired by azulejos, the decorative ceramic tiles that are such a recognisable part of Portuguese architecture and design.

But, of course, we couldn't just leave them alone.

There are coffee-related details hidden in there too.

Because that's basically the Al-Gharb approach in a nutshell.

Take something that belongs here.

Respect where it came from.

Change it a little.

Add coffee.

And see what happens.

The really nice part of the story is that the logo wasn't designed by some anonymous branding agency.

It was designed by Chantell's childhood friend, Karen.

So there's another little piece of our story built into the brand.

Thanks, Karen.

More than just a name

That's why we've always liked the name Al-Gharb Coffee Roasters.

It's more than just a name that tells people where we are.

It reminds us that everything has a story behind it.

The Algarve has a history.

Coffee has a history.

The coffee we roast has a history that stretches from the farm where it was grown, through all the people who handled it, to the moment we put it into the roaster.

And then we get to add our own little bit to that story.

That's really what our coffee journey has been about.

We're taking something with a long history and trying to do something with it that feels like us.

Sometimes that means respecting tradition.

Sometimes it means questioning it.

Sometimes it means trying something completely different.

And sometimes it means simply sitting down with a cup of coffee and asking:

“What happens if we try this?”

Which, if we're honest, is probably how quite a lot of what we do at Al-Gharb started in the first place.

So, if you've ever wondered what Al-Gharb means, now you know.

It means “the west.”

But for us, it also means home.

And coffee.

And a little bit of history.

And a lot of experimentation.

And we're still figuring out where the journey goes from here.

— Henning Al-Gharb Coffee Roasters, Algarve

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