What Makes Fritz Coffee SO Good?
If you walk down the aisles of Queens and get to the coffee section (and regardless of whether you know Fritz Coffee Company or not) you can’t help but be appreciative of the iconic seal holding the coffee mug. Bring one of the bags to your nose to smell the beans and you’ll be punched with goodness.
When we opened Queens, Fritz was one of the first Korean products/brands we wanted to bring in. There was something about the Fritz allure; of course the branding and package design are primo, and the coffee is amazing, but it was the people at Fritz at our first meeting in Seoul that impressed us the most. From Henry, our rep and master roaster and the baristas, they were passionate not only about coffee-making but also the brand and company. They spoke with conviction and joy; it was only until a few years later when we became good friends with BK, the founder of Fritz, that we realized where and who this culture and energy comes from.
Before they had a wholesale portal, we would DM Henry our order, prepare all of the FDA/customs documentation together, they would slap on an english label, and we would patiently wait for the order to come through EMS or DHL. It’s much easier now that they have a wholesale portal on their website. We were honestly surprised how many people knew Fritz and these customers would share about their trips to Korea and reminisce about their coffee experience there. When visitors from Korea came, they were stunned to see a slice of home on our shelves. It’s crazy and admirable to think that EVERYONE has only good things to say about Fritz.
As we’ve gotten to know BK more over the past couple of years, we’ve only fallen more in love with Fritz. On our recent trip to Korea, he insisted on taking time out of his busy schedule on the weekend to personally do a tasting for us.
BK is someone who we really respect and one of the best humans on earth. A super impressionable moment during that tasting was when he disappeared for a bit and started doing the dishes (not just for our tasting but for the entire cafe). He employs over 100 staff (and he is a big deal) yet he reminded us the importance and impact of servant leadership. That right there is the heartbeat behind a company/brand that we are so proud to partner with and the reason why the coffee is so dang good.