The Freimeisterkollektiv is a grouping of individualists – an alliance of independent craft distillers and leading bartenders. Our customers should know what they drink. And from whom. The production of our products is subject to complete transparency.
Together with the German “Third Wave of Coffee” pioneer Ralf Rüller, we decided on a coffee from the Central Valley in Costa Rica: VOLCAN AZUL. The beans he roasts are “greener” than typical espresso blends in order to preserve the intense and floral notes.
Josef Farthofer in the Austrian Mostviertel creates a very different spirit from this coffee with flavors of dried figs, black cardamom and apricot. After KOCHERE NATURAL, KANGUNU AA and MAHEMBE, he, again, distilled a coffee spirit for Freimeisterkollektiv. Contrary to the previous ones, he turned the Voclan Azul coffee into a cold brew coffee spirit. This spirit highlights very different aspects of the flavor complexity of this outstanding coffee.
Apricot | Brown Sugar | Black Cardamom
Dried Fig | Vanilla | Apricot
Gentian Root | Caramel

VOLCAN AZUL, Natural Cold Brew Coffee| Grain Spirit | VOLCAN AZUL Coffee Spirit | Sugar | Water
VOLCAN AZUL 340 is the fifth collaboration between Ralf Rüller, specialty coffee pioneer from Berlin, and Josef Farthofer, organic farmer and distiller from Austria for the Freimeisterkollektiv. Volcan Azul is a microlot coffee from the West Valley in Costa Rica. The Caturra variety grows here between 1400-1500 m above sea level and is processed in ‘natural processing’. Ralf chooses a roast profile that is ideal for cold brew. Volcan Azul is extracted cold by Josef as well as distilled as a spirit. We are not allowed to call VOLCAN AZUL 340 a liqueur, because according to the legislature it has far too little sugar.
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Josef Farthofer
Distiller | Mostviertel, Lower Austria
Josef is an organic farmer as well as a passionate organic distiller. His experimentation and creativity continuously result in new, unusual products. In 2015 his O-Gin was awarded gold at the Craft Spirits Awards. Thanks to an initiative of Oliver Ebert he’s developing a coffee spirit in cooperation with coffee pioneer Ralf Rüller of “The Barn”. Furthermore, Freimeisterkollektiv will benefit from Josef’s expertise in the area of vodka: he has also committed himself to create a vodka specifically for the Freimeisterkollektiv.
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Ralf Rüller
Coffee Roaster | Berlin
Before Ralf founded Berlin’s visionary coffee roasting house “The Barn” he worked in finance and as an actor. He went on to study under some of the world’s most renowned coffee experts. From this experience, he developed his own minimalist concept, which is strongly inspired by the Nordic coffee tradition. Ralf is collaborating with Josef Farthofer and Oliver Ebert to produce a coffee spirit for the Freimeisterkollektiv.
The Freimeisterkollektiv is a grouping of individualists – an alliance of independent craft distillers and leading bartenders. Our customers should know what they drink. And from whom. The production of our products is subject to complete transparency.
Other products of this Freimeister:
Products of this Freimeister:
KANGUNU AA 384
GONDO AB 381