Laatst bijgewerkt op: 19/04/2026
A top-quality coffee in your cup, whilst doing something for the mental health of young people in the Netherlands. That is the promise of FUCO Roasters. The coffee company and foundation founded by co-founder Dave Lagendijk uses coffee as a unifying force. Both between farmers and baristas, and between employers and young employees who are struggling mentally.
FUCO Roasters wants every cup to count. Not just for the barista or the customer, but also for young people in the Netherlands who are struggling with their mental health. The young foundation, established in 2024, uses speciality coffee as a means of bringing people together in the workplace. To spark conversations, break down taboos and make a lasting contribution to better mental health care for the next generation. At the same time, FUCO is a fully-fledged coffee company, supplying quality coffee to the hospitality sector and offices throughout the Netherlands, and operating an online shop.
FUCO Roasters was established within Douqué, which has been importing green coffee from Amstelveen for over 100 years. As a result, FUCO can make use of the existing import channels and relationships in countries of origin, and the two companies share the same premises. However, FUCO is not part of Douqué; it is a completely independent entity. That said, Douqué director Aad is a co-founder of FUCO and sits on the foundation’s board.
He therefore has close ties to the foundation and its mission. In fact, the reason for setting up FUCO is deeply personal to Aad. His son took his own life in 2021 at the age of 19. That loss had a huge impact on the company, where Dave was also working at the time. And it brought home in a painful way just how vulnerable young people can be.
That loss got Aad, Dave and his wife Marise thinking about what else a coffee company could do besides simply selling great coffee. This led to a desire to set up a coffee company that makes a difference, and to support a social cause dedicated to the mental health of young people.
After about a year of planning and development, they opted for a foundation with a clear social purpose and a professional coffee offering. The name FUCO is derived from ‘Future of Coffee’. On the one hand, this is a nod to the future generation of young people; on the other, to the future of coffee itself. For Dave, that future is about more than just quality. It’s not just about new flavours and techniques, but also about how coffee can play a role in connection and mental resilience, and how young people still see a future in coffee.
FUCO Roasters’ social mission is deeply intertwined with co-founder Dave’s personal history. When he was young, Dave struggled to find his way. He was vulnerable to substance abuse and knows how bleak things can feel when you hit a dead end. That experience means he has first-hand experience of mental health issues.
Dave: “Coffee was my salvation. I fell in love with it straight away and thought: I never want to do anything else.”
“Coffee was my salvation. I fell in love with it straight away and thought: I never want to do anything else.” In the hospitality industry, behind the espresso machine at Bagels & Beans, he found his calling and his wife Marise, who now plays a key role as a roaster at FUCO. Coffee gave him structure, a purpose and the chance to become truly skilled at something.
After two and a half years in the hospitality industry, Dave moved to Douqué, where he obtained his Q-grader certificate and became a quality manager. For years, he tasted coffees from all over the world. He got to know producers and saw first-hand what works and what doesn’t in the supply chain. That combination of personal experience and professional expertise now forms the foundation of FUCO.
At FUCO, the social mission takes precedence over coffee, even though coffee is essential to achieving that mission. FUCO aims to use coffee primarily to forge connections between employers and young employees, and between organisations and the social mission that FUCO pursues. “Coffee is the beating heart of FUCO, but at the same time it is, above all, a means to an end.”
FUCO Roasters has therefore been established as a foundation with an independent board. “We are allowed to make a profit, but we are not allowed to keep it. Whatever is left over at the end of the day, we donate to a charity dedicated to the mental health of young people.”
The main partner is MIND Us. Like FUCO, it is a young organisation that acts as a kind of gatekeeper in the field of mental health. Among other things, MIND Us develops apps, online tools and campaigns to help identify the early signs of mental health issues in young people and encourage them to seek help.
Together with MIND Us, FUCO developed the ‘Clear your head’ campaign. The campaign uses coffee as a starting point for talking openly in the workplace about how people are really feeling. This includes printed cups and leaflets with practical tips to spark conversation across generations, designed to encourage open discussions about stress, pressure and low mood during coffee breaks. “Coffee doesn’t solve anything, but it does bring people together,” says Dave.
And whilst FUCO may be a foundation, Dave emphasises that it is just as much a serious coffee business. “ “In that respect, we’re a bit of an odd one out: a social foundation and a business in one.” FUCO must be commercially viable, so that there is sufficient volume and margin to make regular donations. At the same time, the margin must be managed in such a way that it benefits a good causeEn FUCO is dan wel een stichting, Dave benadrukt dat het net zo goed een serieus koffiebedrijf is. “We zijn in dat opzicht een beetje een vreemde eend in de bijt: maatschappelijke stichting en bedrijf in één.” FUCO moet commercieel levensvatbaar zijn, zodat er voldoende volume en marge is om structureel te kunnen doneren. Tegelijk moet de marge worden bewaakt die ten gunste komt van een goed doel.
Dave: “In that respect, we’re a bit of an odd one out: a charitable foundation and a business rolled into one.”
In the space of fourteen months, FUCO Roasters grew to around seventy business clients, twenty of which are hospitality businesses. The brand’s story plays a major role in the selection of new clients. “You’ll never find FUCO coffee in places where it doesn’t fit. So not at a corner snack bar.”
The preference is for venues where connection and hospitality take centre stage, and where the owners want to tell their story. These range from espresso bars and cafés to Michelin-starred restaurants. At the same time, Dave also sees opportunities in places where coffee is primarily functional, such as gyms or churches. It is precisely in these places, where coffee is often nothing more than fuel, that a better cup of coffee with a story behind it can contribute significantly to the conversation about mental health.
FUCO doesn’t just supply coffee, but the entire setup. Through their regular partners, they work with well-known espresso machines such as La Marzocco, Sanremo and Slayer, as well as fully automatic machines from brands like La Cimbali. New customers receive guidance on choosing equipment and support during installation and use. “The quality in the cup has to be right; otherwise, the whole story falls flat.”
The logistics have also been carefully planned. FUCO delivers as much as possible itself, using an electric van, and works with reusable five-kilo containers that remain on-site at customers’ premises and are refilled. This reduces packaging waste and creates additional opportunities for interaction on-site. Dave sees this as an opportunity to take another look at the bar and the extraction process, answer any questions, and continue working together to improve quality.
FUCO Roasters is making good headway and aims to double its output in the coming years and continue to grow thereafter. Not to become the largest roastery in the Netherlands, but to make a greater impact. “We really want to become an organisation that makes a difference to our social cause. And that means scaling up.”
FUCO currently roasts its coffee at another roastery. In the long term, Dave dreams of having his own premises, where young people struggling with mental health issues can come to work. “It would be fantastic to have a roastery full of young people who are learning a trade there, receiving support and experiencing what it’s like to become good at something,” says Dave. “I want to try and offer them what coffee has done for me.”
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