TANAT - Yunyun Nannan [Yeast Natural – Blue Iris] 200g | Yunnan

Founded by Alexis Gagnaire in Paris in 2016, Tanat is a specialty coffee roaster that began life under the name Kawa Coffee. Alexis discovered the world of specialty coffee while living in London and, on returning to France, was struck by how little awareness there was of high-quality, traceable coffee. He set out to help change that, building Kawa around a belief that exceptional coffee should be both accessible and understood.

From the beginning, sourcing has been central to the business. Alexis and his team travelled to coffee-growing regions including Colombia to understand the entire journey from producer to cup, developing direct relationships with farmers and seeking out distinctive varieties, terroirs and processing methods. Today, Tanat continues to source directly from producers around the world, with coffees ranging from approachable everyday blends to rare, competition-level micro-lots.

The roastery has also developed a reputation for pushing the boundaries of specialty coffee. Alongside precise roasting, Tanat explores unusual processing techniques and expressive flavour profiles, while maintaining a strong focus on the character of the coffee itself. Head roaster Thomas Clement describes the role of roasting as interpreting what is already present in the coffee, rather than masking it.

In 2025, Kawa became Tanat, marking a new chapter for the company as it expanded its ambitions internationally. The change came partly from the difficulty of protecting and establishing the Kawa name internationally, but also gave the team an opportunity to rethink the brand and articulate a broader vision centred on quality, responsibility and excellence beyond taste. Importantly, the rebrand did not change the foundations of the business: the same team, sourcing relationships and commitment to specialty coffee remain at its core.

Today, Tanat operates its own cafés and roastery in Paris while supplying coffee further afield. Whether through a daily espresso blend or a rare single-origin lot, the brand continues to explore what specialty coffee can be, bringing together careful sourcing, technical precision, experimentation and a genuine respect for the people behind every cup.