I first met Luka from Banibeans in November 2022 during my first visit to Ljubljana. At that time, Kaffeekiss was still just an idea, but I was eager to explore the local coffee scene. Črno Zrno was high on my list of places to visit, and it turned out to be even cozier and cooler in person than I had imagined from the photos.
On the day I visited, Luka was serving as a guest barista, showcasing his own roasted coffee. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that he was the roaster himself—especially considering how young he looked and that he was still a student! As we chatted, it quickly became clear that Luka was incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about his craft. I tried both a filter brew and a flat white, and of course bought some beans to take home.
A year later, when we officially launched Kaffeekiss, I knew I wanted to return to Ljubljana and feature Luka’s Banibeans in one of our boxes.
In April, Santiago and I traveled back to Ljubljana and arranged to meet Luka at Črno Zrno again. Although Luka primarily sells his beans online and doesn’t have his own café (yet), Alex from Črno Zrno generously opens his doors to micro-roasters who share his values in specialty coffee.
We spent some time with Luka, enjoying a filter coffee from Rwanda while discussing the launch of our Ljubljana box. We decided on a late summer release, as Luka was eagerly awaiting the arrival of some Ethiopian beans that had been delayed in shipment. He was particularly excited about this harvest due to the unique weather conditions of the season.
We also had the pleasure of meeting Luka’s girlfriend, Ela, the talented artist behind the labels on Banibeans packaging. Luka is a humble, talented coffee enthusiast—and taller in person than you might expect!
I had the chance to ask Luka a few questions about Banibeans and his practices and priorities as a coffee roaster. We’re thrilled to feature his Ethiopian Keramo in our Ljubljana Kaffeekiss box!
Nicole: Hi Luka, I first met you in November 2022 while visiting Ljubljana. You were a guest roaster and barista at Črno Zrno. I remember being surprised then by how young you were! (You probably get tired of hearing that…) Can you tell us how you got started in Coffee? When did you start roasting?
Luka: Yes i started roasting quite young, i think i was still 18, maybe 19
because i remember that i got my roaster in August or September when i
have my birthday. If i remember correctly i was not a huge fan of coffee, i
was always surprised how bitter people like the coffee. Bitter is normally
a negative taste and that got me interested in coffee, i started exploring
world of coffee (mostly specialty).
N: Tell us about the name of your Roastery. What made you choose the name
Banibeans? Does that word have a meaning?
L: the name Banibeans comes from my nickname, all my friends call me Bani (from my surname Banovič). I wanted name that is associated with me, so Banibeans means beans from Bani.
N: When we met again in April of this year, you were still working on your studies (Law, if I remember correctly?). Is it hard to balance school work and running a coffee business? How often are you roasting?
L: Yes i am still studying, i hope i will finish with university this year. Especially when i have a lot of exams (June, July and September) there is a bit harder to study and also roast coffee. I try to roast at least 3 times a week, but few days before
each exam that is not possible so that is why in those month people
sometimes wait few more days for their coffee than normally:)
N: Could you tell us a bit about your raw coffee sourcing process? What criteria do you prioritize when selecting beans to roast? Are there any special
relationships that you’ve developed with producers that you’d like to tell us
about? Or a particular origin land that you really favor?
L: In the past few years i have tried so many coffees that i have absolutely lost the count. My main goal when buying new coffees is that i buy fresh green and that i
have in my head ”how will this one taste if it is roasted light”. I like
coffees with higher acidity and distinct aroma. I really like fresh african
coffees (Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda). On the other hand Colombian
coffees are so diverse that every year there is also a lot of Colombian
coffee on my offer. I have a very nice relationship with one of the
producers from Rwanda, Gasharu family. I think i bought my first bag of
coffee from Gasharu in 2020 and they produce so consistent and tasty
coffee that every year their coffee is available on my website.
N: Something I learned while we were chatting is that your girlfriend Ela does the artwork for your coffee packaging. Do you collaborate to decide the look
together? And (this may be more of a question for Ela), where does the
inspiration for the lovely ladies that she illustrates for the labels come from?
Does Ela produce other artwork that we can link here?
L: Ela is doing amazing work designing and illustrating all the ladies for the
packaging. Usually she is the one who chooses the lady for the coffee,
maybe i would just tell her what is the coffee like, what is the taste
profile. She then do a research on that origin, check the photos from the
coffee farms. Despite the fact that she is very talented for drawing and
illustrating, she keeps that as a hobby.
N: Our Ljubljana Kaffeekiss box will feature your Ethiopia Keramo roast, which is a natural heirloom variety. What can we expect from this roast?
L: Every year i am really excited when fresh Ethiopians come to Europe. It
is probably the best time of the year when all the African coffees are
available and fresh. This is a classic natural Ethiopian coffee, quite clean
elegant. I really like how Ethiopian coffees in general are so aromatic,
that is makes them so special every year.
N: What is your favorite brew method or brewing tips for this particular roast
(Ethiopia Keramo)?
L: I brew most of my coffees on V60 dripper, i like to brew it with very high water temperature (98) with ratio of 1:16.
N: At the moment, you sell your beans through your online shop and don’t have your own cafe (yet?). Can you tell us if there are some cafes in Europe where people could try your coffee - or are you attending any coffee festivals this year?
L: Yes i do not have a cafe yet, plan is to open it soon but i have to find perfect
location for it. Ljubljana is quite small so good location is really important.
At the moment i sell mostly from my website, but there are few coffee
shops that serves my coffee (Coffeenerd Heidelberg, Darcy in
Copenhagen…)
N: What is something that you are really looking forward to for Banibeans either this year or the coming year?
L: There is one thing that i am really excited for the past few months because i am getting new bigger roaster soon. My current one is great, but i need bigger one because at the moment i am struggling when there is a lot of orders. So new Stronghold roaster will definitely help a lot in the future to still maintain light roast on one hand and be able to roast more on the other.
