Dritan Alsela
Dritan is one of the most renowned baristas worldwide. In Düsseldorf, he brings together a café, roastery, and barista school – places where coffee, craftsmanship, and hospitality come together. His passion has been devoted for decades to coffee and the people who enjoy it.
BIO
I was born on July 11, 1974, in Bejne, in the district of Mat, Albania, as the youngest of four sons. My father worked as a company doctor – a man defined by honesty, integrity, and a strong sense of justice. My mother was a grounded, hardworking woman who supported the family through many different jobs, and who became a role model for me through her warmth and her respect for every person she met.
I spent my childhood in Bejne, where I attended elementary school, before moving on to high school in Klos. With dedication and ambition, I began studying electrical engineering at the Polytechnic University of Tirana. For two years I pursued this path, until the political and social upheavals of the early 1990s in Albania profoundly changed my plans – and my life.
In 1994, I made one of the hardest, yet most important decisions of my life: I left Albania in search of freedom, safety, and a real perspective for the future. My destination was Germany – a country where I hoped not only to build a new home but also to prove that each of us carries within us more potential than our origins might suggest.
Today, I live in Düsseldorf, married and I am the proud father of my son Lio – my greatest personal inspiration and motivation.
PROFESSIONAL CAREER
My Professional Journey in Germany
I started from the very bottom – washing dishes and helping out in the kitchen of an Italian restaurant. Step by step, I worked my way forward: first as a pizza maker, then as a chef, barista, and bartender.
In 2002, my path led me to Bazzar Caffè in Düsseldorf. There, I began as a barista and later became store manager, discovering not only my deep passion for coffee but also the foundations of running a coffee business from the ground up.
By 2008, I had become co-owner of Bazzar Caffè on Schlüterstraße, taking full ownership the following year. Since October 3, 2016, the café has carried my own name: Dritan Alsela Coffee.
The years that followed allowed me to expand this vision even further. With the opening of my Barista School in 2015, my online shop in 2016, and my own roastery in 2017 (since 2020 located on Hansaallee in Düsseldorf), I created spaces not only to serve coffee but to share it as a craft, a passion, and a culture.
Today, the Dritan Alsela Roastery brings together café, roastery, and barista school under one roof – a place where guests can enjoy coffee, food, and atmosphere, and feel part of a vibrant community.
SPECIAL AWARDS
Two-times winner of the Award for "Outstanding contribution to the European Coffee Industry" - European Coffee Awards 2016 Budapest and European Coffee Symposium Milan 2018 (from Allegra)
Lifetime Achievement Award - GAGF Berlin 2024
A PERSONAL STORY
The Signature
The values of a father, the promise of a son – and a signature that became a compass. The Signature tells the personal story of how a childhood prank turned into a lifelong commitment – and how one man’s signature became the symbol of everything that drives Dritan today.
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