Coffee, Code, and Curiosity: The Story Behind Roastguide App

Sometimes, all it takes is a cup of coffee and the right conversation. For Hanna and Martin, what started as a first date quickly turned into a shared rhythm—and eventually, a shared mission.

Roastguide app from Sweden was born not out of a grand plan, but from daily coffee rituals, curiosity, and the quiet frustration of not having a space to track and explore coffees meaningfully. Today, the app hosts nearly 900 roasters and over 30,000 roasts, updating in near real-time. 

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But more than numbers, it’s a living archive of flavor, built by and for a growing community of coffee lovers who refuse to settle—for bad coffee, or for tools that don’t truly serve them. In this conversation with Hanna, Hudes Magazine try to share story about Roastguide app.

HANNA & MARTIN - Roastguide app

Can you tell us the story behind Roastguide? How did it all begin with a cup of coffee?

It actually started with a date. We quickly realized we shared not just a connection, but a drive to build something together. Martin had long been into specialty coffee and had already built a brewing app, but he was missing a place to discover new coffee based on consumer reviews. 

Roastguide app.

For a long time, he kept thinking, surely someone will build this - coffee’s version of Vivino or Untappd. But no one did. When he introduced Hanna both to specialty coffee and the idea for the app, it sparked something in both of us. Eventually, it became clear that if the app we were waiting for didn’t exist, we’d have to be the ones to make it. That’s how Roastguide began.

What role did your personal coffee ritual play in inspiring the app?

We love trying new roasts and exploring them together. We always talk about the flavor notes we pick up on, how the brew came out, and how we could improve for the next time. We missed a way to keep track of our experiences, and also wanted to learn from others. We know there were lots of coffee lovers out there with great insights but the information was scattered and not easily accessible. We wanted one place where we could both track our own experiences, and continue exploring with others.

You mentioned that coffee became a rhythm between you and Martin. Can you describe what that rhythm looked like in everyday life?

We’re both very active individuals. We work a lot and our days are pretty busy. Coffee became the way we connected in the mornings and reset in the middle of the day. It’s a way for us to pause and take a moment, to talk about ideas and align on priorities. Those everyday moments made us realize how personal coffee is, and how much we wanted a way to remember and share those experiences.

What specific gap or problem did you notice that led you to create Roastguide?

That information about coffee was scattered and outdated. Before Roastguide there was no one place to discover new roasts based on your taste, track what you’ve tried, or share reviews. Roastguide updates all the roast data in the database in near real-time and everything is centrally stored. This means the data is always accurate and up to date. As a user you can follow your favorite roasters in the app and get notified whenever they release a new roast. There is no other place that does this on the scale that Roastguide does with almost 900 roasters and 30K roasts in the system (and more added on a daily basis). In addition to keeping a very large collection of roast data in one place and always updated, Roastguide collects ratings and reviews from real consumers, making it the most reliable source for finding the best coffee.

How does Roastguide help coffee lovers remember and reflect on their tasting experiences?

With Roastguide, you can rate and review the coffees you try, whether you try the coffee at a café or brew it at home. You can easily revisit your rated coffees to remember which ones you liked and why (or why not). It's like a tasting journal that lives in your pocket and helps you see patterns in your preferences. If you brew your coffee at home, Roastguide helps you through the brewing process with recipes and step-by-step guides. 

You can rate your brews and add notes to each brew to help you dial in a roast and improve your brewing over time. Roastguide also keeps your personal coffee collection for you so you can go back and get an overview of the coffees you’ve brewed (imagine a tidy, digital version of your messy kitchen cabinet filled with empty coffee bags).

Was it challenging to turn a shared passion into a tech product? What were some early obstacles you faced?

Definitely. We both left lucrative careers (Martin is an engineer, having worked at companies like Apple and Twilio, and Hanna is a lawyer who started her career at a law firm in New York City and spent many years at Shopify) to go all-in, and suddenly it was just the two of us - designing, coding, making product decisions and building a community. 

We’ve worked 70-80 hour weeks, and there’s been no roadmap. One of the toughest parts was figuring out why others hadn’t succeeded in this space and deciding how we could do things differently. We come from a tech background, with a deep appreciation for coffee - but it’s the product and engineering side we know best. That’s been our edge. 

We understand how to build tools people actually use, and we’re applying that thinking to a space we care about. It’s important for us to build something for the long term so we’ve spent a lot of time defining our values and the type of company we want to create.

In what ways do you think Roastguide encourages intentionality in coffee drinking?

Most people drink coffee everyday but they don’t consider what they’re drinking. Specialty coffee offers an elevated flavor experience, but it’s also about intentionality and making more sustainable choices. Roastguide helps people slow down and engage with what’s in their cup. 

When you browse the app for what to try next you’re prompted to consider origin, processing and the individuals behind your coffee. When you log a brew or rate a roast, you’re prompted to reflect on the flavors and your experience. That reflection changes the experience from casual sipping to something more mindful and rewarding.

Who is the app designed for — casual drinkers, home brewers, professionals?

All of the above. Whether you’re just getting curious about specialty coffee or you're deep into brewing, making your own water and so on, Roastguide meets you where you are. The goal is to make it easier for anyone to explore, enjoy, and remember their coffee journey. 

Roastguide already serves as a sales driver for roasters since we alert their fans whenever they release a new roast, but the plan is to expand the value for roasters even further. Professional baristas find Roastguide useful both for brewing and for logging what they taste at cupping events.

Roastguide started with just the two of you. How has the community around the app grown since then?

Slowly and steadily. We’ve seen a snowball effect recently - more people discovering the app, engaging on social, and sharing their experiences through reviews. What’s been really exciting is seeing how users shape the experience and the app - suggesting new roasters, highlighting hidden gems, and making the app better with every review.

Have there been any surprising stories or feedback from users that stood out to you?

We’ve heard from users who told us we’ve created their “dream coffee app”. We feel so happy that people want to share their experiences through Roastguide because it enriches our own coffee journey, and to have people thank us for creating this app and understanding that they enjoy it just as much as we do has just been such a joy.

What values guide the development and future direction of Roastguide?

Curiosity, honesty, and community. We don’t want to be another app pushing products or chasing trends. We’re driven by curiosity and the drive to build something with high quality for the longterm. It’s important to us to stay honest along the way about what we’ve built so far and where we’re going next. 

Our community guides our next steps and we find real joy in building something that already has become a daily habit for many, and to be able to share our coffee experiences with a growing number of people.

Do you see Roastguide evolving beyond just a tasting app? If so, what’s next?

Yes. We want Roastguide to become a complete ecosystem for specialty coffee. That includes helping users discover and eventually buy coffee they’ll love, but always in a way that feels intentional and aligned with our values. We're also exploring premium features and deeper community tools - but slowly, and always with the user and community in mind.

How do you personally use Roastguide in your coffee routine?

We use it daily - for brewing, logging brews, and keeping track of what we’re trying through rating and reviews. It’s also how we stay connected to our community. Seeing what others are drinking inspires our own choices and keeps us engaged with the app as both creators and users.

What do you hope users feel when they use the app?

We want users to feel inspired. Inspired to try new coffee, improve their coffee experience and create more intentional and enjoyable habits in their lives. Our motto is “don’t settle” and we want our users to feel the same. That means - don’t settle for bad coffee, a badly designed app, or living life without joy or intention. 

Lastly, what’s one coffee memory that still lingers in your mind — a cup, a place, or a moment?

For Hanna, it was the first time tasting DAK’s Milky Cake. She didn’t know coffee could taste like that. It had this soft mix of cardamom and pistachio, almost like vanilla cake, with a hint of honey sweetness at the end. It was comforting and totally unexpected. That’s the cup that got her hooked.

For Martin, it was a cup a colleague handed him, brewed with an AeroPress. It wasn’t just that the coffee tasted better, it was more interesting. There was a story behind it: the origin, the processing method, all the small variables that made it what it was. That cup opened a door. He realized how much depth there was in coffee, but also how hard it was to access that world if you weren’t already in it. That moment planted the first seed for what would eventually become Roastguide. (Hudes Magazine)

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All photos from Roastguide app for Hudes Magazine.