About
Hello! We are Philipp, Kate, and Ronan!
We believe coffee is for everyone - no exclusivity, no pretensions. Whether you're a coffee connoisseur or simply enjoy your daily brew, we're here to be part of your everyday ritual. Since our founding in 2016, our mission is to provide high-quality, accessible coffee while fostering community and connection. From sourcing to roasting, we prioritise transparency, ensuring that both our partners and customers are treated fairly and with respect.
Our team is driven by curiosity and a passion for continuous learning. With expertise in gastronomy, roasting, and green coffee trade, we approach coffee as both a craft and a conversation starter. We're committed to reliable service and creating a positive change in the coffee industry. We’re a space where relationships are brewed, one cup at a time.
Founder, General Manager
Philipp Reichel
Born and raised in Berlin, Philipp didn’t start in coffee, he first studied sound engineering. But once he discovered the world of hospitality, things moved fast. He joined the team at Markthalle Neun and helped open Kaffee 9 in 2013, a café that became a gateway into the deeper world of coffee, and the human connections it creates.
In 2015, Philipp founded the Berlin Coffee Festival , which he curated until the pandemic paused it. But he couldn’t stay still. So together with ceecee he launched Coffee Week Berlin - running strong for the past two years and gearing up for a third edition this year without him. In 2016 Vote Coffee was born inside the rooms of Kaffee9.
In the same whirlwind year, he co-founded Isla Coffee Berlin with his friend Peter - a café that still holds strong today.
His drive to connect people through coffee led to the founding of Communal Coffee in 2022, Berlin’s first co-roastery, now home to over 15 independent roasters.
And when he’s not roasting, brewing, or building community, you’ll probably find him running through the woods, dancing like there’s no tomorrow, or hanging in his hammock, unplugged and recharging.
A quote from Philipp :
“Coffee is so much more than a tasty, caffeinated brew. It connects people across the world, through stories, through taste, and the endless joy of exploring it. One of the most social products there is.”
Production Manager + Communications
Kate Pinkstone
Brand new to the coffee world in 2025. Kate grew up in Australia and moved to Berlin in 2011 to pursue an internship a sustainable fashion label, after studying fashion design in Sydney. In 2012 Kate opened her own clothing store SHIO in Neukölln - designing and sewing sustainable, every day basics. Running a small business meant wearing many other hats too - visual merchandising, web design, e-commerce, marketing, and social media, while also managing a shared studio space for independent designers. After 13 years in the biz she decided to close up shop and join forces with her husband Philipp at Vote Coffee to not only boss him around but also bring organisation and creativity to the team. She’s now the Production Manager - keeping all our b2b and b2c customers happy and in charge of Communications - including our website design, e-commerce, marketing, social media and merch!
When she’s not getting her steps in at the roastery she’s renovating a forest house in Müggelheim and gardening. She enjoys podcasts, disco, 80’s bangers, crumpets, weather over 30 degrees and beach ☀️
Production Roaster
Ronan Kelly
Ronan grew up in Cork, Ireland. While earning his business degree Ronan worked in hospitality full time, but his love for coffee really started at the Soma Coffee Company
On November 1st, 2021, he moved to Berlin looking forward to new cultures, new surroundings, and a whole lot more coffee knowledge. After honing his skills at a few of the city’s top roasteries, we were lucky enough to have him join us and we couldn’t be happier.
When he’s not roasting, you’ll find him playing with Mieza the cat 🐈. He enjoys pilates, socialising and sipping a well-earned pint of cream. He’s often quoting The Office and Seinfeld and dropping life wisdom like: “You don’t sell the steak, you sell the sizzle.”
Ronan’s favourite coffee is a washed Ethiopian filter - elegant, balanced, smooth… just like Ronan himself.