Let's just get this out of the way. Yes, we love coffee! As a matter of fact, this business started over a cup of espresso!

But when one of our co-founder’s wife got pregnant with their first baby, she had to cut her daily caffeine intake; coffee was out, and so was tea. Then what else could she drink in the morning? That was a problem!

We found the solution in Italian tradition: barley beverage! or orzo as it's called in Italy where our co-founder Michele is from.

Michele remembered that barley beverage is 100% naturally decaffeinated, contains many health properties and is safe for pregnant women—even kids! (Michele even used to have it for breakfast when he was little). His wife fell in love with it and a barley cappuccino became a staple in their home in the afternoons! (Did we mention that contrary to regular coffee, a barley beverage does not inhibit the body’s ability to digest milk, which makes a cappuccino peeerfect with barley beverage?)

Then one day in late summer sitting outside in a Stockholm coffee shop, enjoying the sunlight still shining, Michele and his dear friend (and now co-founder!) Margarita started this conversation. Margarita loves coffee and the coffee shop experience. She’s also a tea expert. So the two started researching barley grains, methods of roasting and where the finest farmers and roasters are in Italy.

In doing their research over the wonderful properties of barley beverage, one data shocked them the most:

The amount of water required to grow enough beans for a cup of coffee is 10 times the amount for a cup of barley. As global temperatures rise due to climate change, coffee beans will become increasingly difficult to grow. Barley grains, on the other hand, are more robust to different climates, providing a more sustainable product.

Then they knew it was not only a tasty, healthy product, but something more.

So Orzley was born.

It's our celebration of great, small things in life. It's our respect for nature and tradition. It’s our consciousness for a sustainable future.

And we wanted to share it with you!