Denis Hach is sweetly fulfilling the dreams of every coffee fan. Using Arabica beans, he crafts a top-class liqueur. MoCo Liqueur has an intense, natural taste and ensures pure coffee enjoyment.

A conversation with Denis Hach from MoCo Liqueur

Mr. Hach, you have been a fan of coffee liqueur for a long time. Isn't that Grandma's favorite?

Not at all! Back in my old football club, many of our guys used to make liqueur with coffee beans. Everyone had a special blend and wouldn't reveal their recipe for anything. Then I started making my own creation. At first, I measured the coffee and sugar by eye. Then I gradually felt my way through and developed my own recipe. Coffee is an everyday flavor that almost everyone likes, after all.

I gradually felt my way to the perfect recipe.

How did you come up with the idea for MoCo?

I always brought my coffee liqueur to parties and friends. Most liqueurs from the store are too sweet or taste strongly of alcohol. That was different with my recipe. That's why everyone was always enthusiastic. I had to bring my liqueur to every occasion. That's when I realized that my recipe was very well received. At some point, I had the idea to approach the whole thing professionally.

What happened next with your start-up?

At the beginning, there were three of us: me, my brother Philipp, and our friend Jens. We have known each other for a very long time. 15 years ago, we had a job together in the catering industry. We've been friends ever since. Business was a topic for all of us during our studies. That was very helpful. We knew that starting a business isn't actually that difficult. So, the three of us just got started. Initially, we introduced the coffee liqueur in our regular local bars. Today, I am the only one working full-time at MoCo. My brother still handles the bookkeeping. We still do the bottling together as a team of three.

MoCo has a strong coffee note.

How long did you spend fine-tuning the perfect recipe?

Well, I didn't meticulously search for the right recipe. I just started with a coffee liqueur and constantly improved it. At first, it tasted too strongly of coffee. Then it was too sweet or not sweet enough. Every time, I remembered what was good or bad. I brought my liqueur to friends for over two years. In doing so, the ideal recipe developed over time: a strong coffee flavor, not too sweet, and a mild alcohol note.

How do you make the coffee liqueur?

The special thing about our liqueur is the maceration. For several weeks, we soak the coffee beans in a clear distillate. The alcohol draws the aromas out of the beans. This gives the liqueur a full-bodied and strong coffee flavor. A certain amount of manual work goes into MoCo. We stir the distillate daily before it is filtered and bottled.

Coffee beans provide an intense aroma.

What sets MoCo apart from other liqueurs?

Industrial liqueurs contain no natural ingredients. As a rule, they get their coffee flavor from aromas and artificial additives. With us, the coffee flavor comes one hundred percent from the coffee bean. Of course, I don't know the composition of other liqueurs. But when you drink them, you clearly notice the difference. Real coffee flavor tastes different from artificial aroma.

Where does the production take place?

The production takes place here at my home in Pirmasens. In the meantime, we have converted the basement. I have storage, office, and production room under one roof. From the very beginning, we invested in an oversized bottling plant. That paid off. This way, we don't have to bottle every week. The machines have to be cleaned every time. We make the best use of our production processes. Five to seven times a year, we do a MoCo production on a Saturday with 2,000 bottles. Our liqueur has a shelf life of two to three years and is easy to store. This keeps us flexible and less tied to production.

Rock candy sweetens in a mild and refined way.

What ingredients are in a MoCo?

The ingredients for our MoCo basically consist of a clear distillate, coffee beans, sugar, and caramel sugar syrup. I keep a few ingredients secret, of course. For the sweetness, we mainly use rock candy instead of invert sugar. Normally, invert sugar is used in common liqueurs. It sweetens strongly and makes the spirit thick. We wanted a mild sweetness, and rock candy simply tastes more refined.

Where do you source the coffee beans from?

The coffee comes from a small roastery in Dresden. They roast the beans in small drums by hand. That was important to us and fits our own handmade product. Of course, this is noticeable in the taste. We had tested various coffee varieties. This coffee simply has a high quality and performed the best. The grain spirit tastes neutral, and that's how it should be. With MoCo, the coffee aroma is the focus.

I never get bored with MoCo.

What gives you particular joy in your work with MoCo?

The thing I enjoy most is the variety. From manual work to calculations on the computer, I do everything myself: folding the cartons, production and bottling, shipping, posting items online, handling sales. I even build the wooden shelves for presentations in retail stores. Only for graphics and design do I have an assistant. I can schedule my tasks freely, and I never get bored with MoCo!

What does the name MoCo stand for and what is the story behind the design?

We wanted a short, catchy name and a clear font. We decided on MoCo intuitively. It's easy to pronounce and everyone can remember it well. Amidst the deer and elephants on other liqueurs, we thought our little monkey was fitting. A friend designed the logo for us. We print it as a trademark on every cork.

We print the little monkey as a trademark on every cork.

What plans do you have for the future?

I already have ideas for other products. But for now, I'm sticking with the coffee liqueur. We want to reach customers who don't know MoCo yet. One focus is definitely online retail. It continues to grow, and we will increase our presence there in the future. But we also want to become better known in retail in the Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate regions.

What does a customer appreciate about your liqueur?

For us, quality and manual work count most. When a customer enjoys MoCo and says at the first sip: "Wow, it really tastes like coffee!" then I have achieved my goal. It is important to me that our MoCo meets the customers' expectations. It should taste like what it says on the bottle. Usually, customers are positively surprised by the intense aroma of the coffee beans. And they appreciate this special taste.

How do you like to enjoy MoCo best?

I like our coffee liqueur best pure. Otherwise, I am a big fan of simple cocktails. Best of all, quick and simple with ingredients that you always have at home. I can highly recommend our MoCo "Milchtraum" (Milk Dream). With a splash of cream, milk, and maybe a little caramel syrup, you have a delicious drink.