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My 10 year plan involves opening a small-batch coffee roaster and café in Europe, specifically on or near the Iberian peninsula. I lived and worked in Madrid for two years, traveled extensively throughout the region (France, Portugal, Morocco and nearly every major city in Spain) and absolutely fell in love. My wife and I speak English and Spanish fluently, and I am highly functional in Portuguese thanks to my Brazilian wife.
I follow the news and keep up with my friends: I know there is a financial crisis right now, and unemployment is high. I'm not ignorant!
My top choices are these:
1) Lisbon
2) Valencia
3) Málaga
4) Madrid
5) Porto
Without being too much of a downer, what are the real prospects of an American-Brazilian couple opening a successful business in this time frame, given the current state of affairs?
Then, in which location do you foresee this happening in?
You better figure out another activity, the fad you mentioned passed away 5 or 6 years ago. There are plenty of ideas in the US that can be implemented in cities in Spain. We don't have Delis here, there are almost no take away health food counters, etc, etc. Forget about Brazilian food, that fad became extinct a few years ago.
07-12-2012, 03:04 PM
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When you say “small batch coffee roaster and café,” are you referring to a coffee shop/espresso bar with seating, and computer wifi?
I love those types of cafes, and find them very fun and inspiring to hang out and be productive in, although I call them coffee shops/espresso bars.
I plan to be an Architect but my career back up plans if that doesn’t work well is to open a coffee shop/espresso bar (Probably in the Pacific Northwest, but maybe somewhere else too). I have lots of vision for opening up a place for that with a great ambiance, and it would become a neighborhood city/town destination, similar to my favorite coffee shops/espresso bars that already exist.
In Seattle and New York City, I literally went to 25 coffee shops/espresso bars in each city, so a total of 50 in those two places. I just go to 1 per day but it really adds up over time. I also have my all time top 10 favorites in each city that I go to most frequently. I also went to places such as that in other cities/towns.
The flavored coffee/tea and other products is only part of the picture. For me it is more about the ambiance, the home away from home feel, and usually attracts some nice type of vibrant activity.
Actually, I wrote this post just now while I am in one of those places for 4 hours today.
I think Madrid would be the best place for you and your wife to open that type of business because the economy there is better than most of the rest of the Iberian peninsula. Madrid also has plenty of people with a larger population than those other cities, so that makes it easier to get lots of business/profits.
Madrid is the most diverse and cosmopolitan out of those places so it is the easiest for people not from Spain to open up those businesses over there.
People in Madrid seem to be smart and into the best urban amenities and entertainment options, and a lot of them probably look for those places.
I think your business for this would be successful but select a good place with one of the best economies such as Madrid. Try to maximize profits and minimize costs. Also, if it is a place with seating, make sure to get the best seats, chairs, tables, sofas, chandeliers/fancy lights, certain designs on the ceilings/walls etc., and space for it.
You could also try to get coffee/tea drinks with lots of interesting flavors. One of my favorite coffee drinks is with caramel, coconut, chocolate, and vanilla soy in the same drink. I also enjoy White Mocha and Mocha. There is also a coffee/tea drink I enjoy that has hazelnut, honey, cardamon, and cinnamon.
No, there were hundreds of those places in every Spanish cities some 7 or 8 years ago, and the fad is gone.
07-14-2012, 12:12 AM
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Originally Posted by cojoncillo
No, there were hundreds of those places in every Spanish cities some 7 or 8 years ago, and the fad is gone.
The trend is not disappearing.
It is actually becoming even more popular all over the world (including in Spain) with an increasing amount of desirable high quality coffee shops/espresso bars.
Why are you trying to discourage the OP’s dreams of opening up a coffee roaster/café in Spain?
Also, don’t attempt to discourage one of my future career possibilities with opening up a coffee shop/espresso bar.
Then again, I am planning to become an Architect so starting up that place is Plan B/back up plan and if architecture does not end up going as well as I expected.
If the OP establishes it in Madrid or Barcelona, and brings in good proper investment for the place, then I am sure the business in Spain would be successful.
When you say “small batch coffee roaster and café,” are you referring to a coffee shop/espresso bar with seating, and computer wifi?
Thanks for the reply! Coffee shop/espresso bar certainly is a good way to describe it as well. I just chose to use the word café. More importantly is the idea of having an in-house roaster, which I have never seen anywhere in my travels, except in the USA. These roasters are commercial grade, yet small enough to provide the shop with it's daily coffee needs and to sell some for retail purposes as well.
Something like this: Model SF-25B
Is not the best time to open a business in Spain, but if i was american and i would like to open a "coffee" or a restaurant, i would give it an american themed. But this is not the best time to do it in my opinion, although prices are low to buy now.
It is actually becoming even more popular all over the world (including in Spain) with an increasing amount of desirable high quality coffee shops/espresso bars.
Why are you trying to discourage the OP’s dreams of opening up a coffee roaster/café in Spain?
Also, don’t attempt to discourage one of my future career possibilities with opening up a coffee shop/espresso bar.
Then again, I am planning to become an Architect so starting up that place is Plan B/back up plan and if architecture does not end up going as well as I expected.
If the OP establishes it in Madrid or Barcelona, and brings in good proper investment for the place, then I am sure the business in Spain would be successful.
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I know since I am in the hospitality business in Hispania and I walk around Barcelona during hours. Those type of business disappeared some 5 to 7 years ago, once there were many even in Passeig de Gracia (the most expensive thouroughfare in Barcelona), some were franchises. They are all gone.
No, it won't be successful. Problem here for those shops is than in Spain and Italy, GOOD expresso or any type of coffee is EVERYWHERE.
The only cofee roaster/coffee shops remaining were the ones that are at least 50 years old, such as the one in calle Casp in Barcelona, Brasilia, also Caracas roasters and a few more. Those shops are now for the most part Basque Tapas places and Sushi places. Japanese places (run by Chinese) are the "in" thing here, there must be 500 Japanese places.
Last edited by cojoncillo; 07-16-2012 at 05:26 PM..
Is not the best time to open a business in Spain, but if i was american and i would like to open a "coffee" or a restaurant, i would give it an american themed. But this is not the best time to do it in my opinion, although prices are low to buy now.
It is a very good time because now rent/property prices are lower (but they have not budged a bit in good areas). American Theme places are not in fashion either, the space is taken. More than enough Hard Rock Cafes, etc...You can only place those type of business in places with a lot of tourist with some money, and the strategic places are already covered.
Almost all Tex Mex and American Themed restaurants that opened during the fad are gone, except some franchises placed in good areas.
There's one thing we don't have here. An American Cafeteria, a real greasy spoon place, not a flashy and corny thing like Hard Rock Cafe, a NY Deli is also needed here....and there are family places and franchises in the US that sell health food, such a veggie burgers, tofu, etc....there are only a couple here and are in a very dreary place.
I agree that this is not the best time to open a business in Spain. Better to wait a while. I am sure that Spain will bounce back but it may take awhile. The Spanish people are very resilient unfortunately for a while now, the country's the leaders have been less than spectacular. I have two kids who went back to live in Spain 20 years ago. They didn't like Zapatero much and now they don't seem to care for Rajoy either. I haven't been there for 2 years since the PP got back in the driver's seat but it doesn't look good from what I see in the Spanish press and hear from friends and family. I guess I won't be getting any sun for a while.
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