Hi, I am Omar, and I am a Barista.
Who is this guy, and why does he start blogging all of a sudden?
Turning words and emotions into words is quite a challenge, especially when explain an idea and a vision. But let me try and tell you more about how we started and where we are going with Lulu's Coffee & Co: the initial vision behind Lulu's was to introduce specialty coffee, create a place for creative people to meet, connect and reach towards larger goals from a small common denominator - all in and from our hometown, Aachen, Germany. My two well-travelled brothers (and their better halves) shaped the idea in form of the place and brand and together brought it to fruition in less than three months, eventually opening our first outlet in May 2016.
I official became a barista only a year later in the process (thanks to Adnan and Schamong), while finishing my Master's degree. I do not want to lie to you at this point: being a barista was fun and I got to meet many interesting people and learn life behind the coffee counter, a perspective as I did not know before. But at the same time, it was not easy to see my friends from school embark on flashy and successful careers, travelling the world, while I was still making Lattes and Cappuccinos in Aachen.
Being more and more in charge, I noticed that while KPMG and Deutsche Bank sound good on the CV, the impact Lulu's Coffee had on me and the community we are serving was so much stronger. We are just a small business at this stage and our revenue probably does not even cover some high executives' expense account. Still, dozens of familiar faces who come by every day to chat over coffee, hundreds of engaged friends on social media and lots of support from friends and family, really sparked the question why this experiment should not grow larger.
Well, to cut it short: we will grow and hopefully very soon. Meanwhile, tune in with me and this blog. Behind every coffee place there is a story, and here is part of ours. Please call me by my name, Omar, and follow my blog. I will share with you the exciting and challenging moments of my life as barista and entrepreneur, hopefully building a successful legacy with my family.
PS: this is not supposed to be a public monologue, but an invitation to comment and discuss. Let us welcome you, let's have a chat and let's share stories, thoughts and emotions and see where it leads us this time!