Enjoy a delicious coffee right next to the Gedächtniskirche and do some shopping at the same time - that's possible at the Europa Center Berlin. The shopping centre with its striking architecture has been a landmark in West Berlin's Charlottenburg district since the 1960s and has recently added another attraction. Stanimir and his partner Galina's Coffee-Bike has been located here since November 2022.
The experienced restaurateur and the former bank clerk fulfilled their dream of self-employment with their own mobile coffee bar in May 2022: "As I worked in the catering industry as a bartender and barista for a long time, I always wanted to set up something of my own." In the end, the pair opted for the Coffee-Bike primarily because of the mobility and flexibility of the rolling coffee bar.
The direct route to success
Once the decision in favour of the Coffee-Bike had been made, everything happened very quickly. Just a few months after starting their own business, the two Coffee-Bikers landed their big coup with the sales location in the Europa Centre in the heart of Berlin. "We applied there by email. They responded very quickly and that's how the contract came about," Stanimir reports on the application process.
In the meantime, this contract has developed into a solid business relationship that has endured even in times of the coronavirus pandemic and stagnating visitor numbers. Fortunately, many people are now coming back to the Europa Center to store and linger, and the two baristas are delighted to see so many happy faces every day. Even in summer, when people like to spend time outdoors, Stanimir and Galina can react flexibly and offer their coffee specialties to pedestrians along Tauentzienstraße in front of the center.
Thanks to their fixed location, the two baristas, who have now added a part-time employee to their team, are very busy, so they accept mobile coffee catering, especially in the months at the beginning of the year when their fixed location is less busy. It is precisely at these times that Stanimir and Galina benefit from their recipe for success, which is based above all on perseverance, continuity and hard work. They always greet their customers at the Coffee-Bike with a smile, because they know how much people appreciate an open and friendly approach.
In their two years as self-employed Coffee-Bikers, the couple has already experienced a lot. One event in particular sticks in their minds: "We were at Christopher Street Day on the Straße des 17. Juni in the summer of 2022 and it was really busy. At some point, we ran out of milk and some of the syrups too. But people didn't care - as long as they had a coffee. We sold more espresso than ever before." A good day for Galina and Stanimir, whose favorite drink is a classic espresso, is a day when they don't think about their bike before they go to sleep because they know it will work without them.
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