In the second episode of our weekly series, we’ll talk about coffee, wine, and even apples will appear in our last video, this time in a quite extraordinary context, in a lecsó. How can a newly opening catering unit make a big entrance and become successful? What’s the secret for the survival of a café? What does a café owner or winemaker do when they reached a low point, where do they turn for inspiration? And what can a gastro-business do in an outer district of the city when the pandemic hits? The joint campaign of Piqniq Budapest and Mastercard.
A Kávé Háza, Bányai by Beans – Sándor Tóth
The Hungarian distributor of the coffee of László Bányai, the owner of a plantation in Costa Rica, and a lead figure of the Hungarian coffee sector at the same time can only think about solutions when a problem comes up; having an in-depth knowledge of the professional and market processes, he can give good answers and directions both in terms of his own business and for the other players of the market. According to Sándor Tóth, the coffee market is undergoing a massive change, large entities have disappeared, and currently only self-reflection can bring a solution for survival and the preservation of the necessary professional standard.
Sanyi urges the establishment of an ethical code and joining forces on the level of the coffee sector, and also has something to say to customers:
“We must be able to convey that we provide professionalism, product quality and experience that has a price, in exchange we must provide coffee and services that won’t allow the customer to have doubts. The coffee must be on point.”
Caphe by Hai Nam – Vo Son Hai
“This has become my new airplane. I created a new category between business and economy”
Vo Son Hai wanted to get out of the world of flying which meant his life and his career for 8 years. It’s not a coincidence that he shifted towards gastronomy, as his family has been working in the pho-business at Hai Nam Pho for twenty years. Even though Hai is a great fan of his mother’s food, he didn’t want to jump into the hospitality sector with another soup restaurant. Instead, he and his brother Nam found their path in the coffee business, in which, according to Hai, there are still fields where you can offer something new and exciting. In the meantime, the family is watching their business like a hawk, so the brothers would also like to earn their respect and appreciation with Caphe.
Horizont – Péter Bajkó
“We must make good coffee and provide good services. That’s it.”
This is what Péter Bajkó thought at the end of 2018 when he launched Horizont, a specialty café with brunch in the focus in a former cinema lobby. He was already vested with the experience he had gained with Szimply and Kontakt, which he could put to use when he started the café on Nagykörút. He has been to Melbourne frequently referred to as the alpha and omega of specialty coffee, which did not only affect his way of making coffee, but also inspired him to add special brunch dishes and mocktails to his selection.
Páger Winery – Mátyás Páger
Mátyás Páger runs a successful real estate agency in the capital. If we didn’t know him, we would even think wine is a hobby to him, but in his case, it’s actually the reverse: he runs the real estate business so that he can be a winemaker. He doesn’t consider all the effort a burden, for him, profit is the recharging that this way of live gives to him.
Even though he joined the trade out of love, he plans his route very consciously, and moves ahead by considering every step. He is polishing his knowledge and his wines, thus new roads keep opening up to him. He considers relationship capital important, but so that he can get his way into a fine dining restaurant, this is not enough in itself. In order to excel, and to achieve excellent quality, the winemaker must stand in the vineyard, next to the barrels and behind the bottles.
“Winemaking always offers new goals for which we wake up and work everyday. If I considered it a simple business, I wouldn’t do it. This way of life and recharging is what I can account as profit.”
A másik bolt – Fábián Willmann
What can a gastro-business do in an outer district of the city when the pandemic hits? If it’s lucky, there is an owner standing behind it, who is a full-blooded tradesman, such as Fábián Wilmann, who turned hist guests into suppliers in a minute. A másik bolt in Wekerle responded quickly, and turned into a supermarket temporarily when everyone else was closing down. The sudden change was supported by ten thousand followers, out of whom at least 1800 are good acquaintances of the owner. In this community, there was always someone who could get goods when all stores have run out of stock. Over the past few months, Fábián could experience that the whole-hearted work of twelve years truly pays off in impossible situations.
“Make the customer invested in the success of the store!”
– Fábián Willmann highlights, when we ask him about the secret to success. In addition, he believes that at times one should also listen to his regulars, when he’s looking for new directions.
Photo | Dávid Horpáczi
Video | Gergő Sepsi
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In their joint campaign, Piqniq Budapest and Mastercard present the figures of Hungarian gastronomy businesses through 25 topics: hospitality workers, professionals, suppliers and experts related to the field share their experiences in an authentic manner. Come and get to know them more in our weekly series!
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