Elvis Daniel Mathews, who grew up right here in Muscat, started his career as a financial advisor at DSP Blackrock. However, after just a two-year stint, he felt he wanted to pursue his own path and start his own business. Ever passionate about coffee, and after consulting with his father, who was already working in the industry, he decided on venturing into the coffee industry. This is how his first venture Brigit Bakes Café was first established in Amerat, in 2018.
According to Elvis, “We felt Amerat was a market that was growing fast with an increasing number of people moving there and the infrastructure growing by the day. We felt it was a truly untapped market and with great potential.” Unfortunately for him, this initial venture proved to be unsuccessful. “While Amerat did not work out in the end, it did teach me how to be a better barista and properly rekindled my love for coffee. Sometimes, you just have to take such failures in stride and learn from your mistakes.”
“A year later, once our lease was up, we took what we learnt and made the move to our new location; reopening as Brigit’s Coffee at the Lamar building next to Panaroma Mall.,” he said, “We opened this new shop with a sole aim in mind – to educate people on how wonderful coffee can really be, offering them the best possible coffee at most reasonable prices compared to all the other specialty shops in Oman. To achieve this, we source only the best quality 100% arabica beans, roast our coffee locally to maintain quality, and taste test every morning before customers walks in.” Outside of the coffee shop, Elvis also runs a small IGTV channel to teach and educate people more about coffee. We caught up with Elvis earlier this month to get the low down on Brigit’s Coffee and what it really takes to be a great barista.
What governed your decision to reopen your cafe at its current location at the Lamar building?
Lamar had the ambience that we were looking for. It is a very quiet place with good outdoor seating capability and was also within the budget we had in mind at the time. The location also brought us to the attention of a lot of corporate clients working in the area as well as the nearby residences.
Do you have some advice for someone who wants to become a barista or get into the speciality coffee industry?
Being a barista is not just about latte art and great presentation, it is more about bringing out the best end result to the coffee. After the coffee has been farmed, sourced, and roasted, if the barista is unable to deliver quality results, then the entire process is wasted. My advice to any new barista is to spend time understanding the coffee they are serving. Try to identity your customers’ taste profile and what it is they are looking for as well as help them understand the flavour notes of the coffee. Also, use the best tools available to you in order to maintain consistency. For people who are looking to get into the speciality coffee industry, you must spend more time trying new origins and blends. If time permits, I recommend people to do an SCA course, to get a better understanding of sensory notes and brewing. Spend time experimenting with the same coffee using different brewing methods. Visit as many roasteries as possible, try new blends, and talk to baristas to gain insights on the coffee they are serving.
Touching on coffee, what do you see as the greatest opportunities for specialty coffee and baristas in Oman?
Everyday a new coffee shop seems to be emerging in Muscat. The speciality part of coffee is however not for everyone. More people are into add on flavours such as Spanish latte, rose latte, saffron Latte, all of which are preferred by the people here. That being said, there are quite a few people slowly making a shift into the speciality side of coffee. During the lockdown, many people have invested money in purchasing espresso machines and filter coffee equipment. They have begun to understand more about pour over coffee methods and have started shifting away from traditional Nescafe powder drinks, instead making fresh espresso at home. The speciality coffee industry has just started in Oman and I feel like there is a lot of demand for skilled baristas at the moment. People gravitate towards specific coffee shops for its barista, the ambience it offers, and the coffee they are having. If any single one of these factors do not line up, you might not end up being a regular there.
How do you think people’s shift towards online ordering and deliveries as a result of the pandemic will affect the coffee shop business in the future and what are you doing to adapt to this change?
The shift to online ordering has made it easier for both the consumer and the retailer. People now have the convenience to readily order food from home. As I had mentioned earlier, during the pandemic few people have already started investing into espresso machines. This in turn helps them learn and understand more about coffee and the extraction process. I have many customers who have started to ask about flavour notes and types of coffee and their origins. This is making customers more knowledgeable, which in turn helps roasteries and cafes in business. Coffee is not just served hot; cold coffees, frappes, and shakes also bring in business. I feel like the ease of online ordering has help generate more business to the café. But the pandemic is not going to stay long. People have started visiting cafes for fresh coffee, pastries, and sandwiches. We have not necessarily taken any step till date to move into the online platform because we prefer to serve the coffee fresh and meet our customers in person. However, we do recognise the benefits of an online platform and are planning to make the shift by some time next year, once we have the right packaging to ensure our customers can enjoy the same taste and freshness, they are accustomed to at home.
What is next for Brigit’s Coffee and what do you look forward to most in the future for your business?
As a company we are working towards providing the best to our customers. To do that, we have to make sure our suppliers and products we use are the best, while also working on innovating and finding solution to better the outcome of our coffee. We as a team are working on making every product in-house so that we can provide the best possible quality and ensure consistency. In the future, we plan to turn our brand into a franchise so that we can help investors grow financially as well as have Brigit’s Coffee all over Oman and eventually the world. We believe that our business model can provide the best quality products at an affordable price point. We want to be an organisation that can help grow local talent as well as oversee the establishment and success of new Brigit’s Coffee ventures across Oman.
The home I grew up in… Muscat
When I was a child, I wanted to… be a pilot
My greatest inspiration… my parents
My hero… Steve Jobs
If I could change one thing about myself… Nothing, I am happy the way I am
I dream of… starting my own training centre to share my knowledge.
It is not fashionable, but… I like wearing basic t-shirts
You may not know it, but I am no good at… baking
You may not know it, but I am very good at… making tea
If I have time to myself… Netflix and spend more time with friends.
My house is… where I sleep
My favourite holiday destination… Bali
My favourite weekend spot in Oman… I like visiting new cafes and tasting new coffee.
I will not leave my house without… my phone
Things I like about Oman… It is just beautiful and peaceful
A book that changed me… The World Atlas of Coffee
On top of my wish/bucket list is… To become the world barista champion
My success mantra is… be humble
In 10 years’ time, I hope to… have enough money to retire.