I mainly worked at Taylor st cafe on Old Broad st. The cafe made roughly ± 1300 cups of coffee a day. It seems that I had done my fair share of making enough coffee and I didn’t want to open any cafe anymore.
On top of that, my 2 years working-holiday visa was ending sooner I really enjoyed coffee culture in London and would like to stay in this industry if possible. The only way to extend my stay in the UK is through study.
I enrolled in an MBA program at Middlesex University. My main drive was to stay in London and still maintain a connection with the coffee industry. Most of my papers are related to coffee supply chains such as economy and operation from different levels. I was able to combine both study and passion together, which made my student life more enjoyable.
While working on my dissertation, I interviewed a few key people who worked in coffee importer, exporter, and roastery. The interviews didn't just help my study, but my understanding of the supply chain.
To this day, I still appreciate their selflessness and unconditional support. I even booked my first ever origin trip to Ricardo’s farm in Colombia:@lalomitacoffee. This trip truly opened my eyes and enriched my coffee knowledge.
I had to look for job opportunities during my study in order to remain in the UK after the student visa terminated. Like burning the candle at both ends, studying and finding a coffee company that was able to offer me a sponsorship visa to work in the UK wasn’t easy.
You might not aware of the coffee culture in Taiwan. The structure is completely different than in the UK.
There are around 12,000 cafes in this 36,193 km² island. Almost every cafe roast themselves. The common roasters are from 1kg to 5kgs. The owner is the green buyer, roaster, barista, and kitchen porter themselves. The existence of an importing job is very unlikely. It would be really hard for me to set my foot back.
After evaluating the situation carefully, my goal was very clear. It's either stay in the UK or never worked in coffee again when I head home.
🅂🅃🄰🅈 🅃🅄🄽🄴
Ricardo Canal, the owner of La Lomita, showed his staff what defeats to remove.
Volunteering at La Lomita.
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