Z worked in IT at Accenture and dreamed of opening a coffee shop. 

Then he got fired…

For speaking out publicly about Palestine (his home culture).

When he decided he wasn’t going to leave his fate in the hands of another corporation, he knew that his beliefs and culture would be at the forefront of his cafe.

Thus, Coffe-Yeh was born.

Z was fired for speaking out about his culture, so he decided to make that very culture the centerpoint of his cafe’s brand.

The name, “Coffe-Yeh,” is a play on words relating to the traditional keffiyeh, a garment that has become a symbol of Palestine.

This “culture-forward” approach has fueled passion from the community. It instantly communicates that this cafe (and the people behind it) stand for something more than simply a great cup of joe. Folks come from all over town just to purchase coffee at a place that reminds them of their home in this tumultuous time.

In addition to the branding, Z says that his cafe has been a vector for sending support to families affected by the Iranian war.

Z says that the average ticket is about $10. This is one of the biggest levers for any coffee shop owner and he’s already at a good spot. 

Serving a lot of customers is great, but if they’re only spending $3 each time, it takes a lot of orders to cover your expenses. That’s why increasing the AOV (average order value) is one of the highest leverage things any business can do.

His current location and setup isn’t going to hit major volume, so staying on top of this AOV number is crucial for continued success.

The incredible part is that Z was able to break profitability quickly. The low cost of his location helped (pros and cons here), and now, he’s set up with a proven concept to open up more locations.

About that location - he opened up with a MAJOR constraint: no bank loan.

Because of his faith, Z didn’t want to take on any debt.

Instead, he used his own savings and was able to get a zero-interest loan from a family member to start Coffe-Yeh. He felt that this zero-interest loan was still kept in the intent of not being “ruled by debt.”

The lesson here is that creativity in financing exists, but you have to look for it. He could’ve gotten a bank loan with interest (many people do), but that would have crossed a line for him that he couldn’t stomach.

Z is already on the lookout for his second location. 

This is where things can get difficult. 

A great community is easier to build when the owner is frequently present, but when they start splitting their time between other locations (or just rely on store managers), that community doesn’t come so quickly. 

Opening additional locations brings challenges not only with building the customer base in the surrounding community, but also quality assurance. 

Hiring great employees becomes crucial. Often, the best approach is to hire, train up, and promote at the first location, which allows the owner to oversee the opening and initial operations for the next spot. 

Then rinse and repeat. 

If the owner is still very hands-on with location 1, they’ll never get ahead enough to make it work.

Community, community, community. 

Z took an awful situation (getting fired for speaking out about his culture or origin) and turned it into his cafe’s strength. It’s a message that the surrounding community could get behind. He then doubled down on that message by offering support to refugees and struggling families overseas through Coffe-Yeh.