It all started in Paris, in the 18th arrondissement, at my wine merchant's shop. During my visits, we often chatted about the old coffee roaster sitting in the back of the shop. One day he said to me, "You want it? Take it!" I agreed, not knowing what I was getting into. Initially, I thought I'd use it as industrial décor in my modest studio. After discovering its value online (€18,000 new), I considered selling it for profit. Being thorough, I contacted the manufacturer about a complete overhaul to ensure my future buyer wouldn't have any issues. "No problem," they said, "but don't sell it! Here's a coffee importer's number—buy green coffee and roast it. You won't get this opportunity twice in your life."

My parents and I discussed their retirement was approaching, so why not give it a try? If we were going to do this, we'd do it properly: a small, clean, dedicated space. The very next day, my father began construction! Meanwhile, I dove deep into the world of coffee, buying every book I could find. I needed to know everything: Where are the best coffees grown? What makes a great coffee? What's the perfect roasting technique? What's the history behind it all? How should it be prepared? What does the market look like?

December 2014: our first roasting! What an incredible moment!

And then, of course, digital natives, so what's the best ecommerce platform to get started? Benchmark! And the conclusion: Shopify! Wow! Without Shopify the story wouldn't have been the same. My sister quickly became part of the adventure. We roasted, packaged and shipped. We tried B2B: no go. We tried lots of things. Turnover rose (slowly but surely). We expanded the premises, bought 2 other roasters and mills and improved the production line. Based in Chaumont en Vexin, a village of 3,500 inhabitants, the take-off was slow. At the same time, I decided to live in Marseille, so I tried my hand at coffee in Marseille, but to no avail. In 2017, the turnover grew, but it wasn't enough to pay my sister, and at this rate, it would be years before that was the case. It was decided that she should find another job. My father took over. Sales were steady. In 2022, faced with rising inflation reducing purchasing power, soaring coffee prices and declining motivation, we decided to end the adventure.

It's been a wonderful 9-year adventure and I've learnt a lot. Managing a business 100% from A to Z. Demystifying the whole value chain. This experience has made me even more empathetic with my Experience Design customers. Change isn't always that simple. And undertaking it takes a lot of courage.