Independent Coffee Festival of Barcelona

Coffee shops and roasters scheduled tastings, lectures, competitions and presentation of a local guide map

Independent Coffee Festival of Barcelona

First came the trend, with more than 30 cafes and Barcelona postulating about coffee quality and new ways to market and prepare. Now you want to popularize their virtues and principles through the first Independent Coffee Festival of Barcelona, to be held on 6 and 7 May in more than twenty establishments and other acts city, including the presentation of a route illustrated cafes. Tastings, lectures, competitions, films … a world around coffee, and a new approach.

As reported in January NEWSPAPER, cafes new generation are one of the booming businesses in the hospitality sector in recent months. Names like Satan’s Coffee Corner, Nomad Coffee, Right Side Coffee, Coffee Co Skye and All Those, among others, are becoming local references. In essence distinguishes them buy coffee from a local roaster, which usually takes the direct raw material producer of origin, reducing intermediaries. On the one hand the quality premium, there is a commitment to maintain producer prices and supply above inclement weather affecting crops, there is a more personalized shopping … but there is also a desire to give a new treatment product .

SOFTER

Roasters advocate less aggressive techniques, which generate a clearer drink, but allows taste better, although it is slightly more expensive than conventional. “No need to add milk or sugar that has not generated roasted bitterness,” explained from the sector. And finally, the preparation can be both traditional espresso coffee machines as with new filter systems that allow other nuances and properties, defend. The movement that has succeeded in other countries now gaining strength in the Catalan capital, with the union of the above brands to boost divulging festival.

On Friday more than 20 cafes open activities proposed: projections, tasting coffees as designations of origin, based cocktails cafes, conferences on development … in places such as L’Obrador, Werhaus, Oma Bistro, Slowmov and La Esquina. L’Obrador, mecca phenomenon in the Raval, the second coffee with specialized map will be presented.

A day later, the Open Day will Poble Nou central frame assembly of the coffee festival, in space 88, open to the public. Coffee culture is mixed with the food with some chefs and talks sumeliers. As icing on the Garage Beer Co will be a final party, with a special beer that uses coffee beans, and cocktails on the same line.

The festival also hosts the Championship of Spain of Aeropress (a method of processing with machine filter), whose winner will go to the world in Dublin in June.

Courtesy Transfer Airport Barcelona

Car Service Barcelona

Chauffeur Barcelona airport

Car Service Madrid

Vips takes up 100% in Starbucks Spain

The group closed a syndicated loan of 70 million to finance part of the repurchase

Starbucks coffee Spain

Grupo Vips has done it again with 100% of Starbucks Coffee Spain after repurchase the 49% holding in two years and then sell to the American multinational, as announced Friday the group chaired by Placido Arango.

Specifically, Vips, Starbucks partner since 2001 to operate and develop the brand exclusively in Spain, and Starbucks Coffee have reached an agreement whereby the Spanish group repurchase 49% of the company that sold Starbucks Coffee Spain in September 2013 .

In addition, both groups have extended the loan spell of brand development, ending in 2021, until 2030. Thus, Vips returns to control 100% of Starbucks Spain and Portugal, the last country in which the Spanish company already he had and still maintains today 100% of Starbucks Coffee Portugal, to be excluded from the operation of 2013.

Arango stressed that this agreement is “a sign of the excellent relations that from the beginning of our partnership has been established between the two companies.”

70 million credit

In parallel, Grupo Vips has signed a syndicated loan of up to EUR 70 million with a group of four banks: BBVA, Santander, Sabadell and Popular. This funding, which will be used in part to the acquisition, also serve to refinance existing debt amounting to over 26 million euros and will allow additional resources to increase the pace of reform and modernization of the network of group entities 2016 and 2017.

The company stressed that the positive development, which has successfully completed its transformation plan and starts a new stage of growth, made possible repurchase operation. The purpose of the sale in 2013 was precisely to obtain the necessary financing to complete the implementation of the transformation plan without recourse to new borrowing.

Sum 90 stores in Spain

Starbucks currently has 90 stores in Spain and 11 in Portugal and plans a dozen openings and 10 store comprehensive reforms in 2016. Despite the adverse situation of the Spanish market in recent years, the brand has continued to improve its ratios, highlighting, according to the company, its good performance in sales, “remarkable” growth in gross operating profit (Ebitda) and the rise in the number of units.

Courtesy Car Service Barcelona

Chauffeur Barcelona airport

Car Service Madrid

The fashion for ‘bike cafés’ comes to Barcelona

The rise of urban cycling brings up new businesses related to cycling | The space model, imported from London and Berlin, can enjoy a coffee while the bursting of a tire repairs

bike cafes BARCELONA

The fever for two wheels is making emerge new business concepts related to cycling. Handlebars, leather saddles and pedals are beginning to go beyond the conventional stores and repair shops use to live among coffee cups and viewings of the Tour de France. It is the definition of the cycle hasty -bici cafes in the Spanish- version, a multipurpose spaces where you can sip a cappuccino while the bursting of a tire is repaired. Barcelona opened the first one and a half ago and since then the number of spaces that join the coffee culture and the cycling is increasing in the wake of European cities like London, Berlin or Amsterdam cafes where the cycle are more consolidated.

Fabrizio Pastorello, Italian and passionate restaurateur bike, put a stain on the doors of your business, a cafe in the heart of Gracia which runs for thirteen months. This peculiar contraption, a sort of self-service using those in need is part of the philosophy of a room in which, with the cup of coffee, facilitate the toolbox. “Cycling is allowed to enter and make repairs if it comes,” Pastorello, owner of Biciocio explains. Fixed clientele lover of two wheels, at your local bike rides and other related activities to meet the demands of a public that is growing every year are organized.

A 5% increase in 5 years

According to the European Metropolitan Transport Authorities, Barcelona between 2008 and 2013 increased by 5% the number of people moving around the city either on foot or by bike. It is representing 57.4% of all trips, a figure well above cities like Madrid, which has seen 0.1% back using the bike in the same period. It is located in a modest 33.5%. “Fifteen years ago only a handful of people on a daily basis using the bike. Today, only needs a look to check that cyclists are booming, “says Mark Scrancher, owner of The Bike Club Barcelona, ​​the first bike cafe that opened in Barcelona. It was in March 2013.

Scrancher defines its business as a “destination for cyclists” where you can eat something, taste a good coffee – “The Best of Barcelona” apostilla- and tune the bike. Of course, buy sports clothing and accessories. The restaurant, which is open to all public -cyclists or not, has also shop and workshop with specialized mechanics annex in the bicycle repair, a service that is held by customers and responding to their new demands, according Scrancher. “Ten years ago, cyclists using the bike only on weekends. If they had to make some arrangement, they left the bike in the workshop on Monday and collected at the end of the week. Now the routine has changed: if a wheel punch want to have it about that evening or the next day as much because they need to go to work or university, “he says behind the bar.

Sustainable and efficient vehicle

Berta Quintanilla enters the room with the bike under his arm looking for exactly that: solve a small gap on the handlebars.

Seven years is a regular user of the bicycle, with which it is done every morning to work. He also noticed that the passion for two wheels is increasing in Barcelona, ​​a circumstance that bike users and owners of cafes attributed to increased environmental awareness and savings in your pocket. “The bike is comfortable, economical and sustainable. Hence it has grown daily use, “says Albert Garcia, a member of Friends of the bikes. According to him, “when the bike is tested you not want to drop” although “not yet have a complete network of cycle paths” in Barcelona.

With the increase of urban cycling, bike cafés are condemned to take root in the city, according Scrancher. “In Australia, New Zealand, the United States and in other European cities like London or Berlin on business for years to work. Here, it is matter of time before more spaces of these characteristics begin to appear, “he explains. “People rent the bike two days next week and are looking to buy one,” he adds and concludes: “Four months ago a customer spends every week thanking us here. He says having a bicycle has changed her life. ” He is 85 years old.

Courtesy car service barcelona

Chauffeur Barcelona airport

Limousine service Spain