Customzied experience business is potential criteria for local businesses in Joensuu to step out of their comfort zone. With the belief that ‘Special and uncommon experience are what will make Joensuu a unique place’, Kafe Mank was opened with the intention to bring personalized coffees to customers. Sylvia has brought creative and unique experiences to the market:
- You won’t see any like caramel latte here, Sylvia Springer - the owner of Kafe Mank
Sylvia came to Joensuu as international student and has always been seeking for a special place where she can taste something different from traditional coffee or fancy experience in the centre of Joensuu. This has brought her such motivation to bring a breath of fresh air to the city and Kafe Mank was born.
Kafe Mank is a unique coffee shop located in the centre of Joensuu, where everything is done by hand, from coffee to cookies. Specialized experience with new taste of your daily coffee is what you can expect from the place. Sylvia also put a lot of effort into experimenting with different new flavours to be on the menu. Considering customers’ feedbacks with business’s value to bring more specialized experiences to locals, Kafe Mank has always been innovative in bringing specialties and unique tastes to the local market.
- Having a place that sells something completely different from others is a thing that some people really really like it, said Sylvia Springer
The mission of Kafe Mank is to bring the difference to the local. Sylvia has received a lot of positive feedbacks with her speciality business. Finland has been well-known for our huge consumption of coffee and that might be seen as a challenge for others to come to the market. Nevertheless, Sylvia considers this as an opportunity to be creative! Her point is to be creative in finding news but still, keep the taste similar enough to the traditional so as not to scare locals. There is still a room for creativity, the matter is to find the right fit.
The current price crisis is also a big challenge for Sylvia’s business. Balance the customized experience for customers at an affordable price that people still want to pay and try is not easy.
Throughout the time, Sylvia found other businesses in Joensuu also focus on creating new and unusual experiences to customers. This regional business development also encourages her to be more creative and unique. Despite difficulty in price, customers are more open and the need for changes in their experience are what motivate businesses like Kafe Mank to develop. There is potential to grow this type of business and Sylvia believes these unique experiences are what make Joensuu more unique!
Sylvia is an international entrepreneur in Joensuu but she has never considered language as a barrier. Kafe Mank is also Sylvia’s first business, and she has to learn everything from start. It is not easy to gather every small piece together, but she has managed to receive helps from many other external services. Paperwork is her biggest challenge because there are small steps that need to be done as well as contacting with many different places. A good plan and a suitable supervisor are always valuable for start-up journey.
Sylvia has been remaining a good relationship with Business Joensuu throughout her studying. Therefore, at the moment she decided to start her business, she knows where to contact and ask for help. For Sylvia, Business Joensuu can be seen as an advisor to point out where is her strengths or which is the best idea to start. As a person with full of ideas, recommendations from Business Joensuu helps Sylvia to choose the area that is potential for the local demand. Thanks to the support from customers, Sylvia is looking forward to a bright future for more recognition for her own unique brand – Kafe Mank!
Text and Photo: Nguyen Tran Ha Thuong / Business Joensuu