We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Antonios Fessaras. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Antonios below.
Antonios , appreciate you joining us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?
Well, originally my coffee shop was inspired from my grandfathers cafe back in Greece. So I wanted to first ensure that my coffee shop didn’t drown in the endless sea of different cafes in my area. Second, I also wanted my patrons to know that it was Greek simply from the name. I struggled for a while to come up with the name, and then it hit me. What is the one thing that all major name brands have in common that make them memorable and widely known; simplicity. Once I realized that all I had to do was keep the name simple ideas began avalanching. And that’s when I decided to name the store Cafeneo, which in the Greek language translates to Cafe or coffee shop. However the correct English spelling is Kafeneio, most people would not be able to pronounce the word at first glance so I decided to simplify it further!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My story into the coffee industry is an interesting one. I began my journey over 8 years ago when I embarked on my college career as a college student at Wilmington University. I majored in business management, and originally I wanted to eventually take the reins of my family’s pest control business. While completing my degree, I worked with my family, managing to gain six and a half years of experience. At the end of my college career, I had a discussion with my family about their retirement plans and decided it would be best for the business family to be sold to a corporate company that I could continue to grow with. I realized very quickly the difficulties that came with working for company like that and began to brainstorm what career choice I really wanted. One day I was browsing through some old photo albums and came across some photos of my grandfathers coffee shop and the rest is history. I quickly researched, learned and trained on the art of making coffee and paired it with my love for baking. However I knew that there were difficulties with being in the restaurant industry but I knew that I could overcome this hurdle by choosing to be a leader in my business rather than the infamous “boss” title which comes with a bad reputation. I was looking to create a genuinely happy work environment that nurtures all the ideas of all my coworkers, because I stand by the belief that if you treat your coworkers with respect and include them in the growth of the business the success is limitless. Additionally I knew that bringing my families recipes into the business while also including coffee beverages that were originally only available in Greece would instantly set me apart from my competitors
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
My transition from a pest control operator to coffee shop owner, mentioned in the previous prompt.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
I worked full time as a pest control operator, detailing cars on my free time, 3D printing miscellaneous items for money, doing any side work friends, neighbors needed, and plowing driveways in the winter, any money that was left after my bills were paid went into a high interest rate savings account.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cafeneobakery.com
- Facebook: Antonios CZ Fessaras
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antonios-fessaras-b33324185
- Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/cafeneo-newark