Munich Startup: What does your startup do? What problem do you solve?
Barista Royal: Simply put: we roast delicious coffee together with people with disabilities. We’ve made it our mission to solve two problems: first, we want to offer coffee lovers the most delicious coffee. We rely on traditional, gentle drum roasting and use exclusively high-quality coffee beans to protect the environment and give our customers a full-bodied taste experience.
Second, we want to make a social contribution by integrating people with disabilities into the work process. This not only creates jobs, but also promotes inclusion and diversity in the workplace. By purchasing our products, our customers directly contribute to supporting this important mission.
Munich Startup: But that already exists!
Barista Royal: Yes, there are already providers of good coffee, but we go one step further. Our social approach is at the heart of our work. We don’t just roast premium coffee, we also create social added value through our inclusive practice. Every purchase directly supports the work and well-being of people with disabilities who are involved in the production process.
Barista Royal: social entrepreneurship in practice
Munich Startup: What’s your founding story?
Barista Royal: Our founding story is not just about a passion for coffee, but also a deeper mission. Chris, one of Barista Royal’s founders, was confronted with the issue of inclusion at an early age. His sister was born with a physical disability and even as an adult struggled to find work despite her one-sided paralysis. Despite completing her training and all her efforts, she was unsuccessful. This experience not only frustrated Chris, but also sparked a desire for change.
Michael, the second founder, a sensory expert and true connoisseur, has always been driven by the question of why coffee tastes so delicious on holiday in Italy but often tastes sour and bitter in Germany. His curiosity led him on a journey through the world of coffee. When he shared his idea of roasting his own coffee with Chris, their visions merged.
It was a moment of clarity: “We combine our passion for excellent coffee with the goal of creating an inclusive work environment”. Thus Barista Royal was born – a company that proves that social entrepreneurship is more than just a concept. It’s a realizable practice that can change lives.
Munich Startup: What have been your biggest challenges so far?
Barista Royal: We live in a world where the attempt is made to automate as much as possible. Work steps in many corporations are optimized for efficiency and effectiveness, processes are outsourced or people are replaced by machines. Working with people with disabilities is completely different. Here it’s about the human being. We have to adapt work steps to our employees and not the other way around. That’s the absolute contrast to what’s happening elsewhere in the world. To give a simple example: each of our coffees has a different color. On one hand, we do this to express what’s inside – for example, our Amore E Basta is in vibrant red. But the colors also help especially with integrating people with reading difficulties. That’s exactly what initially posed great challenges for us, because the processes simply weren’t as scalable as we needed them to be.
The higher production costs are always the biggest challenge here. That’s also why we primarily go the direct sales route and not through retail. We would very much like to be represented in more Edeka, Rewe, etc., but in retail the focus is often primarily on margin pressure rather than promoting social projects.
“We want to be the most well-known brand for social projects in Germany”
Munich Startup: Where do you see yourselves in one year, in five years?
Barista Royal: In one year we see ourselves at “Die Höhle der Löwen”. But seriously, we’re constantly working on delighting more people with high-quality, inclusively produced products. Driven by the interest of our customers, we started creating teas last year with “Tea of Dreams” – together with people with disabilities, of course. Our biggest goal for the coming year is to continue establishing ourselves with both Barista Royal and Tea of Dreams – in direct sales to end customers, but also in companies, cafes, and in retail. In five years, we want to be the most well-known brand for social projects in Germany. We want everyone to think of Barista Royal immediately when it comes to social entrepreneurship. To achieve this, we need the broad distribution and strong retail partners mentioned earlier, who don’t just focus on high margins but also take their social responsibility in our society seriously.
Munich Startup: How have you experienced Munich as a startup location so far?
Barista Royal: Munich is much more dynamic and flexible than its reputation suggests. There are incredibly many smart minds with great ideas. However, one significant difference compared to some other locations cannot be hidden: the high cost of living, especially rent, makes it incredibly difficult for small businesses. This limits the diversity and number of new startups. But the financial hardship inevitably also motivates you to “step on the gas”.
Munich Startup: Public transport or bike?
Barista Royal: At this question, the heart of our founder Michael races: he’s an absolute bicycle enthusiast. Nothing gets him going more than a fresh breeze while cycling – unless it’s a good cup of coffee before, between, or after the ride.
