The chain of coffee shops Syra Coffee is preparing for internationalization with a move to Portugal or France in 2024. The forecast is to open a store towards the middle of next year. “It will be something organic, a logical growth, not very aggressive and capillary. First we want to finish the penetration of the Spanish market before leaving”, explains Yassir Rais, founder and CEO. It was already selling abroad through the online store, which represents a smaller part of the business, but it did not have a physical location.
The foreign adventure will represent a new phase in the short life of the company, born with a store in Gràcia in 2015, which expects to exceed 50 this 2023. To achieve this, it is in full expansion throughout the national territory. Before the end of the year, it will open at least ten new premises – already under construction – to increase the current 41. “We continue to consolidate and grow”, says Rais. It will be confirmed in the seven cities where it is already (Barcelona, ??Madrid, Girona, Mallorca, Valencia, Seville and Sant Sebastià) and will enter Bilbao and Malaga. “In smaller cities we see more repercussion with the openings”, he comments. Rais does not rule out opening a few more if opportunities arise.
Despite the growth, it wants to maintain a bet “very linked to quality”. Syra Coffee only works with specialty coffee. “It is 2% of global production and consumption, free of pesticides, with respect to the seasons.” Quality note “for a customer who has a palate, who is also looking for conscious consumption”. The product comes from around 60 different producers, from families to cooperatives in Central America, South America and the Horn of Africa. “We import, taste and roast”, something that “brings the producer closer, from the farm to the cup”.
In the cafes, you have coffee to go and they sell about 20 varieties to prepare at home. The bulk of its turnover comes from stores, with 75%-80% of the total, and the rest is online sales. In 2022, it invoiced a little more than three million euros and this year the base scenario is to double the figure. Just two years ago, he inaugurated roasting facilities in L’Hospitalet, which have allowed a productive step and strengthened the expansion. It concentrates its office and plant, with about 20 workers. With all the stores there are about 160. The most recent is Syra Lab, a project to find more sustainable and circular solutions in the chain.
Inflation has raised coffee, although less so for specialty coffee. “It has affected the margin, but we have not given up on suppliers.” The increases the customer may see are for other reasons, such as rent, wages and the cost of baking, he says.
