Inspiring Businesses I: Four Barrel

Finally on vacation. This year has been more intense than coffee; the usual business pace is becoming more and more frantic, and if we add a baby and a nomination for the Vogue awards for best designer of the year (gods, I haven't even had time to tell you about that), we have a mentally and physically exhausted Condesa. So this year's vacation will be long and well-deserved, which is why the whole family has traveled to one of our favorite places in the world: San Francisco.

Coming here, with everything that's happening in Spain, is both inspiring and agonizing. It's absolutely wonderful to see new business ideas, relatively simple, carried out by people in their thirties and easily exportable to our country. It's quite disheartening to think that perhaps the entrepreneurial spirit of our thirty-somethings or the mentality of our consumers has nothing to do with those here. I studied engineering at one of the (supposedly) best universities in Spain; everyone in my class had worked their butts off studying for many years. We were supposed to be above average in terms of productivity and effort, and yet, or perhaps precisely because of that, when in the last year the "Business Creation" professor asked us in the final week how many of us wanted to start our own company and how many wanted to be civil servants, I swear on my joints that 90% raised their hands in favor of working for the State with a fixed salary for life. When in your early twenties you dream of having the same job for the rest of your life without the risk of being fired... something is wrong.

In any case, since all the country's media are already giving lectures and bad news, here we are going to bet on that crazy 10% that I know exists, who want to do things, who don't know how but will fight against banks and tides to achieve it. From California, I will tell you about businesses and ideas that people have here, in case they spark an idea, motivate you, or simply make you want to keep believing in yourselves because, friends, you are not alone, there are many like you, and from here we encourage you to keep going.

Today I present to you Four Barrel. These gentlemen were obsessed with coffee and decided to create their own brand. What did they do? They bought beans from different countries based on fair trade, and once they had the beans, they found a fairly large space in a non-central area (but which is now super trendy) and turned it into their factory/shop/cafeteria, all at once. So you can go into the place and see how they roast it, how they package it, how they work with it, all while enjoying any of their coffees at the central bar.

Everything is organic, environmentally friendly, employs local workers, etc., etc... in short, it meets all the standards of excellence and the coffee is delicious. The surrounding area has responded enthusiastically to the proposal and the place is packed with people buying, savoring, or working, even though there's no Wi-Fi on purpose, as they aim to promote human communication and prevent everyone from getting engrossed in their screens.

The decor is sparse but warm, and despite the noise of the machines, there's a sense of tranquility that makes you want to stay for a while.

As I said, I'll leave you until next time. Keep your spirits up, we need it.