Baden Torrefação opens new coffee shop at Moinhos de Vento

Operating for more than 10 years in the Capital with a focus on specialty coffees, Baden took a new step in 2023. Now, the brand has an operation in the Moinhos de Vento neighborhood, inaugurated last week, with the aim of bringing coffee culture special for other points of the Capital. The unit is a pocket version of the business, which has two arms: the coffee shop in Santana neighborhoodwhich was Baden’s starting point in 2012, and roasting, a space dedicated to coffee roasting, but which also receives customers, in the Passo d’Areia neighborhood.

Guert Schinke, one of the business partners, says that the idea for the new space came up more than a year ago at the invitation of Casa Morada, a space that brings together psychoanalysis, art exhibitions and cultural events at Rua Barão de Santo Ângelo, nº 384. Baden Moinhos is located in the space that used to be the house’s garage. “Evelise, Lisa and Rodrigo, who are from Casa Morada, have been customers of the coffee shop since it opened. They came up with the idea, more than a year ago, of having a coffee shop in this garage. They wanted a brand that they could identify with and that could bring something different to the region. We have clients here, but our focus is on Santana. We didn’t think of putting something here, but the proposal is, together, to bring activities to the house, to have a nice coffee that adds value”, explains the entrepreneur about the arrival of the brand in the region.

Baden Moinhos has a sofa, a small counter and tables and benches on the street, in addition to the possibility of using the house’s gardens, as the customer can pick up coffee in the garage and consume it in spaces overlooking the tree-lined street. Understanding the profile of the region, Guert says that the idea is to explore the street more and more. “We’re not in Moinhos. Now, what’s booming is Rua Dinarte Ribeiro and people still walk along Padre Chagas. The public here wants to be on the street, watching the movement. And the space is small, so we’re still seeing if, in the future, we are going to try a parklet, or make a deck. And there are two spaces that are really cool, which is the slab and the garden”, he highlights.

The operation’s menu is a lean version, with options focused on practicality and take-away. The entrepreneur explains that the idea is that people, in addition to having a coffee there, identify the space as a point of sale for bulk products. “It’s closer to a take away than to the cafeteria itself. There’s cheese bread, cake, guava paste, which is like a medialuna, only square, pie and focaccia. We also have drinks with coffee, which we’re starting here and we’re going to put in roasting”, says Guert.

Despite the focus on practicality, designed so that people can take the items, the idea is also that customers consume on the spot, which, according to him, has more connection with the purpose of the brand. “We put two very good baristas, who have a wide experience, precisely so that the person who doesn’t know it, comes here and exchanges an idea. They will talk about coffee, explain, to maintain the culture of spreading special coffee. It won’t be a place to grab coffee and go, but sit down, talk, rest, something from home“, says Guert, who has baristas Andressa Cunha and Felipe da Silva in charge of the operation.

The proposal to unite a faster operation with the comfort of home is, for him, a way to meet market demands without losing the essence of the business. “We have a little reservation about these take away cafes. This wave is a matter of time for one or the other to close. So, we didn’t want to put a little window, because it’s not our footprint, we like to talk”, guarantees Guert, analyzing the transformations of the specialty coffee market in Porto Alegre. “The trend is for coffee shops to start roasting their own coffee, this is very normal abroad, but since it’s very expensive here, people are safe. We’ve grown a lot in the last two years, roasting has more than doubled in size, but we know that it is not possible to be 100% dependent on this. Baden Moinhos is still another point to sell our coffee”, he highlights.

Operating from Monday to Friday, from 10:00 am to 6:30 pm, and on Saturdays, from 1:00 pm to 6:30 pm, Baden Moinhos intends to start attracting new customers for the brand, which plans to expand even more in 2023. more. Here at Moinhos de Vento there are people who don’t really know Baden. We want to publicize more, because, in the coffee business, we are very well known, even a reference, but outside there is still room to grow”, ponders Guert.