CaféLab, the coffee showroom. Interview with Fran Bernal

We have delved into the depths of this space, which beckons the visitor with an imposing classical façade. The robustness of the stone and the saturated colors invite a journey into the past that begins by grasping the doorknob, shaped like the handle of a coffee pot.

After the CaféLab experience, we felt the need to communicate our enthusiasm. We got in touch with CEO Fran Bernal and concluded this very interesting interview, enjoy it!

IADE MADRID: With what intention was CaféLab born?

FRAN BERNAL: To answer that question, I have to give you a little background... More than forty years ago, my father, almost coinciding with my birth, set up a coffee roastery on the first floor of my own house, in Cartagena. When that roastery moved to the industrial park, I decided to set up the first CaféLab there. The idea was to create a space to spread the culture of coffee and at the same time to serve as a showroom for our specialty coffees for our clients. Each of our stores has three different areas: the store, the cafeteria, and the laboratory, where we carry out tastings, barista competitions and provide specialized training. A place where coffee is the protagonist, and our customers can taste it, buy it, value it, and learn about it. That is why all the design, decoration and interior design revolves around the world of coffee. CaféLab was born at the end of 2015, and was so successful, that a year later, at the end of 2016, I decided to set up the second CaféLab in Plaza de los Apóstoles, in the center of Murcia. Now we are in full development of the third location in the center of Cartagena.

I.M.: What inspirational bases did you use to create the identity?

F.B.: My main inspiration is my passion for coffee. In every corner of CaféLab there is some element related to it: the tables are made with chassis of industrial coffee pots; the lamps, with Italian coffee pots or recycled coffee cups and pieces of coffee pots. With copper and brass -materials from which the coffee pots are made- we create many elements; with the coffee bags we cover tables and stools. Even the bathroom sinks are made with coffee pot boilers. There is no corner in CaféLab that does not catch your eye, every time you enter, you discover a new detail... I frequently travel to specialized coffee fairs such as London, Milan or New York to keep up to date with the new trends in the sector: both in terms of decoration and product.

I.M.: What kind of professionals did you count on for the creation of these spaces? Interior designers, designers, architects?

F.B.: CaféLab was created by us, Fran Bernal and Lorenzo Romero. We are entrepreneurs specialized in the world of coffee, with concerns in decoration and interior design. Our clients do not come just to drink coffee, but to live an experience in which everything is important: the product, the service, and of course, the place, that is why we gave as much importance to the decoration and interior design as to the product itself. CaféLab is a delight for the senses: not only for taste and smell, but also for sight, hearing, and even touch.

I.M.: Do you believe in the need to create spaces with their own personality, giving work to interior design experts, how does the public perceive it, do you receive good feedback?

F.B: Of course, exclusivity and originality are CaféLab's hallmarks. A space without personality will always go unnoticed. Only places with personality manage to connect with the emotion of the client as CaféLab does. That is why our customers always come back and recommend us. The feedback couldn't be more positive. We know that they enjoy CaféLab, not only because we have created it with passion, but because we see it every day: our customers take pictures in our premises and with our products and share them on their social networks. And the most gratifying thing: they always do it with a smile.