Coffee shop culture and Chinese crowdfunding coffee shop culture

I do not know when coffee came into Chinese life, coffee is no longer just a cup of drink in hand, it has become a cultural and social carrier.

Asking for a cup of coffee or tea in a cafe and chatting with friends is the warmth of reunion after a long separation and the comfort of being busy. Others sit quietly in the cafe, watching the sunset, thinking or relaxing. Many people will read a book they like and even bring their work here to do it. Therefore, many people have a cafe plot and want to have a coffee shop of their own.

The money and energy needed to open a cafe is not something that everyone with a cafe plot can afford. But one day, when the cafe meets crowdfunding, something that seems impossible is easily realized. In China, crowdfunding and cafes are linked together and are being carried out in its unique form.

Yega Snow Cafe: 1898 Cafe

It is said that coffee was first discovered by shepherds in Essekafa, so Ethiopia can be called the country of origin of coffee in the world. Yega Snow Coffee is Ethiopia's boutique coffee, which has the reputation of "coffee entrance, a hundred flowers blossom". If you use a single cup of coffee to represent the 1898 cafe, Yega snow coffee is perfect.

In a class at Peking University, Yang Yong, chairman of the 1898 Cafe, talked about what he saw as Chinese crowdfunding as a guest in the course. He called himself a "crowdfunding evangelist" and his enthusiasm for crowdfunding could be described as "obsessed". Yang Yong should be regarded as the soul of the crowdfunding cafe. Driven by him, the 1898 cafe opened noisily in an inconspicuous part of Guanxin Park in Peking University.

The 1898 Cafe was jointly founded by 200 Peking University alumni who each contributed 30,000 yuan. They came from various departments of Peking University, with the post-70s as the main force. Because it is a circle of acquaintances, based on trust, the cafe was set up without much meeting with shareholders, and it took less than half a year from the call to the opening.

Many hands make light work. In September this year, a promotional video from the 1898 Cafe landed in Times Square, New York, the first cafe in China to broadcast a promotional video in New York's Times Square, but the cost of producing and broadcasting the promotional video was zero, because one of the shareholders was the CEO of a wedding company, and the support of many alumni and their resources, including the Blue cursor, made a seemingly difficult thing happen smoothly.

The 1898 Cafe implements a shareholder rotation system, and each shareholder rotates at least once a year. They work as waiters in the cafe in the morning, invite friends to the cafe to chat in the afternoon, and organize an activity in the evening. According to Cai Runwei, the chief operating officer, the 1898 cafe holds an average of four events a week, and there are about 300 a year. The patronage of Peking University alumni and social elites has led to the popularity of the 1898 Cafe, where one new project after another has been incubated, including many crowdfunding projects.

Manning: Luoga Cafe

Mantenin coffee is bitter and full-bodied, but also sweet. For Luoga Cafe, which is in the early stage of its development, Mantenin coffee is just their taste.

If the weather is fine, there is always a flow of people in the north and south alleys of Nanluogu Lane. In comparison, the alleys on the east and west sides are much quieter, and it is precisely these neglected alleys that are engraved with many historical memories, and new things are gradually born in the solidified ancient buildings. In the Xiaoju alley on the east side of Nanluogu Lane, Luojia Cafe is being decorated with bright lights.

Wuhan University is on the shore of East Lake and Luojia Mountain. Luojia Mountain is to Wu University what Weiming Lake is to Peking University. It has become a symbol of this school. Speaking of the name of the cafe, A Yu, who is in charge of decorating, said, "people who know will know at a glance, and people who don't know will 'although they don't understand, but think it's very powerful.'" This is the origin of "Luoga Coffee". The cafe is organized by alumni of Wuhan University in Beijing. Maybe it's to commemorate youth, or to miss the beauty of Luojia Mountain. In Luojia Cafe, the imprint of WUU campus can be seen everywhere.

Founder Yu Donglei is not only an alumnus of Wuhan University, but also an alumnus of Peking University, so he not only pays attention to the 1898 Cafe of Peking University, but also has the Luoga feelings of "Wu Dalang." Under the initiative of Yu Donglei, alumni of Wuhan University participated in one after another and formed a WeChat group of shareholders of Luoga Cafe, in which any difficulties and needs encountered in the opening of the cafe could be quickly responded to and solved. therefore, this WeChat group is also called the "omnipotent group" by shareholders, which has greatly improved the operational efficiency of the cafe. Because shareholders come from different professions, therefore, from decoration to operation, from finance to promotion, shareholders can fight in person, both as bosses and employees, and the operating costs are greatly reduced.

Mocha Coffee: n possibilities of crowdfunding

Mocha is a multi-element fancy coffee, which combines espresso, milk, milk foam, chocolate sauce, and sometimes cinnamon and cocoa powder, which is the N ways and possibilities of crowdfunding development in the future.

Now, more and more crowdfunding cafes are emerging, including financier cafes whose shareholders break away from alumni and bring together a large number of social elites. Because each shareholder has the same amount of shares, so everyone has equal power, everyone has the spirit of ownership, and they fully develop their own network. And because of the large number of shareholders, the cafe has been spread by word of mouth through the intersecting social network, attracting a large number of customers. It can be said that the rich internal resources make it possible for the cafe to develop in an infinite direction. Not long ago, Yang Yong talked about the plan of crowdfunding community cafes, using it to solve the problem that owners are inconvenient to receive visitors at home, while providing learning space for owners' children and a communication platform for community residents.

Now, more and more people are looking for Yang Yong, and the crowdfunding projects initiated and consulted by him are no longer just cafes, covering a wide range of fields, including schools, hospitals, vegetable plots, dumpling restaurants, and all kinds of unexpected ideas.

Chinese-style crowdfunding is gradually moving from the high platform to the poor, which makes many people's entrepreneurial dreams no longer distant. A wide range of financing methods reduce the risk of investment, so that small money can do great things, and everyone can be the boss. Under crowdfunding, people with dreams and professional skills can give full play to their personal initiative and greatly realize their personal value in crowdfunding organizations. Crowdfunding can solve the problem of shortage of individual start-up capital and improve the tight capital flow of small and micro enterprises in the survival and growth period. not only that, but also people use crowdfunding to explore the future development path of family businesses. In the near future, perhaps crowdfunding will not only change the business model, but also greatly change people's way of life. What they need is what they need. They will bring together people who need common products as both operators and customers. At that time, whether they have a cafe complex or those who are eager to eat pollution-free vegetables, they can enjoy their own products and quality of life.