Living your dreams cannot come easy. Sometimes, you have to defy the odds, even if those odds come with surprises, forcing you to learn along the way. This is how Mitra Roshanian from Romania became the face of Baraye Coffee.
Mitra Roshanian, owner of Baraye Coffee
Hailing from a small town bordering Ukraine and Moldova, 23-year-old Mitra Roshanian is currently thriving in Sweden since she moved from her birthplace and where she grew up, Romania, in 2023. Mitra was introduced into the coffee world when she was 12 years old, as she worked in her parents’ specialty coffee shop, starting with menial tasks like washing dishes and attending to errands around the shop.
As she took mental notes of the hyperactivity of the coffee drinkers and brewers alike, Mitra always got excited about the prospect of working in a place dedicated to bringing people together; a top reason she has remained in the coffee industry as she loves seeing people happy as they enjoy time with friends and family.
“I loved everything about it, seeing that my work provided a space for people to gather and socialize no matter who they were; coffee brought them together.”
This is reminiscent of her discovery that the coffee industry was where she wanted to be; during the early days of her career, she spent a whole day stationed at the espresso machine and ended the workday with a smile from truly enjoying what she did. Although she was normally the youngest wherever she worked and sometimes not taken seriously, the lessons of teamwork and submissiveness have brought her to where she currently is.
From marketing to green coffee sales, Mitra has been part of many segments of the coffee industry, with the dream of one day opening her coffee shop to give back to a community that has already given so much to her. Success for her can only be seen in this light: a vibrant community of clients and coffee lovers around her work, brewing inspiration and encouraging growth.
Mitra will always take pride in the fact that she stuck with coffee, and it has afforded her to become who she is—one who excels even outside her home country. Since moving to Sweden, she has worked as a coffee roaster in Falkenberg and snapped up the opportunity to commission a coffee shop thanks to the Rian Design Museum, after her previous one faced closure.
“I said yes, and from there I had two weeks to open up and make it work. My dad flew in and helped a lot with a handful of amazing friends I’ve made in Sweden.”
Mitra Roshanian and her dream
This led to the birth of Baraye Coffee on September 16, 2023, where Mitra plays all roles at the coffee shop: “barista, accountant, and everything else you can imagine.” But she makes no complaints, as she “enjoys every second of it, even the rough parts.”
Since her opening, Mitra has had to take purposeful breaks and put in strategies like the blue door rule for when she would be unavailable. But once people hear her loud music, setting the tone for the day, they know Baraye is open, which is probably why this is her favourite part of her daily work.
Mitra is faced with the challenges of growing a small business and having to learn from mistakes no one would imagine could come up, but she deals with this by surrounding herself with people who have insight into her work and who can give different perspectives on these challenges.
This is necessary because, just as Mitra notes, the coffee industry is constantly evolving with more access to information and an increase in resources and studies being done. Her most memorable coffee was in 2014, when she visited a small espresso bar run by a couple. She ordered a ristretto, feeling like a badass because she had never liked or attempted to drink it before. This will be different today, as most coffee enthusiasts are familiar with the coffee varieties existing all around the world.
When she is off the coffee clock, Mitra may be found singing, painting, writing, reading, taking photographs, or shooting videos; anything nature or extreme sports related, Mitra is down. One quote that has kept her going, which she shared with us:
“Don’t give others so much power over your life.”
