Spanish Specialty Coffee Chain Syra Expands Nationwide, Plans New Locations

Syra Coffee has gradually strengthened its presence throughout Spain, where it already has 31 stores, including 17 in Barcelona, 10 in Madrid, 2 in Seville and 2 recently opened in Valencia. The company plans to open new stores this year in San Sebastian and Malaga. Yassir Rais, founder and CEO of this company, created it after his studies in architecture in Paris, where he also received training on product manufacturing and packaging and graphic design. This knowledge allowed him to develop Syra Coffee.

It was in the French capital that Rais discovered specialty coffee, much cheaper than in Spain, while working in various cafes as a waiter. During one of his visits to Barcelona, he decided to create his specialty coffee business. He finds a small store in Gràcia and embarks on the adventure with a classmate. After some renovation work on the premises, the Syra Coffee cafe opened its doors.

Yassir then committed to producing his own ground coffee to reduce costs. He sources from family farms or cooperatives. They taste the coffee at harvest, then at the beginning of the roasting stage. "Freshly ground coffee is fresher and, consequently, of better quality," explains Yassir, noting that the company provides fresh coffee to its branches every week. His success is due to his commitment and the reputation of his product.

For Rais, the most important thing is to do one thing well rather than trying to do several things at once. He could have made sandwiches, snacks..., but he had a clear goal and did not want to stray from it: to create "stores with a soul that make the best coffee in the neighborhood". The specialty coffee company reached one million in turnover in 2021, a figure they tripled in 2022, confirming their successful model.