Omar Al-Ghunaim, founder of REFILL COFFEE in Riyadh: everything is permissible to gain or lose
REFILL COFFEE Coffee, a modern café with splendid location and stunning designs.
The coffee shop is distinguished by its high taste in serving coffee of all kinds, the project has expanded to include an electronic application for selling high-quality coffee products.
Entrepreneurship KSA magazine sat down with the founder of the café Mr. Omar Al-Ghunaim to learn about this success story:-
• At first dear reader you have to know about Al-Ghunaim’s study, upbringing, and beginnings.
Omar Ahmed Al-Ghunaim, born in 1986 in Riyadh, holds a degree in Business Administration, a former private-sector employee for 15 years.
• How did you decide to establish REFILL COFFEE Coffee?
In the beginning, I had a home coffee “corner”, where I worked for two years, and after encouragement from friends and family, I made the decision to start, and it was a difficult start, but, thank God, the difficulties were overcome, and that was at the beginning of 2018 and the actual opening was in 2019.
• Was there a new idea or did you see that investing in coffee shops can be guaranteed in terms of profit?
There is nothing guaranteed in commerce, everything is permissible to gain or lose, but yes, we have an idea in the brand, and we have a proper name, meaning that we refill your “cup” and today’s coffee drink in particular, which is what we called “REFILL COFFEE.”
• How is REFILL COFFEE different from the rest of the cafés in Riyadh?
As I mentioned earlier, it is aptly named, and it is also distinguished that we import our coffee from a Saudi roastery based in Barcelona, for our dear friend Faisal Al-Shadi, owner of the “Ona” roastery.
• To what extent do the geographical location and the furniture affect the success of the café?
Very significantly, in addition to the quality of the product, there is no point in the decoration and location being excellent, and the quality of the product itself is less than excellent. Thankfully, this is what prompted us to design and implement the shop ourselves. We are the ones who designed and implemented it, praise be to God.
• You are an entrepreneur, what do you think of the future of REFILL COFFEE Coffee?
Maintaining quality, raising the level of taste, and spreading the correct concept of coffee.
• You founded an online store to sell coffee products, tell us about the application?
Yes, it is true, and that was during the Covid-19 pandemic, it contributed a lot to accelerate online sales.
• What does the success of the coffee industry depend on?
Much depends on the passion, knowledge of developments in the field, and a thorough understanding of coffee and how to approach it.
• How big is the competition in the coffee shop market in Riyadh?
The competition is very, very strong, and the high level of quality makes things even tougher, but it’s a beautiful and in-demand competition.
• Do you intend to expand the branches?
The expansion will be sooner and faster than what we have planned for it, for sure.