Seoul based South Korean LEE Ji-Yu (AKA Elly) is a true baristocrat. She’s a been running coffee shop and roastery, Café Oneway, for more than nine years, as well as being a latte art multi-award winner, trainer and judge. And when you take a look at her exquisite creations, you’ll see just why she’s at the top of her game.
She was introduced to latte art while travelling in Australia and working in a Melbourne café. And that was it. When she got back to Korea, all she wanted to do was start her own coffee business. She and a friend opened Café Oneway, now a lot more than just a café, but a roastery and thriving training hub as well. Although making great coffee and creating fabulous art are still her first loves, and she loves the fact that other people like what she does.
What does she see as the biggest change in the industry? The sheer diversity of coffees and
roasts available, which in turn has meant that customers have now developed clearly defined personal tastes. It’s no longer ‘one style fits all’. And where’s the next big opportunity? Ji-Yu thinks China, where coffee drinking’s been catching on big time over the last few years creating a new wave of Javaphiles.
Where does she stand on sustainability, at home and at work? She tries to recycle whenever she can, and “to make good things last as long as possible”. She always checks with
customers whether they really do need that cup/lid/straw, because less is more. She’s thinking about going vegetarian – and anything that makes that easier, like more plant-based drinks available in cafés, has got to be a good thing.
She thinks it’s still early days in Korea, but the demand for plant based is steadily growing as people become more aware of the issues and what’s on offer. Ji-Yu sees a lot of ‘likes’ for oat and thinks it makes a great entry-level intro to plant based. She also believes there are a lot of possibilities in plant-based drinks plus veg juice blends like oat and carrot, “healthy and delicious!”. And why stop at café culture? “Wouldn’t it be nice if mums were putting plant-based instead of dairy milk in their children’s lunchboxes every day?”
What’s her secret for success? Having your own unique style and stamping your personality
on what you do. “You have to think about exactly why you should be running a cafe and why customers should drink your coffee rather than anyone else’s.” And don’t ever believe you’ll automatically succeed unless you’re “serious and sincere about coffee”.
When she’s not steaming and swirling or practising for her next competition, Ji-Yu loves to get active in the great outdoors, swapping her barista pinny for walking boots and going hiking in the mountains. And summed up in her own three words? “Challenge,
passion and happiness.” Sounds like a good recipe to us.
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