From their homemade breakfasts during confinement to becoming a benchmark for brunch and specialty coffee in Lanzarote, Lara Musientes and Per Christensen review the trajectory of Kalma Café, the evolution of local hospitality, and the keys to their success in an interview with the radio program Más de Uno Gourmet of Radio Lanzarote Onda Cero.
Within the framework of the program Más de Uno Gourmet of Radio Lanzarote-Onda Cero, they shared memories of their beginnings, the financial challenge of applying for credit from banks, and the management of a team of more than 50 employees.
- What did you do before dedicating yourselves to gastronomy?
Lara: I am from Lanzarote and I studied Commercial Management and Marketing in Madrid and worked as a manager in clothing and footwear stores.
Per: I am also from Lanzarote and I studied Technical Architecture in Madrid, I was head of production on the Jameos del Agua construction site and then I worked as a personal trainer and appraiser.
- How did the pandemic influence the creation of Kalma Café?
Lara: We were in jobs where we were not happy; the pause allowed us to get together, start cooking at home and making brunches for friends and family until they encouraged us to open a place.
- Was it complex to obtain initial financing?
Per: We didn't have a penny and we went to all possible banks until one finally bet on us and helped us finance the opening.
- How do you remember the first days of work in the business?
Per: Lara and her mother made a marathon effort in the kitchen and at the bar, while I juggled flipping bacon on the griddle with my freelance appraisals from a corner of the premises.
- What is the gastronomic proposal and philosophy of Kalma?
Lara: We wanted to offer a relaxed experience with toast, pancakes, açaí, and salmon, taking care of the aesthetics because people eat with their eyes and always betting on quality products.
- How has the evolution been to your current locations and new concepts?
Per: After the second location in Puerto del Carmen, we opened a third, Lila Sayan Coffee, to merge açaí and specialty coffee with more agile operations, and we recently opened another Kalma Café in the NUA Shopping Center in Costa Teguise.
- Why did you decide to bet on specialty coffee and natural roasting?
Lara: We left commercial coffee to work with beans from JR Roaster in Tenerife, investing in our own machinery and training as baristas on trips through Europe.
- How do you manage a team of more than 50 workers and coexistence as a couple?
Per: Having a large staff allows us to organize ourselves better; we distribute presence in the establishments and have learned to separate work from our personal relationship.
- What new projects do you have planned for the near future?
Lara: At the end of this month we will be present at the CaFest festival in Arrecife and we are preparing a new concept in Puerto del Carmen with other partners for the beginning of next year.
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