Anyone who is against LAP Coffee has no idea about startups
Boycott graffiti, outrage, moral panic – just because two founders are doing what founders should do: solving a problem and making money from it.
In Germany, you can apparently start anything – except a cheap coffee brand.
LAP Coffee, the new startup from Ralph Hage and Tonalli Arreola, sells espressos for €1.50 and cappuccinos for €2.50 – triggering half of Germany's reaction, as if it were about arms exports rather than coffee . Now, a branch in Berlin has even been vandalized with a boycott slogan (spelling mistake included).
Besides their coffee—fully automatic, not even a portafilter—their actual product is one thing above all else: a lifestyle brand for young professionals that sells more than just hot drinks, but a vibe. You can't build something like that with a few thousand euros.
If a company doesn't think about making money, it can just close down
But that's exactly what seems to provoke many. Because suddenly, the stylish blue cup is no longer a piece of cardboard, but a symbol of the cold-blooded free market economy. "This puts pressure on small cafes!" they say. "This is destroying our coffee culture!" Nonsense.
If you're looking for a quick, inexpensive coffee, go to LAP. If you'd rather pay five euros for a cappuccino to enjoy the atmosphere of your favorite romantic café, just do that. Both are allowed. And let's be honest: Not everyone can afford a flat white every day at a third-generation, organic café. LAP makes coffee affordable.
The real scandal also seems to be that there are investors behind LAP. As if it were morally reprehensible to receive funding for an idea in order to make money from it.
Remember: This is how startups are born. You have an idea, you need capital, you convince investors, you build the product. And when it's successful, everyone benefits. Incidentally, a large portion of the profits then flow back into new startups. Without venture capital, there would be no new drugs, no rocket launches, no major innovations. But woe betide anyone who builds a coffee chain with venture capital money. Would you rather "honestly" finance it with your own savings or take a bank loan? Fun fact: The LAP founders were denied a bank loan .
And this criticism: "LAP just wants to make money." I hope so! LAP Coffee is a business. If a company isn't thinking about making money, it might as well shut down. And then there's a new reason to complain. For example, that coffee is so expensive everywhere.
businessinsider
