Café has become not only a place where people just drink a cup of coffee but also a special space where they spend a part of their precious day. From reading a magazine and working on a laptop to chitchatting with a friend, there are many different activities you can do at a café but it seems that everyone falls in love with this captivating place.

Meaning “red land” in Portuguese and “land of hope” in Brazilian, TERAROSA is brand that acquires and roasts the best unroasted coffee beans on its own and sells premium specialty coffee. At TERAROSA, a great amount of attention is placed into the quality of coffee that even single bad shot of espresso will be the reason to throw away the coffee. A strict and rigorous mindset that no cup of coffee will be brewed carelessly leads to the café’s operating methods. All branches are run under direct operation and the workers are all full-time employees. Upon entering the company, all employees must receive coffee education and take tests that they need to pass, ensuring that they would become baristas only after they are equipped with a certain level of competency. The entire process of becoming a competent barista is known to take about two years.

TERAROSA branches are also located in big cities such as Seoul, Gangneung, Jeju, and Busan but why do many people still visit the Seojong branch?

What makes TERAROSA famous is not just the taste of coffee. Each branch is well known for its unique interior concept. I have visited a branch but it immediately makes me want to visit another location. That’s the charm of TERAROSA. Ideas on the special interior that connects the region and the space all come from the mind of the owner, Mr. Kim Yong-deok. Though he did not learn or major in it, he performs all tasks from design to supervision of construction, thinking that a café must not only brew tasty coffee but also be a special place that contains arts and culture, similar to an art museum.

The Seojong branch in Yangpyeong is a two-storied building with an open floor design and stairs in the middle, all of which give off a feel of a cool performing stage. Looking around the inside, the place clearly shows much effort has been put into even the smallest items. Seedlings of coffee trees are planted and an old grounder is on display while foreign books and magazines that are difficult to acquire are stacked on a bookshelf. It was originally a hanok-type restaurant before turning into a café, which has since been expanded with a new building thanks to many customers’ positive feedback.

Starting with TERAROSA, one store after another began to be established in the area to form a shopping complex and, eventually, become Yangpyeong’s hot place. There are more people from other regions than local residents who come to check out TERAROSA; one reason stems from the opening of Seojong Interchange on Gyeongchun Expressway that has enabled many people to make pit stops at TERAROSA Seojong branch like a rest area.

Written and photos by Kim Sun-joo

Website http://www.terarosa.com/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/terarosacoffee/

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