Video available in French only
Like most everyone in his family, Charles Jarawan is crazy about coffee. You could say that his passion for Java, Moka and Blue Mountain is inherited. After all, it started years ago with his paternal grandmother in Lebanon. As a young lad in Lebanon, Charles’ father, Frank Jarawan, was in charge of roasting the coffee using homemade tools, and then preparing and serving it to his mother’s guests. He acquired a taste for the ritual, and over time developed a certain expertise. He later passed on his passion to his sons, Charles and Jad. Several years later, Frank Jarawan set up Les brûleries Aladdin in Gatineau. When he retired, his sons took over. Today, the Jarawan brothers run two cafés in Gatineau, one on rue Saint-Joseph in the Hull sector, the other on boulevard Gréber in the Gatineau sector. Jad is in charge of espresso coffeemaker sales, maintenance and repairs. Charles is the master roaster, and in charge of finance and sales.
“I studied administration at Heritage College, but my father is the one who really taught me everything I know, from the art of roasting to sales and negotiations,” points out Charles Jarawan.
The aroma of coffee
Frank Jarawan immigrated to Canada in 1969. A few years later, he opened a café on Promenade du Portage in the Hull sector. A true connoisseur, he would settle for nothing less than top quality. Not fully satisfied with his supplier’s product, he learned to roast the coffee professionally. The business started in a warehouse in the Gatineau industrial park. The aroma of the freshly roasted coffee attracted the neighbours, who asked to buy some. However, Frank was not set up to sell to customers. In 1994, he fixed that situation. He set up a little coffee counter in the warehouse, to the great delight of his new clients.
“I started working with my father when I was 10. I remember handing out flyers on rue Jean-Proulx and boulevard Mont-Bleu to announce our services. There were so many clients that at certain points we were really squeezed. So we had to expand.”
Frank Jarawan injected a few hundred thousand dollars into purchasing a warehouse, still in the same industrial park. The expansion not only enabled him to serve coffee to more clients, but also to introduce a fine foods section. These activities came on top of the wholesale distribution operations to the commercial sector. In 2004, Frank Jarawan retired, and his sons agreed to take over the business. However, they only kept the retail division. The distribution was taken over by an Ottawa company. “Distributing to the commercial sector takes too much energy,” explains Charles Jarawan. “My brother and I noticed this with our father, who was constantly running around, and who sacrificed his quality of life. This is why we refused to take on that division.”
That same year, the two brothers left the industrial park to set up their coffee counter on rue Saint-Joseph. Three years later, they opened a second café on boulevard Gréber. The booming business has been able to rely on a few partners over the years. Emploi Québec, in particular, supported it when it was looking for staff. The Business Development Bank of Canada offered funding for the purchase of the roastery on rue St-Joseph. In the short-term, the Aladdin Roastery wants to be the first in the region to offer only organic and free trade coffee. The business is also working on a franchise project. A first one could open in Ottawa by 2012. “All of the roasting will be done in the Hull sector roastery in order to maintain the same product quality,” explains Mr. Jarawan.
Other regions will eventually be targeted. The entrepreneurs have already been approached by business people in Quebec City, Ste-Foy, Montréal and Laval.
Pratical information
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What made you decide to start up this business?
I grew up with this business, and given that my father passed on his passion to me, there was practically no decision to be made.
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Why Gatineau?
Lebanon is a French colon. When my father decided to start up his business, he chose Gatineau over Ottawa simply because he had more affinity with the Francophone population. Moreover, Gatineau is a safe bet for a business like ours given its stable economy, which is protected by the many federal jobs in the region.
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In your opinion, what advantages does Gatineau have over Ottawa?
Space is much more affordable on the Quebec side.
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What are the advantages of working for yourself?
The absence of routine and the possibility of working in an area that we love.
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What surprised you the most about the business world?
I am surprised by how much pride you can feel. Several clients have told us how satisfied they are with our services, products and facilities. We also get tremendous satisfaction from such positive comments.
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To what do you attribute your business success?
Mostly, I thank my father for what he taught me. He managed to pass on some excellent work habits to us.
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Getting the funding to acquire buildings and equipment proved to be complex at the beginning. We had to sell the project and convince the banks.
Getting the funding to acquire buildings and equipment proved to be complex at the beginning. We had to sell the project and convince the banks.
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What does it take to succeed in business today?
You always have to stay ahead of the competition, and most of all know your market thoroughly. It is important to analyze your market regularly. My father was my professional coach, which helped me a lot.
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What advice would you give someone who is thinking of starting up a business?
You need a lot of patience because in principle a business needs at least two years to balance its budget.
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