‘Clients From Russia Speak English Or Learn Belarusian Expressions’

5.10.2023, 17:50
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A Young Front activist opened a Belarusian cafe in Warsaw.

Almost a year has passed since Kakao, a Belarusian cafe, has been opened in Warsaw. Yauhen Skrabutan, former leader of the Hrodna branch of the Young Front ["Malady Front" - the largest youth organization of Belarus - Ed.] made it.

Charter97.org journalists spoke with Yauhen about how the idea to open a cafe was born. He spoke about whether Belarusian pastries are popular among Poles and told about Chinese who got hooked on ‘nuts’ with condensed milk.

– You were in the Young Front, worked as an organizer of tourist routes from Poland to Belarus, and now you have launched a cafe in Warsaw with Belarusian homemade pastry. How did you come up with the idea to open Kakao?

– My wife and sister were baking. It was so delicious that she wanted to share it with people. The idea came to make money legally from it - and that’s how Kakao appeared.

The location for the cafe was chosen closer to our home [the cafe is located in Warsaw - 248 Grochowska Str., South Prague - Ed.]. There are several student dormitories, a police school, Rondo Wiatraczna nearby. This place is located in the area of a large transport interchange with a flow of people.

Before renting the place for a cafe, I sat nearby and watched, counting how many people passed by. The intensive flow gave me hope that there would be many customers.

I would say that there was very strong family support. Everyone believed in me and helped, that’s why everything worked out.

– Was it difficult to register a business in Poland? Have you already had inspections?

– Everything is transparent and understandable in Poland actually. There are online step-by-step instructions on what to do, what’s first and how to start. There are hotlines for business. You can visit “urząd” [local authorities office in Poland - Ed.] and ask a specialist for business recommendations: about necessary documents and to submit deadlines. They talk about terms, conditions, and so on. There are also private companies which provide paid management and other services for you.

Here are no obstacles, unlike Belarusian state bodies. Let's take, for example, a sanitary and epidemiological station. In Poland, you go there and they tell you what and how you should perform. You do it, they come with a check and approve. If there are shortcomings, they point them out and give time to eliminate the mistakes.

A very correct approach, in my opinion. They prefer to explain and show how to do it correctly, and not wait for a person to break something and give a fine.

– What advice do you give to Belarusians who want to start a business in Poland?

– From the very beginning, you should take an internship in the area of business in which you are thinking of starting on your own. If you have no experience at all, working as an ordinary employee will be most useful - this way you can learn the most subtle features of private business in a new country. The most important thing is to learn how to make money doing what you enjoy doing most. In my situation, it’s communication with people

– You’ve been working for almost a year now. How has the cafe changed over time?

– I’m looking now at photos of what it all looked like a year ago. By the way, on Sunday, October 8th, it will be exactly one year. This was the day when we already had a coffee machine on the bar but we had bare walls.

Of course, the range has now increased. We have regular customers for whom we try to bake every day or every other day and come up with something new. After all, people come every day and don’t want to buy the same thing all the time.

We also experimented with different coffees and teas (every weekend at Kakao they offer Bedouin-style coffee made on sand - Ed.). We won’t stop, because there are still various options. We are trying to develop step by step.

– Kakao is a cafe with Belarusian pastries. What do Belarusians buy most often?

– The classic is Belarusian nuts with condensed milk. People need it every day. Now the Chinese have returned from their summer holidays. These “nuts” are already like a drug for them.

Just the other day we started the famous Belarusian delicacy - the “Potato” cake. We have it with peanuts and liquor. It’s very popular. I really did not expect that Belarusians would miss this delicacy so much.

We sell pasta, mochi (Japanese-Belarusian desserts made from rice flour), and honey cakes. You can order a pie and pick it up the next day.

You know, people come to our cafe not just for coffee and pie, but also to talk about life. Hundreds of stories and dialogues that you also experience like your own. There are people about whom you know almost everything: where one was born, studies and trips. I think this often happens when you are doing gastronomy.

– Do the Poles like Belarusian pastries?

– 50% of our guests are Poles, and the remaining 50% are Belarusians, Ukrainians, Chinese, Armenians, Georgians and Kazakhs. There are also people from Russia.

I will say that the Poles are already oversaturated with the same desserts because the same thing is sold everywhere. People are looking for something new. We are giving them this opportunity before they get tired of Belarusian pastries. For many, this is something unusual, that’s why people come.

Of course, we don’t sell very exotic products, but the fact that it is made by Belarusian craftsmen with a Belarusian soul is interesting and appealing to customers. Many Poles come and talk about their Belarusian roots or that they have been to Belarus once. After all, I am in a cafe every day, I stand behind the bar for part of the day, meeting our guests.

By the way, our thing is that we serve people using Belarusian and Polish languages. We don't just sell pies and coffee, we are talking. People are interested in Belarus and our events, both historical and modern. They ask a lot of questions.

Our cafe is a good example of what an ideal Belarus should look like, democratic, without all this Lukashism, Putinism and the Russian World. I believe that a person must speak Belarusian to be hired for any position in democratic Belarus (first of all, as an official, and secondly, in business). Belarusian business must be done in Belarusian style.

By the way, Russians come to us and speak English or Polish, knowing that this is a Belarusian cafe. Many even learned some Belarusian words. I was very pleased when Russians said “da pabachennia” (“goodbye”), “dziakuiy” (“thank you”), “kali laska” (“please”).

– Are you going to come back to Belarus and open Kakao there?

– You know, I returned from Poland to Belarus three times in my life. I studied three times, picked up my diploma, got on a bus or train and came back to Belarus. I have always studied in order to benefit Belarus.

Never in my life did I plan to stay somewhere in exile. But that's how it happened. Now I consider this as the next stage, the fourth attempt to gain some experience, live longer in Poland and apply this experience someday in Belarus.

You know, I never planned to run a cafe in my life either. I was thinking sometimes that in old age it would be nice to have my own bar, where I would come and sit in a rocking chair with a cigar. Play cards, and dominoes with friends, laugh and remember our youth. It was okay In this regard, but not as a means of making money.

All our lives we tried to get involved in politics and social activities. I wanted to work in government administration and carry out reforms in Belarus. Thousands of Belarusians studied abroad for this purpose. The Kastus Kalinouski program graduates, for example, and the Belarusians who graduated from dozens of the best universities in Poland. They have millions of acquaintances in the West. Their huge experience is to be used in the new Belarus. I think that we will have this opportunity, if not tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow.

You can visit the Kakao cafe in Warsaw: 248 Grochowska Street.