Every day, many people dream of swapping the stressful life of the big city for the slow culture of the countryside. But despite the stress-free existence in beautiful surroundings, few dare to take the plunge. Fortunately, this was not the case for the sisters behind Kaffetelegrafen in Høyanger.
Where the mountains plunge into the sea and the wooden houses are many, there is a small red house that stands out. It is this building that houses the small café that combines the best of two worlds: the cozy, natural and down-to-earth of the countryside, in harmonious interaction with international-class ingredients. Effortless and comfortable. That's how you run a coffee shop in the countryside.
Back to the roots
The seed that would later blossom under the name Kaffetelegrafen was first sown when Veronica was living in Oslo and working as a chef and barista. At the time, she couldn't imagine a life without immediate proximity to the vibrant city life, but after 11 years in the capital, she felt a sense of loss. She had a chat with her younger sister Jannike, and suddenly it was done. She was going back to her roots.
"We simply decided to jump in. We would rather try and fail. After all, it's better than never trying."
Veronica Nessestrand
Before she knew it, she and her sister had bought the old telegraph building in Høyanger. A historic building, which in addition to housing much of the history of the telegraph company, is also home to one of Norway's last telephone booths. It was the dream of running her own place and the loss of her family that drew her back to her hometown. With Kaffetelegrafen, she got both.
Built on volunteerism and love
Kaffetelegrafen is a family business in the truest sense of the word. When the sisters first bought the historic red house, they were hardly aware of the amount of work that lay ahead of them. Although the old telegraph building was originally zoned for café use, the building was run down. Two sisters working full-time with thousands of hours at their disposal was far from enough to make their dream come true. Fortunately, they had their family on board.
- My husband and our father, in particular, worked weekends and evenings to help us. If it hadn't been for them, and childcare from our mother, we wouldn't have made it. We're lucky," says Jannike.
With quality in focus
Like brewing great coffee, the strongest foundation is built on three principles: love, patience and respect for the craft. To achieve quality, it is necessary to take the time to understand the value of accuracy. Perhaps that's why the café today stands as firmly in the village as the red telephone box outside.
Kaffetelegrafen is exactly what a coffee shop in Høyanger should be: A wonderfully uncomplicated, homely and warm meeting place, where the focus is on good ingredients. The menu is just urban enough to be a refreshing contrast to the traditional building - a perfect symbiosis of city and countryside.