On the banks of the Chao Phraya river the exhilarating aroma of ‘Oliang’ brewing on a passing paddle boat fascinated the senses of a young girl. Owner/Robin Lourvanij’s childhood passion for coffee lead to many adventures; from climbing rickety bamboo ladders to learn traditional roasting techniques on the rooftops of Chinatown, to spanning the continents to some of the world’s oldest coffee houses such as Caffè Florian in Venice. Whilst growing up in Perth, Western Australia, she was introduced to some of the best Arabica coffees, hand roasted and brewed to perfection. After returning to Thailand 20 years ago, around the same time as the Mae Fah Luang Foundation was experimenting with different suitable coffee strains. “I even tried growing Arabica trees on my farm in Chiangmai, without success. All of the trees died!” Through Robin’s passion and dedication for coffee, Kuppa finally opened its doors in April 1998 as the first restaurant café in Bangkok to roast coffee in-house. The restaurant side of Kuppa developed subsequently following customers’ demand. The food is honest and refreshing – Kuppa’s concept is an interpretation of comfort food concentrating on high quality produce prepared simply and staying true to its flavours.
