Coffee and chats are a marriage made in heaven.
There’s not much better than finding a cafe where you can soak in relaxing vibes, sip on a gorgeous coffee and bask in lovely company.
One new Aberdeen café aiming to create just this vibe with an extra philosophical touch is Frogmoon Cafe.
‘Where fresh ideas begin’ is Frogmoon’s motto. Its owner, Adam Maksymiuk, believes his cafe offers a place to stimulate your mind and enjoy chats of all kinds.
Quality coffee and fruity smoothies have been popular drinks favourites so far this summer.
Plant-based food options are solely available here and contemporary artwork and murals give Frogmoon its creative personality.
But most importantly, Adam is happy to have infused his passion for cafes into his new venture, which has been brewing for a number of years.
“I think the idea for owning a cafe came around 2012,” says Adam.
“Of course, the business must make money. But to say I’ve done all this for money would be too simplified.
“It doesn’t matter if it will be successful or not, but I’d regret it if I didn’t try.
“I really wanted to have a cafe, so now I have one!”
Business minded
Originally from Poland, Adam moved to the north-east in 2007.
“I was the owner of two CD shops back in Poland – but of course, the internet killed CDs,” Adam laughs.
“I worked for somebody else whilst our children were growing up, which was convenient as I could spend more time with my children this way instead of running a business.
“Then once they grew up, I decided to come back to owning a business – which was something I always liked doing.”
Despite having never run a hospitality business before, this didn’t put Adam off.
He bought his first commercial coffee machine in 2013 and his passion for running a cafe has grown ever since – although owning a pub inspired by Tom Cruise was also briefly on the horizon.
“I found spare time to learn about coffee and owning a cafe business whilst working another job at the swimming pool in Aberdeen for a while,” says Adam.
“The goal was to keep costs down as low as possible – this meant that I also learned how to be able to fix coffee machines.
“To be honest, after I watched the film Cocktail with Tom Cruise, I wanted to own a pub.
“But having worked in a pub for a while, I think I prefer to stick to serving sober people!”
Soft Launch
After spending more than two years refurbishing a former office space into a cafe, Frogmoon opened for its soft launch in February this year.
This gave Adam time to put his new hospitality skills into practice and place some finishing touches to the cafe.
Now having had its grand opening earlier this month, Adam is looking to build the cafe’s name in Aberdeen.
“It was quiet at the beginning, but it is building up as people are getting to know the place,” he says.
“We’re still working on many things, and I’m constantly learning too – which is all part of the process.
“I’m always listening to what customers are saying to tweak and change things here and there to best suit their needs.”
Consistency is key
When it comes to Frogmoon Cafe’s food and drink offerings, consistency is key for Adam.
“One of the reasons people go to chains is because they know what to expect – no matter whether it’s good or bad coffee, it’s always the same,” says Adam.
“We like our coffees, teas and hot chocolates to be consistently good. That’s one of our main goals.
“Every item is designed to be consistent with a focus on health too.
“We currently have a courgette soup on at the moment as one of our specials, which is both healthy and tasty.
“We have been promoting our smoothies a lot during the summer, which are going down well with customers.
“But I also want to emphasise that we disregard any products containing palm oil – that’s really important for us.”
Porridge and vegan breakfasts are perfect morning food options while soups, paninis and luscious layered desserts are great throughout the day.
Promoting plant-based living is something that Adam, as a vegan himself, finds easy to promote to his customers.
“We’ve been vegan for five and a half years now and I find it very healthy,” says Adam.
“It hasn’t caused me any harm; I was told for so much of my life that you must eat meat, but you don’t have to.
“We have vegan and vegetarian options across our food and drinks – for instance, we have cow’s milk available for our coffees and eggs in some of our dishes, but no meat.”
Philosophical chat
As well as its tasty food and drink options, what makes Frogmoon stand out from the crowd is its creative spirit.
Plans for art exhibitions from local artists and live music are currently in the works.
Its décor brims with creative flair and Adam’s favourite part of his work is socialising intellectually with his customers.
“The goal here is to have a nice environment for people to come and visit,” says Adam.
“People can come with their laptops, have a good coffee, good chat and relax.
“I like delving into philosophical chats with some of our customers; in good environments, your brain works freely with no sense of pressure or turbulence – it’s stimulating.”
“Talking to people, listening to them, that’s the whole purpose of the cafe.”
Bold dreams
Looking ahead, if all works well with his debut venture, Adam isn’t putting off the idea of opening a chain of Frogmoon Cafes.
But modestly, regardless of whether it happens or not, Adam’s passion for cafés doesn’t revolve around profit – it revolves around enjoyment.
“I like cafe environments and relaxing vibes, so that’s why I’m here,” he smiles.
“I just want to continue developing as much as I can and see where the future takes me.”
A round of questions with Adam Maksymiuk of Frogmoon Cafe…
Favourite type of coffee?
A large latte with oat milk.
If you were a drink, what would you be and why?
I’d be any kind of smoothie or fruit drink – they’re full of life!
Best coffee and biscuit combination?
The same favourite type of coffee I with a triple berry mixed cranachan that we serve here.
Most unusual drink you’ve ever tried?
Hmm, I’m sorry I have no idea!
Any secret tips of the cafe trade?
You must like to serve people. If you don’t, don’t go into hospitality.
Best food and drink pairing?
I eat a lot of salad style dishes being vegan, so this alongside any drink works for me.
If you were stuck on a desert island, what three drinks would be there with you?
Water, orange juice and coconut milk – I’m sure the latter wouldn’t be hard to find on an island.
You have to serve your favourite superhero or celebrity a coffee. Who is it and what do you serve them?
I don’t know if he’d count as a celebrity, but I’d serve John Richardson one of our coffees. He wrote a book about opening coffee shops and I fell in love with it as soon as I read it.
Find the Frogmoon Cafe on Instagram.
Address: 152 Gallowgate, Aberdeen AB25 1DT.
Conversation