• News
  • Business
  • Donate
  • Features
    • Opinions
    • Arts & Style
    • Video
    • Photos
    • Interviews
    • Audio
  • About Us
  • New Americans Business Magazine
  • Contact
  • News
  • Business
  • Donate
  • Features
    • Opinions
    • Arts & Style
    • Video
    • Photos
    • Interviews
    • Audio
  • About Us
  • New Americans Business Magazine
  • Contact
Popular
Recent
Comments
Tags
  • U. S. 2020 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program opens Wednesday, Oct, 3

    October 1, 2018

    Feyi Tolani: An Advocate-In-Nursing

    November 1, 2018

    America’s Immigration Debate: The “Danger of Telling a Single Story.”

    February 13, 2017
  • Shaping Safer Schools: Inside Ohio’s 2025 School S ...

    June 14, 2025

    City of Columbus Remembers Founder of Tommy’ ...

    June 13, 2025

    NAPOC Salutes President Bola Tinubu for Conferring ...

    June 12, 2025
  • Good job, sir!

    January 12, 2021

    I'm call Haji I live the dadaab comp I am a refuge ...

    October 12, 2020

    Narayan vai, you spoke the truth about the importa ...

    September 6, 2020
  • Zora's House Zoning Code Zimbabwe Youths Youth of the Year Youth Foundation Youth Development of Columbus Youngstown Younger Ohioans Young At Art You Don’t Know Yoruba Club 21 Yoga International Day Yoga Day Yoga and Marathon X Gender Passport Wuyue Dance Worthington Christian School World Refugee Day World Radio Day World Mental Health Day World Hygiene Day World Hijab Day World Food Day World Cup 2022
  • Shaping Safer Schools: Inside Ohio’s 2025 School S ...

  • City of Columbus Remembers Founder of Tommy’ ...

  • NAPOC Salutes President Bola Tinubu for Conferring ...

  • Franklin County Trades Academy Opens For In-Demand ...

  • 411 Participate In Columbus BAPS Charities Walk-Ru ...

  • First Commissioned Art Excites Brandon Boggs

  • African United Foundation Offers Hope for Children ...

  • Liberians In Columbus, Inc. Partners Mid-Ohio Food ...

  • Senator Michele Reynolds – A Bridge Builder

  • Email From Obama: I’m Not Ready For Photo Op!

  • Senator Michele Reynolds – A Bridge Builder

  • Liberians In Columbus, Inc. Partners Mid-Ohio Food ...

  • African United Foundation Offers Hope for Children ...

  • First Commissioned Art Excites Brandon Boggs

  • 411 Participate In Columbus BAPS Charities Walk-Ru ...

  • Franklin County Trades Academy Opens For In-Demand ...

  • NAPOC Salutes President Bola Tinubu for Conferring ...

  • City of Columbus Remembers Founder of Tommy’ ...

  • Shaping Safer Schools: Inside Ohio’s 2025 School S ...

  • Email From Obama: I’m Not Ready For Photo Op!

Previous Next

Micael Habte: Inspired by recession

Posted by: New Americans Magazine , April 2, 2018

* 2 Coffee Shops

* 15 Employees

Born in 1983 of Eritrean parents in Sudan and brought to the United States of

 America as a toddler in January 1984, Micael Habte “rocked” between two boundaries of the home and school. He learned from parents who helped him to understand the culture and tradition of his root and at the same time in the school, embracing and assimilating the American life. Now owner of Upper Cup Coffee Company, with two outlets in Columbus, Ohio, employing 15 workers, Micael spoke with Deba Uwadiae of New Americans magazine on the compelling situation that brought up the entrepreneurship spirit out of him.

The parents had escaped the war at home in the fight for independence of Eritrea. They first sought refuge in Sudan and eventually moved to the United States, Columbus, Ohio specifically because some people from the mother’s village were already settled in the city.

Micael attended Hubbard Elementary School and Eastmoor Middle School. He also attended Walnut Ridge High School. His college education was at the Wright State University and he later transferred to the Ohio State University where I graduated in 2008 with a degree in Economics.

The 2008 world recession became an obstacle for him getting a job and it dawned on him that drastic measures needed to be taken to survive the recession.

According to him, “After graduation there was recession, job market plummeted and I had to start a research on what to do.”

Micael remembered his roommate in College that the family had about 10 coffee shops.

“While in College I learned about coffee and I worked in one of the shops for a while,” he told New Americans.

“I decided to go in that direction and open a coffee shop.”

Though Micael Habte started as a roaster, roasting coffee beans, selling and distributing to stores and coffee shops in 2010 after leasing a warehouse, his visit to a coffee farm in Costa Rica and an encounter with a coffee dealer changed the direction of his business.

“His story really motivated me in setting up a coffee shop. I told myself I was going to get a better idea of the customers and better control of the quality of the coffee if I do it myself,” he said.

Micael signed the lease of his first coffee shop, the Upper Cup Coffee Company at Pearson Avenue, Columbus in August 2011. He added the second shop in Gahanna, Ohio in May 2017.

On the diversity of his clientele base, Micael said that, “from inception, I said this Coffee shop is the community shop. By community, I don’t mean the Eritrean community or Ethiopian community or the black community or the white community. This is for everyone; whoever is living in the community this is their shop.”

“I said I am going to keep it organic and make it a community shop and fortunately that is what it has become,” he added.

Like everything in the beginning business was “very tough. I was working 7days a week and at least 10 to 12 hours a day. We have loyal customers and clientele base and we have good products. It really helped”.

“We try to keep different coffee based on the season. We basically keep one Ethiopian, one Brazilian, and we change the other ones like the Ugandan that replaced the Burundian which replaced the Panamanian. We try to change our coffee monthly.”

With 15 employees in the two coffee shops, Micael said, “I try to hire good friendly people. I can teach the coffee aspect of the business but I can’t teach the personality side.”

“The hardest thing about entrepreneurship is being accountable for your time. Aspiring entrepreneurs need to understand that the fact that you are an entrepreneur doesn’t mean you will work less. It means actually the opposite,” he advised.

Post Views: 2,879

Tags: Micael Habte

Share!
Tweet

New Americans Magazine

About the author

Deba Uwadiae is an international journalist, author, global analyst, consultant, publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the New Americans Magazine Group, Columbus, Ohio. He is a member of the Ohio Legislative Correspondents Association, OCLA.

Related Posts

A journalist for new Americans: Nigerian American finds role with Columbus immigrants

By Peter Gill, Columbus Dispatch Newspaper Deba Uwadiae, the editor and publisher of The N ...

Community Health Centers attend to all regardless of status – Dr. Buhari Mohammed, CEO HOFHC

After excelling in highly revered subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, in A Levels at ...

Ghanaian-American Princess Kuevor shares her journey of being a gun owner

By Okon Ekpenyong A Columbus, Ohio resident and Ghanaian American Princess Kuevor, a gun owner, ...

Amy Harcar focuses lens on White Hall City Councilmember At-Large in 2023 Elections

After graduating from college, Amy M Harcar desired to do something to give back to the communi ...

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Popular
Recent
Comments
  • U. S. 2020 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program opens Wednesday, Oct, 3

    October 1, 2018

    Feyi Tolani: An Advocate-In-Nursing

    November 1, 2018

    America’s Immigration Debate: The “Danger of Telling a Single Story.”

    February 13, 2017
  • Shaping Safer Schools: Inside Ohio’s 2025 School S ...

    June 14, 2025

    City of Columbus Remembers Founder of Tommy’ ...

    June 13, 2025

    NAPOC Salutes President Bola Tinubu for Conferring ...

    June 12, 2025
  • Good job, sir!

    January 12, 2021

    I'm call Haji I live the dadaab comp I am a refuge ...

    October 12, 2020

    Narayan vai, you spoke the truth about the importa ...

    September 6, 2020

Archives

  • June 2025
  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016

Contact Form


1+1=


American international journalist and author of "The Immigrant on Columbus Way: A True Life Guide To Settling Down As A New Immigrant To America "

Current/Past Issues

  • DailyNews
  • Hotels
  • Hotwire
  • Merchantic
  • Reference
  • Thesaurus
  • Urbanspoon

All used images are licensed by The New Americans Magazine.

Copyright © 2024 The New Americans Magazine | Layout and design by LiQiD inc