New specialty coffee shop opens in Trogir

by croatiaweek
July 13, 2023
in News

(Photos: CHI Specialty Coffee)

We are currently witnessing the growing popularity of specialty coffee worldwide, including here in Croatia. With an increasing number of excellent specialty coffee shops, the specialty coffee scene in Croatia is expanding.

One of those new on the scene is CHI (pronounced “chee”) coffee; CHI coffee started modestly, with a small coffee stand on the waterfront, aiming to bring the world of specialty coffee to the small Croatian town of Trogir.

However, from the beginning, their vision was to expand, roast their own coffee, be in touch with suppliers and growers, and do everything locally.

Thus, CHI 2.0 was born. This year, they opened a specialty coffee shop in the labyrinth of the old town, at Budislavićeva 3a, surrounded by stone, plants, and the intoxicating aroma of freshly roasted coffee.

Trogir gets impressive new specialty coffee shop

(Photo: CHI Specialty Coffee)

“This summer, we have our specialty coffee. We source fresh green beans from farms in South America and Africa, as well as limited micro-batch beans in small quantities from exotic parts of the world, which we will offer as a special selection for true specialty coffee enthusiasts. We locally roast and serve our coffee in handmade artisan cups. From bean to cup, every step is carefully designed with love,” owners Zoya and Josip tell us.

(Photo: CHI Specialty Coffee)

The menu at CHI 2.0 features Cold Brew, Nitro Cold Brew, alternatives like Japanese matcha latte and organic cocoa drink, iced beverages such as ice coffee, iced tea, and pour-over coffee using V60 and Aeropress methods.

(Photo: CHI Specialty Coffee)

“We will also have coffee-based smoothies and freshly squeezed juices for extra refreshment. Additionally, during the evenings, we offer various coffee-based cocktails and local craft beer. Accompanying the drinks, we will have some homemade cakes or pastries,” they say, before adding.

“When small hands come together, everything is possible. This was definitely a community project in which we had support and help from outstanding people and friends. From 3LHD architect Tatjana Grozdanić Begović, who turned a small space into a pleasant oasis inspired by minimalism and the beauty of old stone and nature, to young designer Jakov Habjan, who acted as a superhero in all challenging situations and saved the day. Martina Franić from Pepel created beautiful coffee cups for us (which will also be available for purchase in our shop), and we received support from pioneers of specialty coffee, teams and friends from 4coffee Soul Food, Kava Family, and Cogito Coffee Roasters, along with many other friends who lent us a hand, made a call, or spread the word.

(Photo: CHI Specialty Coffee)

We are truly grateful to everyone who was part of creating this project, and that’s why we want to maintain that community vibe in our shop. We plan to have occasional coffee tastings, where we can try interesting and rare coffees from around the world, as well as workshops, occasional live guitar performances, and much more.”

(Photo: CHI Specialty Coffee)

Zoya and Josip’s goal is to bring specialty coffee to a top-notch global level without compromise, educate, and offer the local community a complete experience of enjoying this fascinating daily beverage.