A coffee moment with Merel

Hi Merel, we are so happy to have you here! Can you tell us a bit about yourself? Where did you grow up and where do you currently reside?

My name is Merel, and I was born in Amsterdam, but I grew up in a small village near Enkhuizen and Hoorn. When I was 18, I moved back to Amsterdam and haven’t left since.

What does your average morning routine look like?

It depends, but most of the time, I go for a super early workout before work. After my workout, I head straight to the office and get my morning matcha along with a protein shake :).

What was the inspiration behind the name Yoisho?

Yoisho is a Japanese word without a direct meaning. It’s an expression people use after a long day of work—when they take time for themselves. We felt that the name fit our brand and vision perfectly.

Were you always a big matcha fan, or did you discover it later in life?

I started drinking matcha quite young, when I was around 16 or 17 years old. A few years ago, I noticed that coffee gave me a lot of anxiety and affected me too much. I stopped drinking coffee for a while and switched to matcha, which gave me a calmer, more sustained energy instead of the jitters I usually got from coffee.

What’s the biggest misconception people have about matcha?

That it tastes like grass—it doesn’t. Low-quality matcha (made from older leaves of the plant) tastes more bitter and lacks the fresh, umami flavor of high-quality matcha. I believe that if you think matcha tastes like grass, you just haven’t had a good one yet!

Have your ideas about success or entrepreneurship changed since starting this journey?

They did! When we first started Habs & Louis (our first company) 4 years ago, I believed that success was defined by a certain amount of money. Now, I see that the process of growing a company and building something meaningful is far more valuable than money alone. I’ve also realized that I really love the startup phase of building a company—I enjoy it so much that I’ll probably do it over and over again (with new companies).

And our favorite question here at the club, how do you take your coffee? (Or Matcha!)

Iced matcha with coconut milk! Or a cloud matcha with coconut water and a fluffy matcha with coconut milk/cream <3