A coffee with Cecile
Welcome to the journal, we’re so excited to have you here! To begin, who is Cecile?
My name is Cecile, I’m 27 years old and live in Amsterdam with my dog, Layla. People would describe me as very creative, a little chaotic, but always someone who sees the positive side of things.
Where did you grow up and where do you reside now?
I grew up in Haarlem, a town close to Amsterdam. When I was 18, I moved to Amsterdam and I never left, haha.
How does your location inspire your work?
Although Amsterdam isn’t that big compared to other capital cities, when it comes to trends, it’s very modern and fast-paced. There’s always something new to explore, a new matcha place, a new store, or a new restaurant. And they’re all very trendy, so it’s super easy to get inspired by everything.
How do you juggle managing two brands?
It can be hard sometimes, especially since I’m also in the middle of renovating my home, so it feels like I have three companies now, haha. What helps me is kickboxing. I have a coach and train with him three times a week. What also helps is having a good team that I can trust. I’m always trying to delegate as much as possible so I have more headspace to think strategically and plan our next moves.
How did you identify your target audience for Habs & Louis?
We’re the middleman, connecting brands and audiences, so our target audience is shaped by the needs of our brand clients. I’d say it’s a combination of Gen Z and millennials, urban people who like to follow trends and are active on social media.
Have you always been a big matcha fan, or did you discover it later in life?
Merel (my business partner) introduced it to me, she used to make matchas for me at the office where we met, and that’s how I started drinking it :)
How do you plan on stirring things up in the future?
I’m not sure, we’re growing really fast, which makes it hard to plan too far ahead. My dream would be to have a family one day, but for now, the companies are my family, and I love building on that. Maybe in 10 years, I’ll have a little farm with some animals and kids running around.
And our favorite question here at the club: how do you take your coffee (or matcha!)?
A mango matcha with a splash of vanilla ;)
