Alchemist was founded in 2016, starting with our first coffee bar at International Plaza. The space was intentionally simple, built to focus on one thing and do it well: serving quality coffee.

Everything in the store was chosen with that in mind. The bar sits right at the front, so when you step inside, you're immediately facing the barista. Even though the space is small, that first interaction was important to us. The espresso machines are placed at the back of the store, which keeps the bar open and unobstructed. It also reflects a quiet confidence in how we work and helps create a more welcoming, open environment where conversation can happen naturally.

The black-and-white letter board menu was another way of keeping things straightforward and easy to understand. Stainless steel counters and simple wooden shelving were chosen for their practicality. They're durable, honest materials that made sense for a working coffee bar. Over time, these choices became part of our identity, and they're details we've continued to carry through every store since.

When we opened in 2016, third-wave coffee culture was at its peak. Cafes were opening all the time, but many were also closing just as quickly. Along the same stretch at International Plaza, there were traditional and commercial cafés from earlier waves of coffee culture. Being in that environment pushed us to think carefully about how we wanted to exist. Rather than trying to stand out through scale or spectacle, we focused on doing one thing properly.

Our aim was to take the quality that defined third-wave coffee and make it more accessible. We wanted to remove anything that felt exclusive or intimidating, and to serve good coffee in a way that felt familiar and easy to return to. From that first space, our approach became clear: keep things simple, focus on quality, and build something that could last so that people could feel comfortable coming back to every day.