Situated in the heart of Annecy, Haven Coffee and Kitchen brings a slice of Australian coffee culture to the French Alps. Inspired by a year-long adventure down under, the founder Alexandre Schmitt sought to recreate the warmth, precision, and vibrant atmosphere that defines Australia’s renowned coffee scene.
With over 15 years in hospitality, the founder’s experience in Australia was transformative, leading to the creation of Haven—a place where the relaxed, welcoming vibe of Aussie coffee shops meets the picturesque charm of Annecy. From the perfectly crafted espresso to the thoughtfully designed spaces, Haven is more than just a café; it’s a tribute to the best of Australian coffee culture, offering an authentic, unforgettable experience for every visitor.
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Can you share with us what inspired your time in Australia and how it influenced your decision to open Haven in Annecy?
After more than 15 years In Hospitality, I wanted to have a break in my career, and I’ve always wanted to discover this crazy country (Australia). As I was fluent in English, I thought it was easy to find a waiter job and discover the Aussie lifestyle. Back after a year in Australia, I wanted to share my Australian experience back in Europe, so I tried to open an Australian coffee shop. Annecy is one of the best places to live in France, so I tried to start this crazy project, and now it’s been 5 years since we opened! With many foreigners and a good coffee culture, we were sure this restaurant would find its place in Annecy food scene.
What specific aspects of Australian coffee culture did you want to bring back to Haven, and how have you incorporated them into your cafe?
The coffee culture in this country is probably one of the best in the world. It’s very organized, with rules that are respected all around the country. The balance between milk and coffee, the proper way to to extract an espresso, and the whole idea is finally to respect the customer’s expectations. You can find sometimes about 10 different kinds of milk in a coffeeshop so that everyone can get what he prefers. At Haven, we try to keep that in mind, be as precise as we can, and the most important thing is to exchange with the customers to understand what could be the best for them! It’s all about consistency and customer service.
How did the Australian coffee shop experience shape your vision for Haven? Are there any particular practices or design elements that you adopted directly from your time there?
The coffee shops in Straya are always located close to amenities and always with a coffee machine! It has to be organized and cleaned to serve the best possible coffee or drink. To serve an Aussie coffee you need the right setup, with a good barista to respect the customer’s expectations. The machine and the beans are important, but human is everything !!
Australia is known for its high coffee standards. How do you ensure that Haven meets those same standards in terms of coffee quality and preparation?
During the trip, I’ve been to Melbourne, and in one of the craziest coffeeshop (Industry beans) I met the best coffee machine, a Modbar! It’s an under-the-counter coffee machine, that is only built on order with pieces from la marzocco in Italy. And it allows the customers to see the barista working, to understand and see all the steps just to make a coffee! This Modbar, with some of the best grinders, a grind by weight from mahlkoenig, and a brand new EK Omnia allow us to get the best consistency. But these coffees can’t be served without humans, and the main thing in Haven is our Team. We have 5 baristas dedicated to keeping our standard as high as possible. And with this machine it’s easy to keep an eye on every extraction, to be sure it’s in the range we wanna serve.
Can you describe some of the unique design features in Haven that are inspired by Australian culture?
Haven has been created with different spaces and atmospheres. You can sit on a table surrounded by the red dirt in the wall, or on a surf table in a beach house. This room is perfect for groups of 8 people because they have their own space, where they can feel like being on Melbourne’s famous beach houses. You can be served under a plant-based ceiling, where all the plants are Australian natives, like eucalyptus and banksia. Every detail is made to have a whole experience with ideas I picked up all around Australia during this trip.
The choice of materials seems very intentional. How did your experiences in Australia influence your selection of wood, metal, and vegetation for Haven?
All the coffee shops in this country have their own stories, I wanted to share the most popular and the best ideas. Haven is a tribute to this coffee culture. The atmosphere is always important, and you feel at home surrounded by wild materials. Real plants, wild wood, everything has been chosen the allow everyone to feel this warm feeling you have in Aussie coffeeshops. We have been working with lots of local workers in Annecy, to create tables, counter, boots, the beach house with this whole idea of just feeling good….
How does the layout of Haven reflect the ambiance of Australian coffee shops? What are the key elements that you wanted to replicate?
In Australia, it’s always friendly and easygoing. You are. Welcome by a smiling face, and you can choose a homemade pastry from a display. You can just take a coffee, or eat a proper meal. Whatever you want, no one is judging, you can share, and you can ask for a veggie or gluten-free meal, people always find a solution, and they are always helpful. The Team at Haven is trained in this idea, being helpful, listening to the customers, and trying to find the best possible solution, so that they can have the best possible moment.
You’ve created distinct spaces within Haven, including a beach hut area. How did Australian beach culture influence this part of the design?
Surfing in Australia is a lifestyle. People wake up early to go to the beach, and after that, they go to coffeshops to get strength for the rest of the day. We are very proud of this space, and people are always happy to sit in this area, with the surfboard table.
Can you tell us more about the custom furniture and plant choices at Haven? How do they contribute to creating an authentic Australian atmosphere?
In Australia, you still have wildlife and nature we no longer have in Europe. It was really important for us to have real plants. Flowers and plants are different, they are part of this culture and it’s so cool to be able to get these featured in the scenery. We are very thankful to our local florist!
What are some challenges you faced when trying to integrate Australian design elements into a cafe in Annecy? How did you overcome them?
First of all, we hired a designer team (Eskis), we had so many ideas, we needed someone to get these together, and to coordinate the works and design. The whole counter has been designed around the coffee machine. From the designers, they said it was one of the hardest to create! This kind of machine needs many pipes and stuff… We wanted to do more but we are in a protected area of a middle age city. The front of the restaurant hasn’t been approved, and we had to show them 9 different ideas before they accepted our vision… We are very happy to be in such a lovely city, but you have to respect lots of rules. The good thing is that from the outside, we look like a café. But once you get in, you are surrounded by another atmosphere and all our customers love this unexpected design.
How do you hope customers feel when they enter Haven? What kind of experience are you aiming to create by drawing from Australian influences?
Haven has been created to share a whole experience. I want every customer to forget about his normal life, as soon as they enter. It’s a human experience, where people have to feel recognized, respected, and where they can feel at home. When they sit in our café, I want them to be able to ask whatever they want, I want them to feel as good as if they were welcome in Australia! This country was crazy for customer service, and the whole design has to be made in this idea. Create a place where we will be proud to serve customers!
Finally, what do you miss most about Australian coffee culture, and how do you keep that spirit alive at Haven every day?
The coffee culture is part of their lifestyle, like surfing, doing barbecues, chilling at the beach and sharing beer with friends. With Haven, we have the feeling of this atmosphere. For the people whose have been living, or travelling there, it’s like getting back to this lifestyle. Thanks to this, I still feel surrounded by these good vibes day after day! In Europe, we sometimes focus too much on bad news. In Australia, you live for the current day, and they are much more positive in everyday life, never judging each other. At Haven, we are happy to share good moments with the Team and the customers. I am not missing this coffee culture because in Annecy we have a very nice one. We try to share this idea of coffee, we have just opened a coffee school in Annecy. Sharing is part of this lifestyle, we are now proud to share this coffee culture, and we hope this makes people happy!
