Interview with Anna Matveyeva, founder and owner of the coffeehouse chain Idealnaya Chashka ("Ideal Cup").

The Russia Journal: You have studied in the United States. Is this where you got the idea for Idealnaya Chashka?

Anna Matveyeva: Yes, I studied in Los Angeles for fours months. The first cafe I opened when I came back from America, however, had very little to do with coffeehouses like Starbucks! It was a small cafe – which also served alcoholic drinks – situated in the lobby of the Baltiisky Dom theater.

RJ: Did you have any prior business or management experience when you opened this cafe?

AM: No, I was actually still a student. It happened thanks to a combination of circumstances: I had an opportunity to use this space in Baltiisky Dom and to take a loan, and I had a good idea. The sum I borrowed was actually very small, just enough to buy a few tables and chairs, and a coffeemaker.

RJ: The 10th Idealnaya Chashka cafe in St. Petersburg will open in May. How many more cafes are you planning to set up in the city?

AM: We will have 15 by the end of this year and hopefully 25 by the end of next year.

RJ: Are you thinking of opening coffeehouses outside St. Petersburg?

AM: Yes, we are planning to have our first Idealnaya Chashka in Moscow toward the end of 2002. For the moment we are limiting ourselves to St. Petersburg and Moscow, where the market is more developed than in the regions.

RJ: Idealnaya Chashka, created in 1998, was one of the first cafes in St. Petersburg to offer a range of coffees and a concern for design and service. Why did it take so long for such places to appear?

AM: Until 1995, the governmental management style still prevailed on the market. It took three more years for a certain cafe culture to arise in St. Petersburg. People also started looking at what was happening abroad and came back to Russia with fresh ideas.

RJ: Do you import any products or equipment?

AM: I import the coffee and the equipment for the bar. For all the rest, we have agreements with local suppliers. From the beginning of July, however, we will start producing our own cakes and pastries.

RJ: As a young company, do you manage to be profitable yet?

AM: Considering the first coffeehouse was opened in 1998, we are still in the stage of taking out and reimbursing credits. Gradually, we are also hoping to attract more investors.

RJ: Are you satisfied with the evolution of Idealnaya Chashka?

AM: On the one hand I am, and on the other not at all: I find some things very dissatisfying. For a director, I think this is normal. If you are always satisfied, you will never improve anything.

RJ: Do you have any other ambitions, dreams?

AM: I think my biggest dream is to bring change around me, and this is why I opened my first cafe. My aim was to create a space where people could spend time in a pleasant environment, not in some bar with a glass of vodka. I want people to get out of their kitchens, to meet, to communicate. We have too much of a kitchen culture in Russia.