Meet Youra Ghazalian of Urartu Coffee in Glendale

Today we’d like to introduce you to Youra Ghazalian.

Youra, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My story started when I was barely standing above the counter at the age of 12. My parents, Urik and Lora, brought me to the café and I was ecstatic because I was able to order anything off the menu for free. I remember not completely realizing what it meant to operate a café, but I loved the smell of freshly baked croissants, the sound of the espresso machine hissing, and the interactions my parents had with the customers. Even as a kid, it occurred to me that everyone from different walks of life came to this magical place to sit back, be present, and enjoy a sip of their coffee. While I was not able to taste many of the drinks, I began to learn how to make the items off our menu and how to operate the café with the help of my parents. Eventually, I was able to stand behind the cash register and greet our friendly customers. I was known as the “youngest businessman in Glendale” by our community. The more I learned, the more I loved the entire coffee experience. Working at Urartu motivated me to dive deeper into the coffee world, as well as motivate me to seek an academic viewpoint for small business operations.

Growing up in an Armenian household, coffee is essential in our daily lives, so I wanted to share and introduce our culture and experience with more people. Aside from learning new business concepts in school, I started testing and experimenting more with coffee. I felt like I was in Breaking Bad (Yeah, Coffee!). Over the years, I’ve spent countless hours at Urartu innovating and introducing new products to our lovely community. The journey does not end, as I am still going to school to finish my undergraduate degree in Global Supply Chain Management. But who knows, maybe Urartu will go global one day?

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Becoming successful in anything is never smooth, but together as a team, we did not give up. My parents and I had no experience running a business. It took time and practice and we learned from our mistakes. Trial and error always came to play. I would say our biggest struggle was finding the right people to join our Urartu family. Urartu is our second home, so we look for particular individuals. Currently, we have an amazing team who have become more than just employees for us, they’re family. We work together and share new ideas for the future. It’s also incredible to see our previous employees coming back as customers.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Urartu is more than a café. I would call it a community. We often get compared to “Central Perk” from the TV show Friends and also local cafes in Europe. We do specialize in the traditional Italian coffee drinks, including our foamy and delicious cappuccino. We are also popular in our community for our unique breakfast menu, which we serve all day. Of course, Urartu being a big part of Armenia’s history, we do serve the traditional “Soorj” (Armenian Coffee). We also have coffee readings from the wonderful Ani Kalafian who was featured in a special coffee series for Serj Tankian’s coffee brand, Kavat Coffee. Owning Urartu for almost 15 years brought us closer to our customers and community. Our regulars are known as a part of our Urartu family and we welcome you all.

We do have talented individuals, including musicians, artist, lawyers, teachers, web designers, etc. who we’ve witnessed progress throughout their career and have showcased their incredible work at the cafe. We are also so proud to have the support from our lovely Glendale community and City Council. We are looking forward to the future of Urartu, which is now located on the diverse street of Artksah Paseo (also known as the art district of Glendale).

Contact Info:

• Address: 119 N. Artsakh Ave. Glendale, CA 91206
• Website: www.urartucoffee.com
• Phone: (818) 242-9666
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/urartu_coffee
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/urartu.coffee/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/urartu-coffee-glendale
• Other: https://youtu.be/LEgiWggh6wM?t=145

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