Meet Katharina Brun, an always smiling and spreading positive energy coffee and… floristry professional based in the timeless city of Vienna. Katharina co-owns the European Coffee Trip awarded GOTA Coffee Experts and an artisan flower shop Miraflores.
At GOTA, Katharina takes pride in her role as the front-of-house host, ensuring every guest feels welcomed and cared for. Beyond the café, her talents extend to the creative work at the flower shop that exudes seasonal creativity and thoughtful design. Together, these ventures reflect her belief in the “sublime beauty” of both coffee and flowers.
For Katie, coffee is more than a beverage; it’s a shared experience. She channels this passion into hosting public cuppings and competing in championships. She won the Austrian AeroPress Championship but as she says herself: “It is not about taking a trophy home but about fostering our beautiful community connections”.
Katie, what is your first memory with coffee?
My first lasting memory of coffee was visiting a coffee farm in Peru. It was a small farm run by the owner and his family, no big cooperative or big-name specialty producer. It was very humble and at the same time inspiring to witness the connection of the people with their land and crops.
What inspired you to pursue a career in the coffee industry, and how did you get started? What did you do before coffee?
I did my degree in teaching and started travelling the world for 5 years. Australia, New Zealand, USA and Peru. I worked on cruise ships and got fascinated by the customer service they offered. Therefore I wanted to start my own business in hospitality.
Tell us a bit about your places. What are your roles there?
Together with my brother Markus, I run GOTA Coffee Experts and Miraflores, a flower shop. As owners, we must do all the jobs while ensuring the places run well and keep everyone fed.
My role at GOTA in particular is front of house – as host it is my job to welcome our guests, make sure they are well looked after and know all the delicious things we have to offer. Seat allocation is another thing I am in charge of as our place gets very full, especially on weekends.
At the flower shop, I am doing our seasonal flower concepts and the creative side of the operation. Since we also sell coffee and equipment at the same shop, I like to share my passion and experience with our customers as well.
What inspired you to combine the café culture with the beauty of a flower shop?
Coffee and flowers have many things in common, the most important being sublime beauty when prepared in the right way. It is the effort you put into both things that creates a memorable result. Also coffee and flowers vibe together as they attract similar people in search of input to brighten up their everyday lives.
What kind of experience do you want your customers to have when they visit you at both GOTA and Miraflores?
I want to share with them the beauty of the fleeting moment that is in both coffee and flowers. As with all things that are transitory, they shine brightest at their peak. It is my great joy to share these peaks with our customers.
How has your business perspective evolved since starting GOTA and Miraflores?
In order to make coffee and flowers a business, customer satisfaction and owner satisfaction have to go hand in hand. Which means it is necessary to look closely at costs and prices so the business stays viable. As personnel costs are the biggest chunk, in order to prosper one has to fine tune the precious resource of co-workers and lend a hand most of the time.
What do you consider to be your biggest accomplishment in managing both ventures?
To function daily without fault, to export our passion by exhibiting at global coffee fairs and getting recognition for that – we have been voted European Coffee Trip’s best coffeeshop in Austria recently.
What is your favourite part of the day, and why?
Mornings, entering the coffee shop, short talks with the team, enjoying a cortado and having the first conversation with our customers.
How do you stay motivated and inspired to keep improving your coffee-making skills?
I like to try new coffees everywhere I go and through GOTA’s many public cuppings I get a pretty wide overview of the coffee market. Practising for competitions also keeps me inspired and hungry for that next juicy cup.
What are the current trends in cafes in your region?
Trends are always fleeting and fickle. We had co-fermentations for some time now but in my opinion we are back to beautiful, simple and clean washed coffees now.
How did it feel to compete on WAC?
Competing in the World AeroPress Championship was an incredible experience—like nothing I’ve ever done before. It was this amazing mix of nerves, excitement, and pure joy. Representing my country on a global stage was such an honor, but honestly, it was the energy of the event that made it unforgettable.
The atmosphere was electric, with coffee lovers from all over the world coming together to celebrate what we love. It’s not just about the competition; it’s about the people you meet, the stories you share, and the creativity you see in every round.
Of course, there were moments of pressure—trying to hit that perfect brew in such a short time while knowing your cup is being judged can be nerve-wracking! But the spirit of the AeroPress Championship is so playful and fun that it’s impossible not to enjoy every second.
Whether you walk away with a trophy or not, the experience is about pushing yourself, connecting with others, and celebrating coffee in its simplest, most beautiful form.
What is in your opinion the most important thing to have in mind when you start to compete in coffee championships?
Personally I feel it is very important to remember you are first and foremost competing against yourself. Meaning it is in your hands, how you perform and present and thus how good you are.
The spirit of coffee competitions is not confrontation and beating people, it is creating something amazing and being very exact about it and doing it in the safe space of our wonderful global coffee community. Only after eliminating all my own errors and hiccups and doing a perfect show, I can think about other competitors.
What are some common misconceptions about our industry that you’ve encountered, and how do you address them?
Many people think we coffee roasters and coffee people are at origin all the time, tasting and buying coffees there. We invite people to public cuppings and show them how coffee is tasted and bought in real life.
What coffee challenges are you looking forward to? Any new projects, exciting plans or collaborations?
I am looking forward to the next World of Coffee trade show in Geneva and also our 2025 AeroPress Championships in Austria. And of course to our next cupping at GOTA!
Quick Fire Questions for Katharina Brun:
Would you serve filter coffee with milk if asked for it?
Never.
Do you ever take sugar with your coffee?
Nope.
Espresso or Filter coffee?
Filter coffee.
Milky or Black?
Black.
Do you aim for Sweetness, Acidity, or Body?
Acidity & Body.
Slurp or Spit?
Slurp.
Cake or Pastry with your coffee?
Cake.
Hobby besides coffee?
Flowers.
Favourite piece of barista equipment?
AeroPress.
What’s your favourite city to have a specialty coffee tour outside of “your city”, why?
We really enjoyed the coffeeshop hopping in Lisbon, walking around and sharing AeroPress vibes.
