The America Dream

Hawaiian Aroma Caffe is an international sensation with four shops in Waikiki’s major hotels, over 28,000 followers on Instagram, listings in major Japanese tourist guidebooks, appearances on Netflix shows and Japanese reality TV shows, and mentions in Forbes and USA Today.

The family-owned business started in 2012, and by 2016, Hawaiian Aroma Caffe had become a hit franchise supporting Hawai‘i’s organic farmers and nonprofits, such as Access Surf. For owners Jonathan Rotmensch and his wife Mor, it was the American dream come true.

Prior to moving to Hawai‘i in 2007, Jonathan was a fashion designer in Israel. He had been successful with his avant-garde street niche clothing brand in his hometown of Tel Aviv, and it had sparked his desire to grow internationally. He hoped to expand to the Japanese market, the inspiration behind his clothing, and this dream seemed possible with a business offer from his childhood friend Gabriel. Owning a successful t-shirt printing company in Honolulu, Gabriel suggested that Hawai‘i would be a great launching point for Jonathan, since the Japanese market was captivated by anything branded “Hawai‘i.” When Jonathan and Mor, his then girlfriend, moved to Waikiki in the summer of ‘07, they were shocked at how different business was from Israel. While Jonathan was happily surprised by the kindness and humble way of living in the islands, his dream of growing internationally was crushed when he noticed how out of place his designs were among Hawai‘i’s high-end corporate labels and beachy lifestyle.

Seeking a new path and refusing to give up the dream of an international business, Jonathan and Mor found work from other Israelis at the Ala Moana Center’s retail kiosks, and they put their military-taught discipline of focused hard work, long hours, and conservative spending to use. Anyone who knew them could recount their daily routine of waking up at 5:00 am; a breakfast spread of eggs, fruit, and root vegetable salads; the sandwiches they would pack for their lunch; and the strong, black Italian style coffee they brewed before walking to work. Their years working in the malls gave them the insight into Hawai‘i’s retail market—the souvenirs, fashion, food, beverages, and particularly coffee.

By 2011, Jonathan owned seven major kiosks in Ala Moana Center. He had gone from selling for others at the kiosk, to earning partial partnership of the kiosks, to owning eleven of his own kiosks across the United States with products such as artisan soaps, nail art, wind chimes, and even light up t-shirts; but, Jonathan noticed something. “The coffee here didn’t taste good alone,” he states, as he recalls his first few months on Oahu. “If you have good coffee, you don’t need so much sugar and flavors added in. It tastes smooth and doesn’t make you go to the restroom right after.”

Then, in 2011, a major tsunami hit Japan. The Ala Moana Center set up a kiosk to raise funds for and help support those affected, but few paid attention to it. Jonathan recalled his experiences with coffee on O‘ahu, the past studies he had read on its health benefits, and the power of real estate location for businesses in Hawai‘i, and he saw the struggling kiosk as an opportunity. He suggested a high-quality coffee bar to the Ala Moana Center management. After months of negotiating and three weeks of traveling through Italy’s coffee farms, Jonathan and Mor came back with a bean, met with local organic farmers, tested their cultivation, and experimented with roasting techniques. “We taste tested 8-15 espresso shots a day and were drinking soda water in between just to handle it all until we got it right,” Jonathan says, explaining the difference he was searching for. “Most people are not educated in coffee. If they started their coffee experience with conventional coffee, they are used to beans that are heavily treated with chemicals like synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides. We did not want to compromise the coffee quality we knew was possible. We insisted on finding the right partners to grow our non-GMO, pesticide-free, and shade-grown beans high in the mountains with low-acidity levels, which means it’s easy on the stomach compared to conventional coffee.”

Indeed, that quality made a difference and soon, Jonathan and Mor’s outdoor coffee bar was a hit. Jonathan’s artistic flair brought soul to the coffee shop, logo, and branding, and it caught the attention of the Ilikai Hotel. The hotel had a failing coffee bar and needed a trendy replacement that evoked aloha. Adhering to the wants of a more local branding, Aroma Caffe became the Hawaiian Aroma Caffe, and they changed up the fancier, European-style menu to meet the demands of healthier appetites by including local, organic ingredients and new menu items. Their açaí bowls, specialty waffles, and amazing coffee received raving reviews from locals and Japanese tourists alike. Soon enough, their coffee, unique menu, locally sourced ingredients, inviting atmosphere, good service, and personality brought them the opportunity for further expansion to the Waikiki Beachcomber, Ohana East, and T-Galleria.

The secret, Jonathan spills, is that “People really want to be cared about. So, listen to what people are wanting, treat your employees like they are on your team, and value their opinions.” Putting that into practice, he gives credit to his district manager, a Hawai‘i-raised local boy, for his connections in the community and direction on the cocktail menu. He praises his lead barista and sister-in-law, Barby, who is famous for her latte art and fun personality, and he says that his greatest ideas come from his dishwasher. He credits his wife Mor, now mother to their two daughters, as his biggest teammate and support. “She always believed in me, even when I didn’t even believe in myself.” He also acknowledges that his time in the Israeli Defense Force taught him that nothing comes easy in life and that one must always think of the actions they can take now. However, his biggest credit to his company’s success is Hawai‘i’s Aloha Spirit. “There’s nowhere on earth like Hawai‘i where people can just really be themselves and have fun. Here there is respect and equality. There is no color or race—not like other places. Here we are just human,” the softness in his voice breaks. “This concept of giving back, nurturing, and nature—it changed my wife and I forever.”

With the quarantine extended, hotels remain closed and therefore, Hawaiian Aroma Caffe locations remain closed as well. In preparing for an eventual reopen, Jonathan has invested in thermal cameras that screen temperatures and vocalize to incoming customers the rules of wearing a mask. He has also started renovations at his Beachcomber location to adhere to the six-foot social distancing requirements between table seatings, and he has set up sanitizing stations at each location. While Jonathan, Mor, and the Hawaiian Aroma Caffe staff eagerly await to reopen, you can help support them by purchasing their incredible locally-grown coffee, as well as brand merchandise, on their website, Amazon, or Etsy.