Nata Cafe - Riga, Latvia

The Launchbox Podcast with Anjelli

Join Anjelli in this uplifting conversation with Ivars Rutkovskis – founder of Nata Cafe in Riga, Latvia. Nata Cafe is a small vegan cafe and a food brand located in Riga's city center in the same building as a dance school and it is loved by kids and their parents who come to eat before or after the dance classes. Get to know the Ivars and Nata Cafe’s story from professional bartenders career, lifestyle changes after switching to veganism and quitting alcohol, to creating a vegan cafe and turning it into a food brand that provides meat and fish substitutes which taste surprises vegans, non-vegans and professional chefs alike.

Check out Nata Cafe here – https://natacafe.lv/

0:31 Introduction to Nata Cafe and Ivars background

3:20 On perception about veganism in Riga, Latvia and cafe’s growth

5:55 Who are Nata Cafe’s customers?

7:20 How many vegan restaurants are in Riga?

8:13 Who creates the food menu?

9:42 Ivars move to Ibiza and switch to veganism

11:38 How long did it take to fully switch to veganism? And the importance of educating people about it

13:08 On Ivars passion to share his knowledge with people

14:37 Changes in health after switching to veganism

15:28 On Nata Cafe’s customer reaction to their food

17:03 On Ivars catering business

18:50 Ivars family and friends reaction to his lifestyle changes

20:16 Food in Nata Cafe and the idea to start a food brand and its products

24:45 Chia caviar and creativity with a team

26:06 Soyshlyk as meat alternative and how people react to it

32:41 Current challenges in times of energy crisis and plans for the future

36:30 On plans to expand Nata products to the world and criticism to other food brands in supermarkets

40:21 What keeps you going?