TRANSLATION | Eugenia Yang

如何評斷一杯拿鐵的好壞？打開蓋子，觀察細緻拉花與發亮奶泡，第一口的綿密、第二口的甘醇、第三口的意猶未盡，色香味俱全的享受，為睡眼惺忪的早晨注入一股鮮活能量。「對我而言，咖啡是生命必需品，已經是生活中的一部分了。」淺笑裡流露一絲溫柔，亦如咖啡賦予人的和煦意象，瀰漫陣陣烘豆芬芳，cama 何炳霖董事長輕聲訴說起 THINK FRESH 所蘊藏的核心精神。

貫通廣告思維

自小望著父母親做生意的辛勤背影，讓何炳霖許下成為專業經理人的志願，歷經廣告業二十年洗禮，2006 年與妻子許建珠共同創業，以外帶、外送的新鮮烘焙咖啡，造就了 cama 的創立起源。「我原本以為沒有受到父母的影響，後來才覺得有，當初之所以不喜歡開店最主要的原因，源自小時候我感覺是沒有價值的。」爾後親自走過荊棘之路，不僅化解兒時對於全年無休的困惑，汲取父母過往經驗，更使他清楚明瞭優化之重要性，從輪班制度、教育訓練、管理法則等，再再體現了何炳霖力求卓越的細膩心，也悄然映照於 cama 主視覺的由來，「咖啡是溫暖人心的，黃色是暖色系，拿鐵也比較接近黃色，我們希望黃色的鮮明活力能代表整個企業的 image。」恰如其分地貫通廣告思路，將五感行銷與 Big idea 運用於 cama 之上，步步紮實的企業核心正見證了百家門市的成長，「我常常覺得創新的思維是可以事半功倍。」他如此笑答。

放大咖啡風味

談起二號旗艦店「CAMA COFFEE ROASTERS 豆留文青」的發展由來，何炳霖笑答旗艦店象徵著渴望已久的心之所向——將咖啡風味放大。其命名由來也蘊含深意，「我們把旗艦店的名字取作『豆留』，好豆子留在這邊讓它有不同的品嚐，也代表著希望你停留在這裡多一些時光來體驗。」別於陽明山的豆留森林，座落松山文創園區的豆留文青多了份鬧中取靜的寫意，循著精品咖啡香氣，修心感受大隱隱於市之趣。而提及最鍾愛的咖啡風味，何炳霖透露目前最喜歡的仍是「藍山咖啡」，不僅甜度、酸度、厚度均達平衡，回甘滋味也相當美妙，同時更推薦了衣索比亞與瓜地馬拉的咖啡豆，「烘焙有一個過程叫梅納反應，咖啡顏色從黃綠色到黑色之中會釋放出糖分，瓜地馬拉的咖啡豆可以充分體現出這種甜度，衣索比亞的咖啡則是比較豐富奔放，帶有原本的各種風味。」更笑說有時回店面買黑咖啡，望著剩下最後幾口的餘韻，心裡總會不禁發出「啊，好捨不得！」的惋惜聲。

曾益其所不能

歷經創業艱辛時刻，之於優良企業家的定義，何炳霖謙虛表示自己不太夠格分享，「第一是負責任的心，第二具備廣大胸懷，第三回饋社會，第四不怕困難。」近期更深受實境音樂影集《Take One：終極一曲》啟發，「裡面有一句我很喜歡『最優秀的人，才會享受苦難。』，對這句話特別有感。」亦如孟子所言：故天將降大任於是人也，必先苦其心志，勞其筋骨，歷經百般跌撞與千番挑戰，方能動心忍性，曾益其所不能。為了通透自我思想，何炳霖進修了不少課程，將圓桌觀念套用於前陣子發生的摔車意外，不斷反覆推敲最初搶快的念頭，使他逐漸學習放下自我競爭，更坦言比先前的脊椎事故愈加刻骨銘心，「變得比較柔和，用多角度去看事情，珍惜現在有的一切。」對於來日展望，何炳霖表示將以東南亞作為擴展計畫，並同步開發各具特色的旗艦店，期盼以一杯在手的新鮮，打動所有咖啡愛好者，輕柔語調裡盡是堅定。

How does one judge the quality of a latte? By opening the lid and observing the delicate latte art and the glistening foam. The first sip should be creamy, the second should be sweet and the third, perpetual. An indulgence of flavor and aroma, it breathes fresh energy into our lazy mornings. “To me, coffee is a necessity, a part of my life that cannot be cut out,” says chairman of cama, Benny Ho. With a gentle smile, just like the warm imagery of coffee, he begins to share with us the core spirit of THINK FRESH and the story behind it. 

Through the Lens of Advertising 

Growing up watching his parents doing business, Ho made a wish to become a professional manager. After working in the advertisement industry for 20 years, he started his own company with his wife in 2006. With a focus on delivering freshly roasted coffee, the concept of cama was born. “At first I didn’t think I was influenced by my parents but I was wrong. The reason I don’t want to open up a physical store is because I didn’t see the value in it when I was little.” After going through a challenging journey, not only did Ho find the explanation to his confusion about long working hours as a kid, but he also understood the importance of optimization. From organizing shifts, educational training to proper management, every detail becomes a reflection of his strive for greatness and echoes with the inspiration behind cama’s main visual. “Drinking coffee warms the heart. The color yellow is warm-toned, while the color of a latte is also close to yellow. We want the brightness and energy of yellow to represent the image of the enterprise.” Through the lens of advertising and utilizing sensory marketing and the Big Idea, the growth of cama’s location is a testament to the company’s core. Smiling, Ho says, “I often feel that innovative thinking can achieve twice the result with half the effort.” 

Enhancing the Flavor of Coffee

When asked about the concept behind the second flagship of CAMA COFFEE ROASTERS, Ho smiles and says it is symbolic of his longtime wish—to enhance the flavor of coffee. “The Chinese name of it means ‘to stay.’ We want to keep the good beans here to create different flavors and the time for people to experience them.” Different from the Yangmingshan location, the flagship at Songshan Cultural and Creative Park comes with a relaxed ambiance amidst the chaos of the city. Radiating with the scent of boutique coffee, the atmosphere invites people to calm their mind and soul. Of all the coffee flavors, Ho still finds his favorite to be Jamaican Blue Mountain, which not only comes with a balance of sweetness, acidity and thickness, but also with a wonderful aftertaste. He also recommends beans from Ethiopia and Guatemala. “A big part of the roasting process is the Maillard reaction. It is when the color of the coffee goes from yellowish green to black and sugar is released. While Guatemala beans perfectly showcase the sweetness, Ethiopian coffee is rich with flavors and layers that preserve the original taste.” Ho even says that sometimes when he orders black coffee from the store, he can’t help but feel a sense of sadness as he looks at the last few sips left in the cup.

Taking on the Impossible 

Even having undergone the challenging hardships of entrepreneurship, Ho still humbly says he is not qualified enough to share what it takes to become an outstanding entrepreneur. “I would say first you have to have responsibility. Second, an open mind. Third, the willingness to give back to society. And lastly, the courage to take on challenges.” He had recently just finished Take 1, a South Korean music docuseries reality show, and was inspired by a line said in the show—“only the most outstanding people enjoy challenges.” Just like what Mencius once said, only when there are things a man will not do is he capable of doing great things. To really put this mindset into action, Ho began taking various lessons and gradually recognized the importance of finding the origin of a sequence of events, which is usually your initial thought. Applying the concept to the cycling accident that happened a while ago, Ho reflected upon his motive behind trying to beat others by speeding and learned to let go of his competitive mindset. “It was a very memorable transformation. I became a softer person who knows how to look at things from different perspectives, who is grateful for everything he has at the moment.” In terms of future plans, Ho says besides expanding locations to Southeast Asian countries, he also wants to open up more flagship stores featuring different characteristics. Determined, he aspires to impress all coffee lovers with a cup of coffee, which is imbued with freshness, novelty and absolute passion.