story
founders/owners/entrepreneurs/baristas
the creative boy
Kick van Doorn (1994) was born and raised in Amsterdam. Next to YUSU he is busy running his own Branding & Communication agency called Skandl. Kick has worked in the event industry for a while, organizing a number of club nights and art events. He studied Sociology at the University of Amsterdam and started working as a barista in the coffee industry at a young age. He has worked at Two For Joy, Coffee Roasters (where he met Nicole), Back to Black Coffee, The Meets & Charley's, among others. The ambition to set up their own coffee shop has always been there and YUSU is the beginning of that dream.
the business lady
Nicole Lieuw (1995) was born in Amsterdam. She studied International Business & Languages. Thanks to this study, Nicole has learned a thing or three about finance, which always comes in handy when running a business. She has been working as a barista in the coffee industry for almost 10 years now, making her a true coffee vet. Fun fact - besides Two For Joy Coffee Roasters, Frederix Coffee Roasters, Westcord Fashion Hotel, she also worked as an Airbnb host for two years. The opening of YUSU also offers Nicole the chance to take her passion for baking to the next step (and she’s killing it, as you might have tasted already).
team/family/crew/employees/friends
shawn
Favorite drink: Cappuccino with oat
You probably already met him. This is Shawn our upcoming killer barista. He followed a barista course at YUSU before starting here and now he is already practicing his latte art game!
Shawn is currently working on his master thesis Urban Studies and is a king in playing tennis. His music taste? Hiphop! You can make him happy with some bangers of J Cole & Kendrick Lamar.
When you enter YUSU give him some love and order your favourite drink!
Fun Fact: He studied Sociology together with Kick.
jelle
Favorite drink: Cappuccino and cortado with oat
You might have seen this giant mans already! This sweet, cool & handsome dude is called: Jelle, and is a 100% barista. Jelle is part of the team since last summer, but it actually feels way longer. He is not only a lovely employee he is also YUSU family now!
Jelle lives in the north side of Amsterdam and worked a couple of years at PLLEK (thats were he learned himsef how to make coffee). Besides making coffees he also likes to skateboard at Skatepark Noord and parry at Skatecafe. So… he is a real ‘noordeling’!Last but not least this mans is a top model! He is signed at multiple agencies in Amsterdam and beyond. He already got many photoshoots planned, but if you need a TOPMODEL.. holla!
mike
Favorite drink: cortado, flat white & iced matcha sproud
This is Mike! I think the most of you know him already, because he is working a lot behind the bar. Mike is not only super sweet, social & spontanious, but also full of energy. He is always in for a laugh, a good conversation & cooking dinner together with friends.
Mike grew up in a little town in the Northern part of The Netherlands. He knows a lot about flowers, plants & other elements (dogs) from nature. Follow him on Instagram - and you will see him constantly biking trough nature - thats why we call him ‘mikey mountainbikey’.Unfortunately he will stop working with us.. June is his last month at YUSU. Eventhough we are really going to miss him (Mike is going to travel and will live in Barcelona for a couple of months), we support his journey!
Fun Fact: Mike & Kick know each other from working at Back to Black together.
dimitri
Favorite drink: Cappuccino
Here we have one of our newest baristas: Dimi! This funny mans is always in a good mood while working behind the bar. If you need someone to talk to or just someone to have a laugh with Dimi got you. He is humble, interested & a quick learner!
Besides working at YUSU he also has a good eye for photography & film. He recently graduated from Grafisch Lyceum Rotterdam and already shot multiple videoclips for different kinds of Dutch artists. If you ever need advise or need a man to film your dope as project.. holla!At the moment Dimi is getting barista training by Nicole. He is almost able to make your perfect cappuccino, but he is a quick learner so be ready everyone!
Fun Fact: Dimi is born in Lisse a town thats a little bit more southwards. He moved to Amsterdam, because he was a little bored…
"Our team/family consists of the nicest people of Amsterdam. Super sweet, pure & cool. They all have their own particular skills and experiences. If you would like to keep informed about our team members click here."
values/missions/visions/brand
coffee
YUSU sells and serves various coffees. The beans are imported, selected and roasted in collaboration with Back to Black Coffee. Back to Black has been active in roasting its own coffee since 2005 and tries to achieve this in the most sustainable way possible.
The green bean importers are carefully selected. The importers encourage farmers in various ways to work more sustainable, for example by offering higher prices for higher quality produced coffee, or by advising them on location about growing, processing and storing coffee.
snacks
All the delicacies are prepared in-house at YUSU. Have you already seen photos of our cute little baking house? No? Ask our staff to show it, because you really need to see it! Co-founder Nicole has a huge passion for baking and developed the recipes for the cakes together with Kick. The savory snacks were created with the help of Millie (Nicole's mother) and Vania (Kick's mother-in-law), so if you feel like snacking at Yusu, try the traditional Surinamese pastry or the Brazilian cheese ball. If you would like to order a full loaf, pie or bag of matcha cookies - shoot us a message or order in the store.
diversity
It is very important to the YUSU team that everyone feels welcome and at home. All layers of society should be able to come and drink a cup of coffee. We try, in our own way, to contribute to a more progressive society, in which everyone is equal and no one is discriminated against.
YUSU comes from seryusu, the Surinamese word for serious. YUSU does not only refer to seriously good coffee, but also makes a link to the urban subculture. YUSU is widely used in Dutch Hip-hop music and in slang.
creativity
YUSU wants to provide a platform to artists and creative organizations through various types of collaborations, such as ceramics, clothing, and other lifestyle treasures. The art you see hanging in our space is alternated every few months, giving you the chance to discover a new visual artist from Amsterdam and the surrounding area.
The interior of YUSU was designed and realized by the owners themselves, with the help of Kick’s father-in-law. So, as you can tell, we are a family-business with a passion for creativity, through and through.
We collaborated with Milou Broersen (ceramics), The New Originals (t-shirts), Permanent Clothing (t-shirts, bag & socks) Frenz (website design), Lukas Korschan (photography art), Skandl Amsterdam (dj shows) & many more to come...