A family-run matcha cafe which became a viral sensation is set to open a new location in Covent Garden later this month.
Frothee, run by father-daughter duo Hanife and Ram Hursit, opened in King’s Cross one year ago and has amassed a large following online.
That has translated into an in-person community over the past 12 months, with demand leading to the Hursit’s opening their new London location.
Frothee founder Hanife said: “I still can’t believe that I’ve got a second location in Covent Garden of all places.
“I think it’s just testament to the fact that if you really want to do something, you can.
“Imposter syndrome gets me constantly, but we’ve done it somehow with a lot of hard work and a wonderful community around us.”
After Frothee’s major success during its first year at King’s Cross, the new location will be making the viral drinks even more accessible to Londoners.
The Covent Garden cafe will be a takeaway location, offering sleek interiors and exclusive special drinks.
Hanife said: “We’ve had people from all across the globe, who’ve seen us online, who’ve wanted to come and try our matcha.
“I find it so crazy and I’m so, so thankful for it too.
“I feel very proud when I hear a lot of our customers say that we’ve got such a lovely community/
“We’ve definitely got a cult following, which is so nice.”
Hanife praised the impact of her father Ram, with the pair becoming business partners when they opened the cafe one year ago.
She said: “We’ve got an amazing work dynamic, I think it would be hard to run a business with anyone else.
“He’s been so supportive of everything I’ve wanted to do and never once in our working relationship has he made me feel in any way like we’ve got hierarchy,
“He’s just the best parent I could have ever asked for, to be honest and he’s a really, really wonderful business partner.
“My dad grew up working with my grandad so he’s had that work relationship with the dad before, and for him to be able to pass that on to me and for me to have that with him has been a very, very special experience for us.”
The Hursits wanted to continue targeting locations in central London, and Covent Garden felt like the perfect fit for a second location.
However, behind the cafe’s success over the past year has been a lot of hard work.
Hanife said: “It’s been such a special year, it’s been the craziest year of my life, the fastest year of my life.
“I feel like I’ve grown a lot as a person. As a businesswoman, I’ve learned so many things.
“I think people see the ‘cafe owner dream’ online and think it’s a very perfect, whimsical, cute lifestyle and it’s the complete opposite.
“It’s a lot of hard work, long hours, long days, wearing a lot of hats, juggling a 1000000 different things at once.
“I see everything through a completely new lens now, which is absolutely great and I feel like helping mature and grow as a person.”
According to Square Up, the market for matcha in the UK has continued to grow, with London selling 1,224,816 matcha beverages between June and July of 2025.
The second Frothee cafe location is opening at 29 Bedfordbury in Covent Garden later this month.
Feature image: Frothee
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