Coffee heritage, since 1937
1937
Launch of Mokabon as a coffee roaster
Erminio Mazzaro moved from the Padua region to Zelzate in the 1930s. There, he met his wife Bertha Gauwe, and they moved to the Donkersteeg in Ghent, where they started a coffee roasting business. He roasted the beans in the basement, while she sold the freshly roasted coffee beans on the ground floor.
1951
The oldest coffee house in Ghent
In the 1950s, the tavern was added, and that "Salon du Café" was an immediate hit. The first Turkish and North African migrant workers also felt welcome there right away. And that word Mokabon? Shouldn't it be spelled with two k's? No, it's simply a short Italian way of saying 'good coffee'. Did you know there's also a Mokabon in Verona?
1964
Erminio Mazzaro develops his own espresso machine
Erminio soon noticed that Belgians drank their coffee differently than Italians. He decided to design his own coffee machine that would serve coffee to the taste of his Belgian clientele. In Italy, he set up a small coffee machine company, which he moved to Destelbergen around the mid-1960s.
1991
Tom Duran: Passion for the profession and an eye for detail
When Erminio reached retirement age, his children would normally have continued the business in the Donkersteeg. But they too felt the pull of migration and moved to the United States. Mokabon came into the hands of new owner Tom Duran.
Tom elevated the coffee business to a higher level with his expertise and professional knowledge. For example, he freshly roasted his coffee blends every week using the slow-roast method. Premium coffee beans carefully selected, roasted, and inspected, that was his motto.
2023
Generation change
Grace and Quentin took over the business from Christine and Tom at the beginning of 2023. Grace is Christine's daughter and practically grew up above the Mokabon. She has therefore been very involved in the business that her mother took over with Tom Duran in 1991. It is therefore obvious that she is the new face of the business. Quentin, meanwhile, is perfecting his skills as a coffee roaster under Tom's watchful eye.
Branded with over 80 years of expertise.
In a rapidly changing world where many are in need of a sanctuary, a place that doesn't change, and where ten people with laptops don't suddenly appear to work... there is Mokabon: a safe haven, a rare haven where time seems to stand still. Without Wi-Fi and sleek decor. Step inside and you immediately get a piece of history. And stories, because what you hear here, you hear nowhere else.
What makes the coffee house unique is that there are absolutely no social boundaries: a chic, perfectly coiffed lady from the Latem bourgeoisie sits comfortably next to a scruffy painter, or a well-known Fleming chats with the postman. This friendly, relaxed atmosphere is a legacy from the past and is enhanced by the fact that there are only ten tables. Anyone who comes in and doesn't see a free table joins a noble stranger, which almost always leads to a pleasant conversation.
In a rapidly changing world where many are in need of a sanctuary, a place that doesn't change, and where ten people with laptops don't suddenly appear to work... there is Mokabon: a safe haven, a rare haven where time seems to stand still. Without Wi-Fi and sleek decor. Step inside and you immediately get a piece of history. And stories, because what you hear here, you hear nowhere else.
What makes the coffee house unique is that there are absolutely no social boundaries: a chic, perfectly coiffed lady from the Latem bourgeoisie sits comfortably next to a scruffy painter, or a well-known Fleming chats with the postman. This friendly, relaxed atmosphere is a legacy from the past and is enhanced by the fact that there are only ten tables. Anyone who comes in and doesn't see a free table joins a noble stranger, which almost always leads to a pleasant conversation.
Donkersteeg 35, Ghent
"The small, cozy coffee house in the alley has been the place for people from all walks of life to stop by daily for a comforting cup and freshly roasted beans for decades."
Opening hours coffee house & shop
9:30-17:30
9:30 AM – 5:30 PM
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
9:30 AM-5:30 PM
10:00-18:00
