Samir Benouar of Milka Coffee on balancing his growing business with growing family.
Season 14, Episode 9 • The Free Coffee Tour 2025.
Editor’s note: Prefer the audio only or want to watch the podcast on Spotify? Click here! Or on Apple Podcasts.
Guest: Samir Benouar, Milka Coffee
Based: Sacramento, CA
Online: www.milkacoffee.com • @milkacoffee
The original interview:
The Coffee People Podcast took off in early June on our first-ever* Free Coffee Tour. We visited coffee shops and roasters along a meandering route from San Diego to Portland, OR, as we traveled to Coffeefest. At each stop, we recorded an episode of Coffee People and (tried) to buy people a cup of coffee. Thank you for watching and enjoying good coffee. Don't forget to tip your baristas!
Has the internet replaced IRL social groups? Discuss.
Just kidding. I know that it has. Sitting in the original Milka cafe, a historic home with plenty of emotional warmth to go around, I’m reminded that in the brief moments between screen-time, the local coffee shop can be that.
I’m on the road and missing the familiar faces from my home shop even if I don’t know their names or stories. Thankfully, it doesn’t take long at a new shop like Milka to feel that bit of connection that makes me think…maybe this isn’t a simulation!
The Founder of Milka Coffee, Samir Benouar, is a repeat guest on the Coffee People podcast. He didn’t disappoint. We had already covered his coffee origin story in the first virtual sit-down, so for our IRL meeting, we were able to focus more on current coffee events, managing a growing business and growing family, and how the current economy is impacting his business. Plus, I got a history lesson on Samir’s lineage as they’ve grown along with the Sacramento community.
NOTES FROM THE SHOW
- The relationship between barista and regular creates a comfortable familiarity that uplifts a community. The cafe becomes a hub or a social connecting point for so many people.
- I’m nicer than I let on…
- There is always the pressure to grow. The reality is that growth in one area of life skews the other. When Samir had a child, he had to confront some conflicting emotions that came with supporting both aspects of his life.
- If you’ve been making money just by putting up a shingle. This economic time is going to be rough.
- Robots are not coming for the baristas jobs. I think human interaction is a key component to the coffee shop experience. I went to the Bot Bar. At first it was weird. The robot barista waved at me as I rode up on my bike, and beckoned me inside.
As I looked at the menu, a voice said, “Let me know if I can help you with anything.”
It was not an enthusiastic, robotic voice. It was an employee sitting on the floor behind the robot barista. “I was wondering if there would be any humans working here,” I replied.
“The robot needs a babysitter. Sometimes the arms get stuck,” they said.
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Named after our great grandmother Milka Radonich (a former Sacramento small business owner) Milka Coffee Roasters is all about family, friends and the cities we live and play in. For our flagship coffee shop founder and Coffee Roaster Samir Benouar drew inspiration from his years spent reading, writing and working behind espresso machines in New York, San Francisco and his hometown Sacramento. When you chat with Samir or enjoy one of our creations it's clear that our dedication to coffee reaches beyond roasting to the settings and ways in which coffee is made and enjoyed.
• milkacoffee.com
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Shout out to our Presenting Sponsor Roastar, Inc.
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COLLABORATION COFFEES!
We meet cool people. We collab on great coffees. FYI: we’re not generally allowed to touch the roasting machines. The experts do that! Current Collabs:
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• Marea Coffee (Solana Beach, CA)* NEW!
Our new daily driver. Brew up a cup for your next dawn patrol. Works swell in the mountains or at the coast!
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