Antwerp Central Station – voted the most beautiful railway station in the world in 2014 – is welcoming Leuven coffee purveyor Madmum. Starting this autumn, the Leuven-based coffee expert will be moving into the premises currently occupied by the American chain Starbucks. It will be providing tens of thousands of commuters their daily 'cup of comfort'.
Leuven coffee shop Madmum replaces Starbucks in ‘world’s most beautiful station’
Colin Clapson
Published:
Madmum – a tribute to the mother of founder Pieter Claes – only opened its first branch in Leuven in 2018. Today, the business has grown into a colossus with several bars and a city roastery in Leuven and has secured concessions in the railway stations of Leuven and Mechelen. Embracing Antwerp Central, means Madmum will now also be present in the second busiest railway station in Flanders.
‘If Leuven has the most beautiful station in Flanders, Antwerp has the most beautiful in the world. We are honoured that the NMBS railway company wants to give us a place there and has chosen a local player with a heart for specialty coffee,’ says an elated Claes. ‘Step by step, we are expanding our network of coffee bars in the cities where we feel at home. A place like this is the icing on the cake in the early history of our business and would never have been possible without the guests who daily visit our bars and enjoy our specialty coffee.’
Emphasis on local
This autumn, Madmum replaces American coffee chain Starbucks, which set up shop in the iconic station hall in 2010. Unlike its predecessor, Madmum will take a more local approach, thanks to a structural partnership with the Antwerp baker’s Aldo. The interior will also be more in keeping with the heritage-listed station. ‘In this way, we want to give the city's most beautiful building back to its residents,’ the company says. ‘The hand-rolled cinnamon rolls are made less than a five-minute bike ride from the concession in Antwerp Central Station, so they are fresher than fresh. Just like our coffee, which is prepared by our trained baristas.’
Madmum's concession starts on 1 September. After the necessary renovation work, rail passengers should be able to enjoy a ‘cup of comfort’ from the beginning of October. Whether Madmum will also open bars in other railway stations remains to be seen, Claes says. ‘The most important thing is that we can continue to guarantee the quality of the product and our hospitality,’ he says. ‘But we will keep on looking for fresh opportunities, and if the right one comes along, we will seize it!’