Root Cafe: 12 Years of Growing Slowly, With Love for Coffee and People

Long before it became a daily ritual for so many in Yala, Root Cafe began with a simple wish: Sai wanted to build something of her own.

While studying for a master's degree in business administration, she met people who were opening coffee shops of their own. Watching them made the idea of her own brand feel possible. Not every step was mapped out, but she was ready to begin, with her parents offering encouragement and part of the starting capital. Root Cafe opened in Yala roughly 12 years ago.

Her family helped her start. Keeping the cafe going was something she would have to learn on her own.

Learning coffee through the people who drink it

As Sai remembers it, Yala had far fewer independent cafes back then. Root Cafe had a generous space at the back, with a garden, a fountain and a fish pond — the kind of setting that invited guests to sit down and stay a while.

At first she served a wide range of drinks, knowing that not everyone who walked in wanted the same thing. Some came for coffee; others chose chocolate or something else entirely. But as her coffee found its audience, she began putting more of herself into refining its flavour.

Tasting and experimenting on her own was the starting point. Experience then taught her that the coffee she loved was not necessarily the cup every customer would enjoy. Making a good drink meant understanding flavour — and listening to the person drinking it.

Conversations across the counter

Those conversations at the counter gradually became the heart of the job. Some customers were unused to acidity in coffee, so Sai would explain it patiently and invite them to try something different. Over time, many discovered what they liked, and began choosing medium or dark roasts with confidence.

Watching customers find their own taste is one of her quiet pleasures. Every cup she recommends is a chance for both the maker and the drinker to learn something.

From recommendation to understanding

The more she talked with customers, the more Sai found her own way of looking after them. She likens it to omakase, where a guest trusts the maker to choose what suits them best.

At Root Cafe, it all starts informally: a chat, a question about preferred flavours, then a coffee to try. The feedback after each cup helps her understand that person better, and shapes what she suggests next time.

With regulars, there is no need to start from scratch. She remembers who likes what, and has a good sense of which coffee might be a welcome new experience for them. For Sai, much of the charm of running a cafe lies in these small moments: sharing what she cares about, and seeing someone find a flavour they want to come back for.

Changing to keep going

When Covid-19 disrupted dine-in trade, Sai had to change the way she worked. Delivery became the channel that kept her drinks reaching customers at a time when sitting in a cafe was no longer the same.

After that period, Root Cafe took a different shape. The garden, fountain and fish pond did not return to use as before, and she turned her time towards developing the flavour of her drinks — above all, the coffee.

The change forced her to think about what to keep and what to adjust so the cafe could carry on. The care stayed the same; the way of working had to match new circumstances.

Over the years, Yala's coffee market has grown busier. Sai compares the competition to a pizza being cut into ever smaller slices as new cafes open. Her response has been to look after quality, keep her relationships with customers, and price fairly.

Many of her customers are working people who stop by regularly. She wants good coffee to be an everyday pleasure they can afford.

What customers give back

Along the way, customers have been a large part of what makes Sai happy in her work — especially one moment she still remembers.

She was alone at the cafe that day and feeling low. A man came in, ordered, and talked with her for a while. Before leaving, he told her that the conversation had made him feel much better.

It made her realise that even on days when she herself was troubled, she might be helping someone else feel better without knowing it.

Since then, Sai has paid closer attention to her tone, her manner and the way she welcomes people. She cannot know what each customer has been through before they arrive, but she can choose how she treats them. A smile, remembering a favourite drink, taking time to talk — small details that can mean more to the person in front of her than she might think.

Twelve years, and still learning

Today Sai still runs Root Cafe herself. Some days are tiring, but meeting people and hearing new stories keeps the work enjoyable. Many longtime customers still return, while new ones give her the chance to get to know someone else.

After roughly 12 years in business, she still sees room to improve.

Sai explains her thinking through bright spots and dark spots. Bright spots are what she does well and should protect; dark spots are the flaws that still need attention. She puts her energy into fixing what is not yet good enough, while keeping the standards customers trust.

The wish to have her own brand on day one has gained detail through experience. Today she knows the coffee she makes, the people who drink it, and the responsibility that comes with opening the doors each day. The joy of recommending a coffee a customer loves, conversations with familiar faces, and everything still left to learn are why Sai wants to keep Root Cafe going.

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Contact Root Cafe

Address: 38 Pho Huai Uthit Road, Sateng, Mueang Yala, Yala 95000

Google Maps: https://shorturl.at/tAvLu

Facebook: https://shorturl.at/Dh8gT