1951

The oldest coffee house in Ghent

In the 1950s, the taproom was also added, and that "Salon du Café" was an instant hit. The first Turkish and North African labor migrants also immediately felt welcome here. And that word mokabon? Shouldn't that be done with two k's? No, it's just a short Italian way of saying 'good coffee'. Did you know that there is also a Mokabon in Verona?

1964

Erminio Mazzaro develops his own espresso machine

Erminio soon noticed that the Belgians drank their coffee differently than the Italians. He conceived the plan to design a coffee machine himself, which would serve coffee according to the taste of his Belgian clientele. In Italy he set up a small coffee machine company, which he transferred to Destelbergen around the mid-1960s.

1991

Tom Duran: Passion for the profession and an eye for detail

When Erminio reached retirement age, the children would normally continue the business in the Donkersteeg. But they also felt the pull of migrating and moved to the United States. Mokabon came into the hands of new owner Tom Duran.

Tom took the coffee shop to a higher level with his expertise and knowledge. For example, he roasted his coffee blends fresh every week using the slow-roast method. Premium coffee beans carefully selected, roasted and inspected, that was his motto.

2023

Generational change

Grace and Quentin took over the business from Christine and Tom in early 2023. Grace is Christine's daughter and grew up above the Mokabon, so to speak. She played a lot 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. In the meantime, Quentin is perfecting himself as a coffee roaster under the watchful eye of Tom.