Newtown Coffee Shop and Roastery

The owners want their place to be directly related to Tripoli

A coffee mug is energy and a coffee shop is a meeting point

Bilal and Fatima Al Ali chose coffee to start a project they can deploy their energy in and can give the Tripolitan youth a new hotspot they can hang out in. The love for coffee began in Australia where the couple lived: Bilal loved roasting his own coffee beans at home and Fatima enjoyed preparing the hot beverage to stir her mind off everyday troubles of being abroad. Coffee soon became one of the most important things that brought them together.

Tripoli is the location and destination. Why not?

The idea of improving their lifestyle started with every visit to the homeland, especially in 2008, when they noticed the absence of a hip coffee shop. They got more convinced of the good chances of moving this hobby to a professional business that attracted people just like them! They noticed that what Tripoli needed exactly what they could offer, so Bilal started taking coffee preparation lessons to be able to, with Fatima, turn the dream to reality. The first step was finalizing the location, which was easy: Tripoli. Not because it was where they came from, but for the properties that allow it to stand out against other cities. Coastal and has mountains, lovely people and supportive citizens, full of talent and opportunities, and in need of something like their offering, Tripoli was in the eyes of this couple the perfect location.

From customers to family

Who doesn’t face obstacles when starting their own business? Some might look at the choice of the city and shake their heads in disagreement, noting the exhaustion of its citizens and the absence of an audience for a hip and cool coffee shop. Others might look at it the way Bilal and Fatima did: a golden opportunity lies there, and we are going to explore it. Tired about hearing demotivational sentences, and full of enthusiasm themselves, the couple went for it, and Newtown was born. In the blink of an eye, the cool coffee shop became the meeting point of many, the working station of others, the main attraction of everyone and definitely a cosy place. Most of the customers are family now, and they look after the coffee shop if Bilal had to cross the street to grab something, or they return their mugs to the dishwasher when they’re done.

Newtown loves Tripoli!

Bilal gets upset when he is asked “why Tripoli?” His ready answer is “why not? Kindness, generosity, familiarity, coexistence, resilience and strength!” When you sit with Bilal and Fatima, you really understand how attached Tripolitans are to their city, and how ready they are to revive it. Look at it live now!