As soon as he entered the house in the center of Villa Devoto that had been converted into a cafeteria, Fernando Iglesias Muli was attentive to every detail. From the chemistry of aromas and flavor of your fresh coffee in your Chemex coffee maker, to everything getting where it should be. This includes the artwork that is displayed like a small gallery, to the location of the books available for all clients to enjoy, to the volume of music played on the record player, to the layout and condition of the furniture he designed himself.
“I made this table with my own hands alone.”proudly comments on everything he has achieved while caressing the furniture he sits on at the Öss Kaffé branch at 4200 Lincoln Avenue. He says the same about the bookcases, benches and reception of the space, all carved from wood.
Iglesias Muli comes from a family of architects – father, mother and five siblings – who managed to let his profession lead him to discover the passionate world of coffee and cafés. It all started in Norway, one of the countries where the largest amount of coffee is consumed. “I took a trip contracted by the Norwegian government to build a film set. I spent three months working and discovered the importance and quality of coffee in everything that could be traced. Everything the Scandinavians do, they do with unique mastery,” he comments on his experience in the Nordic country.
When the specialty coffee boom had not yet exploded, she was inspired by the coffee spirit of Norwegian culture, In 2017, he opened his first cafeteria in the garage of his house in Nunez, on Roosevelt Street, with an area of only 15 square metres.. As in Devoto’s new space, there was not only good coffee to enjoy, but there was also music, art, sculpture and reading. This place, which he ran himself, quickly became a unique place in the neighborhood and the starting point for a dream that continues to grow today.
“Architecture, art, reading, music and coffee are my great passions and Öss is a combination of all those passions and knowledge”Fernando sums up. He adds: “It’s the big secret why it generates so much interest: it’s made with passion.”.
Since then, inspired by architecture master Le Corbusier, Fernando has envisioned each site as an extension of his own way of living: inhabited spaces, cared for by their owners, where work and life are naturally intertwined.
In this sense, he transferred this energy to his great childhood friend, Gaston Martiniano Iudica, who together with his wife, Maria Josefina Córdoba, in charge of the pastry shop, created Öss in the Villa Devoto neighborhood following the same logic: in the basement, the cafeteria; Above, your home. “You don’t come to just any café: you come to Gaston and Josefina for coffee,” says Fernando. The vision of closeness and feeling at home, companionship, is precisely the spirit of the Norwegian word Aws, Which in Spanish means “our”.
“We have a dream of opening a store in every city in the world.”its creator aspires. There are already seven establishments bearing the Öss Kaffé name, not only in Buenos Aires, but also in Montevideo, Uruguay; Barcelona and Madrid in Spain. Soon the idea is to open it in France and Japan, as is expected, and another will open in the Palermo neighborhood.
In Barcelona, the landing was almost instantaneous: in just 15 days they found the building and opened the doors. In Madrid, on the other hand, the process took longer, nine months of searching until the right space was found.
Located in a mansion in Carrasco, the Montevideo location coexists in a space of multiple businesses, from decor, perfumes and aromatic candles to co-working. In all cases, Fernando repeats his formula: design, build and inhabit the building, optimizing the resources as much as possible. In Madrid, for example, he has a house where he lives in the same place where the building is located; The same in Barcelona, as well as in Recoleta.
“We are the only café that sells 20 liters of filter coffee per day.”Fernando Highlights. It is their way of understanding and appreciating coffee from its origin to its cup.
“Knowing where coffee comes from means knowing why it tastes the way it does,” he says. He explains that Colombia has for decades been the great global reference, but countries such as Peru or Nicaragua have gained prominence thanks to their excellent soil, climate and growing conditions. Today coffee is produced in 28 countries, and there are more than 240 varieties, each with its own identity. “The real heroes of this story are the coffee farmers: we always honor them as the first and most important link,” he concludes.
This article was originally published on October 10, 2025.