Miaou Coffee, the first cat bar in Béziers, will soon open its doors

Johanna Delauzun is the founder of Miaou Coffee. After ten years in the social field, where she worked with foster children, and experience as an event project manager in Metz, where she comes from, she and her husband decided to change their lives in 2022. He found a job in Béziers and the family then settled there .
“I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to launch my own project”she confides. “I had already had the idea for a while. In Metz there was a cat bar that I went to regularly. The first time I went in I had an epiphany and I knew that ‘one day I want to make my own.’ ‘

Cat bars, a concept imported from Taiwan

The first cat bars appeared in Taiwan and Japan in the late 1990s. Neko cafes – neko, which means cat in Japanese – were born in response to the ban on many Japanese people from owning pets in their apartments. These spaces have quickly gained popularity, especially in large Japanese cities, where city dwellers find stress-relieving companions among cats and enjoy the benefits of purr therapy.

The realization of the project

As soon as she arrived in Béziers, Johanna knew what she wanted to create, but she had to acquire the necessary skills to make her project a reality. She then followed training in entrepreneurship at BGE Ouest-Hérault to structure her ideas and develop a solid business plan. “The most difficult thing was finding the premises. I definitely wanted to settle in the center of Béziers and I had many conditions to respect to ensure the well-being of my cats. For example, having an independent space so that they can rest away from people”, she says. After seven months of intense research, she finally found an ideal place in February 2024 at 1 rue duhat rouge.

“Animals bring incredible well-being”

A commitment to animal welfare and social ties Artisan cookies made in Maraussan, specialties from Lorraine, jarred salads, bagels, bubble tea, milkshakes, Johanna will offer a varied selection of biscuits and snacks. But the core of the project remains above all animal welfare and the creation of social bonds. “I envisioned Miaou Coffee as a friendly place where people, even alone, come to share, exchange and communicate with the cats, of course, and also with each other.”, specifies Johanna. While Miaou Coffee opens its doors on July 1, the five cats have already made their mark in their new home and are already beginning to seduce passers-by through the bay window. “Everyone is intrigued and keeps asking us when we’re going to open”smiles the manager.
Johanna was very sensitive to disability in the broadest sense and wanted her tearoom to be accessible to everyone. “The disabled access was also part of my conditions when I was looking for premises, I had to be able to respect the standards, although it is not an obligation in the historic center.”, she explains. Its long-term ambition: to offer animal mediation to an audience of children or adults with disabilities. “Animals bring incredible well-being and unconditional love to everyone without distinction, they have incredible therapeutic and educational power.”