Laurențiu PÂSLARU de vorbă cu Cornel

Laurențiu PÂSLARU - an authentic story of courage, reinvention and passion. In the heart of one of the most vibrant markets in Belgium, at "Doi Boi" (Abattoir in Anderlecht), where you can find everything from fruit and clothes to antiques, something essential was missing until recently: a really good coffee. Laurențiu and his wife, Liliana, quickly identified this niche and turned it into a successful opportunity. But Laurențiu Pâslaru is not just a coffee seller. He is a storyteller, a genuine entrepreneur and a man who lived a life that few can imagine. At just 16 years old, in the midst of the communist regime, he swam across the Danube and set off on foot towards the West. He was caught, beaten, but he did not stop. He tried again and succeeded. He arrived in Belgium, the country he calls "home" today. Since then, he has always been in search: he created products, launched businesses, worked in sales, in hospitals, invented organic detergents and honey-based products. But, above all, he has remained connected to people. His stand is not just a place to drink coffee. It is a meeting place. A small hub of the Romanian community in Brussels, where people exchange ideas, opportunities and stories. Where coffee becomes a pretext for human connection. This is not just a story about entrepreneurship. It is a lesson about perseverance, about the ability to start over and about the joy of building something authentic, even in a market that already seems full. Laurențiu Pâslaru shows us that opportunities do not disappear, they are just waiting to be discovered. And sometimes… they smell like freshly roasted coffee. #romanidevorbacucornel © Cornel Radu Loghin 2026