Listen up: Matt Cowie isn’t just a barista—he’s a curator of connections, a storyteller with a coffee cup, and the brains behind Glasgow’s most unapologetic coffee experiment: Amulet. This isn’t your average café. It’s a marriage of floral artistry, precision brewing, and unfiltered human interaction. Cowie, who co-owns Amulet with his wife Isobelle, isn’t here to sell you a latte. He’s here to make you feel seen.
Cowie’s journey with coffee began in chaos. As a kid, he despised the instant sludge his mom brewed daily, but a cappuccino drenched in chocolate became his gateway drug. His path to barista wasn’t linear—it was a spiral of odd jobs, library shifts, and a passion for latte art. After a break from coffee, he returned to the grind, landing at Common Ground in Dumbarton, where he honed his craft. Fast-forward to today, and he’s a force in the UK coffee scene: emcee at Coffee Masters, wholesale leader at Dark Arts Coffee, and owner of a space that feels less like a café and more like a gathering place for the weirdly wonderful.
Amulet is his manifesto. Here, coffee isn’t just poured—it’s performed. The shop’s central island is a stage for conversation, where strangers are paired up and forced to chat. “You’ll leave with new friends,” Cowie jokes. It’s a deliberate rebellion against the anonymity of modern life. The coffee? It’s the vehicle, not the destination. “We don’t do signature drinks,” he says. “We do single-origin clarity and bold, bright espressos.” The result? A space where the coffee is secondary to the connection it fosters.
But Cowie’s mission isn’t just about community. He’s a vocal advocate for transparency in pricing and labor, railing against the myth that specialty coffee is overpriced. “Your coffee should cost more,” he insists. “It’s not about profit—it’s about paying farmers fairly.” His frustration with industry misconceptions fuels his work, from advocating for coffee’s colonial past to pushing for minimalistic, creative setups in cafes.
Amulet’s design forces interaction, turning customers into collaborators.
Key Points: Cowie’s success stems from prioritizing human connection over metrics. Amulet’s design forces interaction, turning customers into collaborators. He champions transparency in pricing, arguing that specialty coffee’s cost reflects its ethical and labor complexities.
What if your favorite café could make you laugh, challenge your assumptions, and leave you with a better sense of belonging? Share your story—how does your coffee spot shape your world?
Questions & Answers
What inspired Matt Cowie to start Amulet?
Matt Cowie founded Amulet to create a space for quality coffee and community. He wanted to blend great beans with a welcoming atmosphere in Glasgow.
What makes Amulet’s coffee unique?
Amulet uses ethically sourced beans and small-batch roasting. Their focus on sustainability and customer experience sets them apart in Glasgow’s coffee scene.
Information sourced from industry reports and news outlets.
