Bara Box

Bara Box is a bakery located at Pretorialaan 6A in Rotterdam. The shop is situated in the Afrikaanderwijk, within the Feijenoord area. According to public information, the shop on Pretorialaan opened on Saturday, July 6, 2024. The business is linked to Anoesjka Imambaks, who is publicly named as the founder and operator. Family members also play a role in the business, specifically her daughters, parents, and stepmother.

The concept centers around traditional Surinamese baras. In the communication surrounding Bara Box, family, sharing, and connection are key. In doing so, the business positions itself not just as a bakery, but as a community hub with a social function. This neighborhood role is reflected in several public descriptions of the company.

The foundation of Bara Box lies in the Surinamese bara. This is the flagship product the bakery leads with. The business describes its baras as vegan and halal. Publicly available information regarding the preparation mentions that the baras are made from dough and then fried. Further explanations focus primarily on the origin, ingredients, and cultural significance of the product.

In addition to plain baras, filled variants have been mentioned publicly. These include options such as curry chicken, tempeh, salted cod (bakkeljauw), and Nutella. Chutney is also mentioned as part of the preparation or presentation. Since the available information does not provide a full menu, the description is limited to the products that have been publicly documented.

For coffee lovers, the partnership with SOCOCO is particularly relevant. Bara Box mentions that it serves coffee from SOCOCO, also known as Sococo Coffee. Additionally, it has been reported that an espresso machine is located on the counter. It is also noted that Sococo beans are used in the grinder, indicating that espresso serves as the documented basis for their coffee service.

Specific coffee drinks have not been publicly recorded in the available research. Manual brewing methods, such as filter coffee or other forms of slow coffee, are also undocumented. Consequently, it cannot be determined exactly which coffee preparations the business offers. However, it is clear that coffee is part of the offering alongside the Surinamese bakery products.

SOCOCO states that it works directly with coffee farmers, specifically mentioning farmers from Guatemala and Uganda. However, it is not publicly recorded which specific beans are used at Bara Box. Therefore, the link between SOCOCO’s general approach and the concrete coffees served in the bakery cannot be further detailed.

Bara Box also offers Surinamese bara workshops. The description of these workshops consists of three parts: participants make bara dough, learn about the ingredients and background, and then fry the baras. This shifts the activity from sales to knowledge sharing centered around a product from Surinamese food culture.

According to public information, the bakery can also be used for events and meetings. Additionally, the concept is linked to “Bara Talks” — interviews with people whose stories are intended to inspire and motivate. In February 2026, a group from Burgerberaad op Zuid visited the location during a work-related neighborhood visit.

Bara Box is also described as a place with social impact. The bakery is listed on GoedInkopen010 and the Rotterdam Impact Map as a social-impact supplier. In these listings, the neighborhood function is explicitly mentioned. The company states its desire to stimulate social cohesion in the area, which aligns with the broader emphasis on meeting and connection found in public descriptions.

Furthermore, Bara Box is mentioned as a learning-workplace for SOCOCO. SOCOCO supports individuals who are distanced from the labor market. The available information does not clarify how this learning-work function is organized daily at Bara Box, but it is established that this partnership is part of the company’s public profile.

The opening of the shop received attention in Rotterdam media in July 2024. Uitagenda Rotterdam published an article on July 5, 2024, about the start of the bakery on the Pretorialaan. OPEN Rotterdam wrote in 2024 about Anoesjka Imambaks and her family’s involvement with the business in the Afrikaanderwijk.

In March 2025, De Havenloods featured a profile of Anoesjka Imambaks, naming her “Rotterdammer of the Week”. Additionally, the Bara Box website mentions press coverage from De Havenloods, Open Rotterdam, In de buurt Rotterdam, and an article titled “Who helps Rotterdam get to work?”. Public award listings have not been documented.

Bara Box is primarily documented as a Surinamese bakery. However, the establishment is also relevant to the local coffee sector due to its mentioned collaboration with SOCOCO. Available data shows a blend of bakery, espresso offerings, family business, and social function. To get a complete picture of their coffee program, public information regarding specific drinks, brewing methods, and beans used is still missing.