Brand Story

The Dream

The story of the brand began in 2009. In that year, the founder Stefanie went through the darkest emotional brokenness of her life. From that moment on, her entire world fell into deep sorrow, as if the pause button had been pressed on her life. During those painful days—when she was grieving the loss of a loved one and felt completely defeated in her sense of direction and control over her future—she had a vivid dream one night. In the dream, Stefanie saw a breathtaking scene: coffee blossoms suddenly blooming everywhere, covering the land in an instant. Looking closer, she saw countless coffee shops appearing overnight across China, accompanied by the rich and inviting aroma of coffee.

This is why Stefanie later named her company "Aroma-amor," meaning "the fragrance of love." In the same dream, she also saw the brand's future logo—an hourglass ⏳ continuously turning in a circular motion, symbolizing the unfolding and recording of time, as well as signs of things yet to come. After waking from that profound and unforgettable dream, Stefanie received a message in her heart: to bear for love, to strive for love, to fight for love, and to fight for the freedom to take charge of her own life. From that day forward, Stefanie embarked on an entrepreneurial journey in a foreign land that would last more than a decade.

Back in 2009, in a country with a 5,000-year tea culture, coffee drinking habits were still unfamiliar to most Chinese people. Stefanie started from scratch, learning everything step by step. She went on to open two physical coffee shops in Richmond, Canada, a city with a large Chinese community. Anyone who has started a business in Canada knows that every step requires hands-on effort, continuous learning, self-improvement, and the courage to face challenges alone, along with navigating cultural transitions and collisions. She willingly chose a path with no family support to rely on and no prior success stories to follow—a journey of true self-pioneering. This experience shaped her ability to handle multiple responsibilities, to endure pressure independently, and to carry a strong sense of mission and accountability at her core.

The Journey

From that dream onward, Stefanie embarked on a 12-year journey of coffee learning and running coffee shops. She once opened two physical coffee shops in Richmond, Canada, a city with a large Chinese population. She also worked and interned at various coffee brands: the bustling Starbucks in the airport, Blenz on the UBC campus, Bean Around the World in the city center, as well as other community centers and chain cafés in Oakridge Mall. During this time, she earned six specialty coffee certifications from the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) under the mentorship of SCA judge John Sander. In 2013, she successfully opened the first Italove Coffee shop at Aberdeen Square. It became known for its signature "Memory Photo Latte," which gained citywide popularity. The brand expanded in 2019 with a second location that combined in-house roasted specialty coffee, day-time café offerings, and night-time live music and drinks. It quickly became a local favorite, often requiring reservations. Italove's unique touches—like the "Love Message Book" and the "Love Tree with Heart Locks"—accumulated many cherished memories of love.

Then in 2020, the second year of the pandemic, coffee indeed exploded across China, just as Stefanie had dreamed a decade earlier—coffee culture became a national phenomenon. In late 2021, Stefanie felt the call of God and began a four-year journey of full-time theological studies. During that time, she led church missions and ministries, including at Vancouver's Coastal Church, where she served in Alpha ministries, life groups, and seminary teaching within the Mandarin-speaking department, becoming a pioneer in that space.

The Calling

Now in 2025, as she reflects on the past 16 years, Stefanie is filled with emotion. She realizes that Italove is a calling rooted in "eternal love". A journey that began with A Love That Bears and Endures，was sustained by faith and hope, endured through time， and was refined by trials—ultimately leading to the source of eternal love. She has come to clearly see that the ultimate and eternal love is God, and God is that ultimate love.

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."
— Revelation 22:13 NIV

⏳ ♾

Italove returns once again, inviting everyone in this generation to embark on a journey of seeking love, seeking light, and finding the way home for the soul. God loves the world, giving each of us a chance to encounter Him—the Creator God, the source of eternal love, and the Life. From that encounter, our lives are transformed. We come to truly know love, experience love, awaken to life, and live out a renewed existence. The God who created all things is calling each one of us. Are you ready? Come and experience this journey of love and the ultimate truth of life.

"Come and See" — Jesus

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
— John 3:16, NIV

Italove — A Shelter for Broken Hearts,
A Living Testimony of His✞ Spirit
「I wish to Meet you here」

— Stefanie Xu 徐沐歆

About the Founder

Stefanie Xu
- INFJ
- Visionary Entrepreneur
- Missionary
- His✞ Spirit's Living Testimony

Founder Story
The founder did not begin her journey with commercial success as the primary goal, but stepped into entrepreneurship grounded in a clear vision and a deep sense of purpose. Through years of practice and perseverance, she remained faithful to that original calling, allowing the brand to be refined and strengthened through real-world challenges. Along this unwavering path—one that never compromised the vision—she was gradually led into a deeper faith calling: growing from a vision-driven entrepreneur into a faith-rooted messenger who lives out belief through both business and church. She firmly believes that a brand should carry more than products—it should serve as a vessel for calling, values, and a life mission.

梦的开始

品牌故事的篇章从2009年开始。 在那一年，创始人Stefanie经历了情感上的至暗破碎，自此她的整个世界陷入了悲痛，被按下了暂停键。正在无比伤痛自己失去了挚爱，同时对自己人生方向以及掌控感极度挫败的那段日子里。有一天晚上，一个清晰的梦境向她展开。在梦里，Stefanie看到了一幅花开遍地，瞬间铺满全地的咖啡花的画面，更近一些看到的是很多咖啡店一夜之间在中国那片土地上出现，同时伴随着咖啡的芳香扑鼻，这也是为何Stefanie后来将她的公司取名Aroma-amor（爱之香氛）。同时梦里还出现了品牌的Logo，一个沙漏⏳在按着圆周轨迹不断的翻转，象征着时间的开启与记录，以及一些即将要到来的预表信息。自那个清晰又深刻的梦境醒来以后，Stefanie也接收到了一个信息：为爱背负，为爱争取，为爱而战，为自己可以掌握自己的人生去奋斗。

旅程

自此，Stefanie踏上了在异国他乡为期十几年的创业征程。在2009年那时候，一个拥有5千年茶文化的中国，还很少华人有咖啡饮用习惯和文化。Stefanie从零开始学习，在加拿大经历过创业的人都知道，每一步都要自己的亲自亲为，不断的自我打磨和学习、独自面对挑战以及文化的过渡与碰撞。她自愿选择了一条无家人理解可帮扶也无成功经验可汲取的自我开拓之路，塑造了她多重任务处理能力以及独自面对压力与担当使命与责任感的独立内核。她曾先后在机场繁忙的星巴克、UBC大学校园内的Bean Around the World、繁忙城市中心的Blenz、其他类型的社区中心以及购物中心(Oakridge Mall)的连锁咖啡品牌上班实习与学习，同期间在SCA精品咖啡学院（Specialty Coffee Association）以优异成绩考取了6张精品咖啡资质证书。（师从SCA评委John Sander）。于2012年Stefanie成功落地了italove coffee的第一家线下店（Aberdeen Square）。 第一家店曾以闻名全城的创意照片拿铁受到消费者们和主流外国媒体的欢迎，以及品牌爱心留言簿与情侣树的设计累积了很多忠实反复来到店里的客户群体。品牌于2019年扩张第二家分店，第二家店以全城首家烘焙机入店的创新理念获得了客户们的关注和喜爱，同时在另外半场开创了首家扶持本地音乐创作人的Live House互动社交清吧简餐的灯光主题以及音乐主题性铺排的沉浸式体验，在开业以后很快受到了市场广泛的欢迎，在有创意的年轻人群体中引起了热烈的反响。品牌内容整体设计与定位的创意创新过往，累积下来很多宝贵的「爱」的回忆（请见网站生命见证页面的历史记录）。与此同时，在疫情起始后的第二年，2020年开始，咖啡果然在中国那片土地上，一夜之间瞬间兴起，铺满全地，每位中国人都开始关注到了咖啡，更是那个预知梦的梦境与现实重叠在十年后的显化。2021年年底，Stefanie感应到神清晰的呼召，从此踏上了4年的神学Fulltime学习，并在期间担任教会国语宣教事工的先驱带领，在温哥华Coastal Church作为国语启发课程、教会生命成长小组以及教会Inste神学院等课程的带领。

呼召

在2026年的今天，回望过去17年的经历，品牌创始人Stefanie感慨良多。原来Italove是一个"信、望、爱"的呼召 (也解释了为何之前店内十多年当中的咖啡产品包装袋的背面，一直印的都是“信、望、爱” 神的那句经文 - 哥林多前书13：13）。原来那时候神已经在彰显他的心意。 由爱开始、由爱坚持、由爱背负、由爱历炼，最终指向"永恒的爱"。神就是她一直“信、望、爱” 所盼望的那个极致的爱。自此将"爱"彻底的看清楚。

"我是阿拉法，我是俄梅戛；我是首先的，我是末后的；我是开始，我是终结。"
— 启示录 22:13 CCB

⏳ ♾

今天Italove再次回归，邀请大家一同在这个世代踏上这条寻爱之旅、寻光之程、灵魂归家之路。神爱世人，使我们每一位都有机会与伟大的他 - 「造物主神」相遇，与「永恒的爱的源头」以及「光」相遇相知，从此活出生命的翻转与见证，踏上真正回家的路。真正来开始认识「爱」、经历「爱」、觉醒人生、活出崭新的新生命。创造万物万有的这位神在呼召每一位，你们准备好了吗？来与我们一同体验生命这场至高真相的「爱」之旅吧。

"Come and See" — Jesus

因为上帝爱世人，甚至将祂独一的儿子赐给他们，叫一切信祂的人不致灭亡，反得永生。 上帝差祂的儿子到世上来，不是要定世人的罪，而是要借着祂的儿子拯救世人。
— 约翰福音 3:16-17 CCB

憶他✞ 咖啡，受伤心灵得医治的驿站.
主耶穌基督翻转死而复活新生命的见证.

— Stefanie Xu 徐沐歆

创始人简介

徐沐歆
- INFJ
- 愿景创业家
- 使命传递者
- 他✞的灵的生命见证人

创始人最初并非以商业成功为出发点，而是以一份清晰的愿景与深厚的情怀踏上品牌创业之路。
在多年的实践与坚持中，她坚守初心，让品牌在现实挑战中不断被淬炼。
也正是在这条不妥协于愿景的道路上，她逐渐被带入更深的信仰呼召— 从一位以情怀愿景驱动的创业者，成长为一位在商业、教会，社区中践行使命信仰的advocate（提倡者）。

她一直坚信，品牌不应仅仅承载产品，
更应是承载呼召、价值与生命使命的载体。