Introduction
Each season, the Yeoyu team takes a closer look at something ordinary - a space, a custom, a way of living, and offers a new perspective. We research it, reflect on it, and build a workshop around it. For our very first season, the summer of 2025, we begin with the Wondumak (원두막).
A simple raised shelter with no walls and a thatched roof, the Wondumak first appeared in Korea in the late 1800s. Farmers built them in the middle of fields to watch over crops. But over time, they became more than just a lookout. They became a place to rest, to eat, to talk, or to simply be.
Once the Wondumak evolved beyond its original purpose, you could say it created a café-like mood before cafés were even a thing in Korea. The first public café, a dabang (다방), opened in 1902 in Seoul. But long before that, Wondumaks were already bringing people together.
From Field Shelter to Cultural Space
Wondumaks came from a long tradition of raised structures built to protect food. Their peak usage was before farming became industrialized, when people needed to physically guard their fields.
But even as agriculture changed, the Wondumak didn’t disappear. It evolved into a place where people rested, chatted, and shared food. Now, you’ll find them in and around parks and other public places, offering shelter and a spot to sit and pause.
As their purpose shifted, their physical form changed significantly. Traditionally, Wondumak were structures that required a ladder to reach the platform, with a low roof that could fit only a few people. Today, they are sturdier, lower to the ground, larger, and have a higher ceiling. All design changes that better align with their newly evolved purpose - a communal space to pause, rest and connect with others.
Café Before Café
Both the Wondumak and the café offer the same thing at their core: a sense of pause. It wasn’t a business, instead, it was just there, open to everyone. And as cafés became more accessible over time, they started to serve a similar purpose: a place to slow down and connect.
In a Wondumak, people probably talked about the weather, crops, the ordinary stuff. They might have taken naps, traded goods, or had meals and snacks. You don’t really see people napping in cafés, but that mood - casual, local, friendly - still lingers. It’s not about the caffeine. It’s about the feeling.
Outro
Inspired by the research we conducted, we've put together a workshop that brings people together in a casual, relaxed environment - like pausing under a Wondumak on a summer afternoon in Korea.
We’ll serve Korean drinks alongside carefully brewed pour-over coffee, paired with baked goods from Todd Ou Bakery. Expect seasonal ingredients, surprising flavour pairings, and a mix of textures meant to be savoured.
We hope to see you there at the Timbertrain Outpost!
Grab tickets to our workshop here.
Timbertrain Coffee Roasters was founded in 2011 by a group of friends from different walks of life who shared one thing in common: a deep passion for coffee. They left their respective careers to pursue that passion full-time, and since then, Timbertrain has become a cornerstone of Vancouver’s specialty coffee scene.
Known for their light to medium roasts and for pioneering Vancouver’s first nitro cold brew tap, Timbertrain has built its name on transparency, community, and relationships. What started in Gastown has since expanded to two more locations: Grandview-Woodlands and Port Moody.
We’re excited to collaborate with the Timbertrain team to host our very first seasonal event, Wondumak.