How My Family Business, Zabar’s, Inspired Motif’s Clean-Label Flavored Syrups

A Family Coffee Legacy That Started on the Upper West Side

If you’ve ever passed the orange awning on Broadway and 80th Street, you know Zabar's is more than a store. It’s a New York institution, a place where generations of families have come for smoked fish, cheese, groceries, and famously, freshly roasted coffee.

Founded by my great-grandparents, Louis and Lillian Zabar, in 1934, Zabar’s has always focused on quality food. My great-uncle, Saul Zabar, perfected the store’s signature coffee roast after he had become a co-owner of the business.

Louis & Lillian Zabar

Saul Zabar

My first job was scooping coffee at Zabar’s. Working behind that counter, I learned that great coffee doesn’t have to be complicated. It just has to be made with care and shared with people who love it. That belief has shaped everything I’ve done since.

Michael Zabar and his brothers working at Zabar’s in 2011

From Zabar’s Counter to Clean-Label Craft: The Start of Motif

After years in the corporate world, I found myself missing that sense of connection — the feeling that comes from serving customers seeking quality food products. That’s what inspired me to start Motif, a company making clean-label flavored syrups for coffee and tea built on the same values that make Zabar’s special.

Motif was founded to transform your morning ritual into something effortless and extraordinary. Motif syrups:

• Have 70% less sugar than leading syrups

• Are free of artificial colors and flavors

• Are sweetened with agave and other natural ingredients

Just as my family roasted coffee with intention, I wanted to craft syrups that reflect that same quality and transparency. Every bottle is made to complement your cup, not compete with it.

Carrying the Zabar’s Spirit Forward

In some ways, Motif is an evolution of Zabar’s values — taking what I learned behind the coffee counter and reimagining it for a modern, ingredient-conscious world.

Every bottle of Motif syrup carries a bit of that legacy forward, from the heart of New York City to kitchens across the United States.

Whether you’re stirring cinnamon babka syrup into your espresso or adding vanilla syrup to an espresso martini, I hope Motif adds a touch of flavor and excitement to your cup — the kind that lingers long after the coffee is gone. Because great coffee shouldn’t feel exclusive — it should match your tastes and make your morning a work of art.