Third time's the charm : The story of a trio who opened Mirpur’s first coffee shop
Mirpur’s Coffee Time owners show us how failure is truly the pillar of success, and how perseverance at an early age bears monetary fruits
In the alcove of Mirpur's new and bustling establishments stands one of its first coffee shops named Coffee Time. Only six years old now, the shop is the outcome of a young, entrepreneurial trio: the twin brothers Saiful and Mahtab Islam and their friend Tanvir Ahmed.
The trio had always been a close-knit group. They had grown up together in Mirpur, shared the same network and friends. Their bond is so strong that recently the twin brothers have even gotten married on the same day.
The strength of their partnership stood the test of time. Although they started the coffee shop in 2015 - the same year they completed their undergraduate studies - they had been involved in businesses for a long time, starting from the tender age of 18.
Age is just a number
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
"We started venturing out since our intermediate days. At first, we invested in the share market, that too in 2009. Unfortunately, the share market crashed at that time and our journey more or less stopped before even taking off.
We wanted to establish ourselves through our own projects, instead of running after jobs. Then we started a chemical business," said Mahtab Islam, one of the co-owners of Coffee Time.
It was only after failing with their chemical business venture that the trio ventured into the garment business. With some loans from their families and all their previous savings, they launched their very own factory in 2011. Within three years, they had a hundred machines and 120 workers enrolled in their garment called 'Pluto Apparel'.
But the Rana Plaza tragedy was a big setback. And at the tender age of just 22, it was difficult for them to continue under overwhelming business pressure. Their families encouraged them to look for other opportunities in light of their losses. They agreed reluctantly and retired from the business in 2014.
However, they were able to sit idle for only six months.
Mahtab and Saiful graduated from North South University while Tanvir attained his graduation in graphics design from the Shanto-Mariam University of Creative Technology in 2015. And they launched Coffee Time in 12 November, 2014 during their last semester. This time they pooled together all their remaining profits and savings from previous ventures - a mere Tk3.5 lakh.
Sowing the business seed
At that time, there were no specialised coffee shops in Mirpur and, initially, there was no plan to establish a coffee shop.
They found a 48 square feet space in Mirpur 6 and loved its small-space ambience so much that they immediately booked it. The location cost them Tk20,000 in advance payment. And eventually, Coffee Time was born.
"Initially, we bought a fridge, a blending machine, a coffee machine and a few pieces of furniture. In the beginning, we were quite unaware of basic restaurant management tasks. But we did everything on our own and learned very quickly," said Saiful Islam.
Tanvir Ahmed made the logo, menu card and other designs while all the partners would make and serve beverages.
We wanted to establish ourselves through our own projects, instead of running after jobs
On 16 November 2015, Coffee Time got its first breakthrough. It was a post in the Facebook group, 'Food Bank' that garnered massive attention. And within the first two weeks, they made a profit of Tk2 lakh.
As their popularity grew, the twins emerged as the face of Coffee Time. Customers were drawn to the shop by their magnetic charisma. People would come just for some coffee and a chat with the extroverted pair.
They soon expanded their place within the first 15 days and made room for seating arrangements.
After the initial set-up, they introduced deserts like lava cake, red velvet cake and brownies. They also began to introduce more food items to their menu such as Mexican and Indian food. Within a year they expanded their shop to a 1,000 square feet space.
Understanding the business: Food, franchises and service
In February 2016, they launched a franchise of Coffee Time in Uttara. And after three years, they left that franchise which is still being run under the same name by one of their friends.
Additionally, they started another outlet in Mirpur 2 and launched Priyo Mezbaan at Mirpur 6 in 2018. In July 2018, they moved to their current restaurant in Mirpur 1, where they provide dining service. They operate Priyo Mezbaan and Coffee Time Mirpur 6 Branch through a cloud kitchen.
In their new menu, they will introduce steak and seafood dishes. However, Coffee Time is yet to serve premium coffee items since they are more occupied with providing various food items in the restaurant.
The food business in Dhaka
Bangladesh, particularly Dhaka, has been witnessing an exponential climb in the food business for some years now. The competition is massive and every day a lot of restaurants have to shut down. To stay afloat, restaurants are introducing various discount offers and services.
"It is easier for those franchisees who have more money to invest. But small businesses collapse early. It is a profitable business, no doubt but you need to meet customer's satisfaction too.
If we run after short-term profit then we will not be able to expand our business in the future.
Overall the market is not sustainable yet. Both the businessmen and customers are new [to new kinds of cuisines or food]. It may take some time but it will be sustainable in the next three to four years," said Mahtab.
"Well, the structure of the restaurant business has changed a lot in recent years since we started. The newcomers focus more on competitive pricing than food quality. Customers are also driven to cost-friendly food.
Food marketing has become the main asset in the restaurant business. Besides, many restaurants emphasise hype creating strategies to engage one-time customers," added Tanvir.
Sowing new business seeds and plans
Coffee Time owners want to provide part-time jobs for students in their restaurants through hourly payments, something which is not yet popular in Bangladesh. However, it is a freelance, lucrative and well-established system that is very common abroad.
Mahtab explained, "We too started our journey when we were students. We understand and respect students' priorities. There will not be any fixed schedules and students will be able to book a working slot one or two days before.
If we pay a student an hourly wage equivalent to at least $1, we will have to add a service charge or raise our food prices. But both we and customers will bear the cost for a more welfare service."
In the near future, they aim to launch a branch of Coffee Time in each district of Bangladesh.
"The price we assign to our food is relatively cheaper than most of the restaurants. With this price, it will be difficult to retain food quality and also launch a branch in places like Banani and Gulshan," said Tanvir.
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought with it some new challenges for the owners. Takeaways and food delivery services have added new dimensions to the food business.
"If the platforms charged a little less than 25-30 percent, it would be more cost-friendly for us," said the owners.
The successful case of the trio - Mahtab-Saiful brothers and Tanvir - is most likely a result of them starting entrepreneurship at a very early age. And as a result, they are profoundly self-sufficient and the owners of two franchises by the age of 30.
But, like most good things, their success did not come easily and they are not willing to call it a 'successful' outcome this early.
"Hard work was the main asset for us to reach this point. We have tried various ventures and worked really hard each time.
Our prior failures taught us how to take risks and manage a business. So, we have learned to adopt the lessons we learned from our failures," said Mahtab.
