Understanding Coffeeology: Rehanur Rahman and Mohaimin Mostafa

Rehanur Rahman, who is currently a lecturer at North South University and the owner of Ginza, and Mohaimin Mostafa, who has his own software startup, have been friends since they were in school. Even though they drifted apart after high school, one to England and the other to America, life brought them back together in the end. Coincidentally, they found themselves at the same place at the same time, and together they cooked up the idea of introducing Bangladesh to the western coffee culture by launching a renowned coffee franchise here at home.

It was Mohaimin’s idea to try to get Crimson Cup to set shop here in Bangladesh. However, when Rehanur and Mohaimin first approached Crimson Cup with their proposal, the establishment was very much against the idea of expanding their business to a developing nation such as Bangladesh. Also, the idea of having two young, inexperienced individuals leading the project unnerved them.

Nevertheless, this rejection did not deter Rehanur and Mohaimin from their goal. After returning home, they conducted their own market research to see whether a venture that primarily focuses on the sales of coffee and other beverages would be able to survive in Bangladesh’s economy or not. This time, when they went back to Crimson Cup, fully prepared with their research analysis, the administrative body of Crimson Cup was thoroughly impressed with the duo’s determination and persistence, and thereafter signed a contract with them, enabling Rehanur and Mohaimin to startup one outlet of Crimson Cup in Dhaka.

Once the contract was signed, everything else fell into place. Finding investors wasn’t a particularly hard job on account of all the help they received from their partner Tareq Rafi Bhuiyan Jun. As soon as the money was gathered, a place was found in the heart of Banani, remodeled to suit the look of a coffee parlor, and opened for business. However, the newly opened place remained devoid of customers for the better part of the first two weeks.

“I remember us just rolling on the sofas, waiting for people to come in for coffee,” Rehanur recalled while describing the first few days of their business in their Banani outlet.

Despite the business starting somewhat slow, Crimson Cup soon garnered an immense amount of attention through word of mouth. Slowly the number of customers began to rise – two weeks into its opening, the establishment received as many 600 customers.

Crimson Cup was the first coffee parlor in Bangladesh to introduce the original Frappuccino. Moreover, they were also the first to familiarize people in our country to the concept of a sugar station, take-away cups, and self-service. According to Rehanur and Mohaimin, they still aren’t in the business of selling coffee – they’re in the business of selling comfort and a safe place for easy conversation. Upon being asked why it is that Bangladesh is still so much against whole-heartedly accepting the western coffee culture, Rehanur and Mohaimin said that Bangladeshi people were still stuck in their old, easy ways and that it would take a lot more time for them to alter their habits.

As for their plans for the future, the duo soon hopes to take their business outside Dhaka. Being the only authorized franchise owners of Crimson Cup in the South Asian domain, Rehanur and Mohaimin also have thoughts of expanding their venture to Nepal. However, growing a business requires a lot of planning. The fact that most of the inputs of their business are imported from abroad tend to usually hike their costs, so a thorough cost-benefit analysis has to be conducted before considering expansion. Nevertheless, Rehanur and Mohaimin say that Crimson Cup is a brand by youngsters for the youngsters. So their supply will naturally follow demand. As long as people will need them, they will be in service, providing their beloved customers with their necessary caffeine fix.