Home ›› 30 Jul 2021 ›› News
Coffee no more remains a drink of luxury, nor limited to posh cozy shops in Dhaka as it is now available at roadside tea stalls and even in flasks of hawkers thanks to the popularity of instant coffee.
Instant coffee is having its moment in Dhaka for the cheaper price and a hassle-free preparation process despite reviles from coffee snobs who prefer going to comparatively expensive coffee shops.
With its rising popularity among young adults, corporate executives, and common people, business groups moved towards making it available by introducing ready-to-drink coffee packs in cities, suburbs, and even rural areas.
Affordability of people and change in their taste fueled the sales of the product.
Several brands are now marketing instant coffee. Among the prominent of them, a sachet of Nescafe is sold at Tk 10 and Tk 5, Kofi House at Tk 10, Mac-Coffee at Tk 10, Kopiko at Tk 18, AMA at Tk 5, Rich Café at Tk 5, Tora Bika at Tk 23, U-Cofi at 10, and Rose Café at Tk 10.
“When I feel stressed, coffee is preferred to tea. Coffee is stronger than tea and it gives a better taste. To have a cup of coffee, I just go downstairs and visit a tea stall, where there are different types of ready coffee,” Md Samiul Basher, a private service holder told The Business Post.
“It is stimulating and energises me for a fresh start. It is also lesser expensive than any of the coffee shops,” said Basher.
Based on the brands and size, it costs Tk 10 to Tk 15 to enjoy a cup of coffee in tea stalls or restaurants.
Consumption of ready coffee is gradually increasing both at tea stalls as well as in the home.
“Two years back, I could sell 15 to 20 cup of ready coffee per day, which rose to 40 cups as of today,” Shohag Islam, a tea vendor in front of the Dhaka College, told The Business Post.
Most of the customers are students and they prefer coffee to tea. To have a better taste, even rickshaw pullers are increasingly taking coffee instead of tea, he added.
“Consumers of ready coffee are increasing day by day and hopefully it would be very close to tea consumers, what I have seen in last six to seven years as a tea seller,” Mohammed Musharraf, a tea stall owner in Mirpur told The Business Post.
Every, I sell 50 to 60 cups of ready coffee, which is increasing sharply, he added.
“People were used to drink tea in the past. Now, coffee as a drink has become very trendy. Some people have taken coffee as a part of their lifestyle,” said Kamruzzaman Kamal, Marketing Director of PRAN-RFL Group who markets Kofi House brand instant coffee.
Taking ready coffee, consumers feel a different taste than that of the tea. Ready coffee in sachets is a smart solution to meet the demand of the mass people, said Kamruzzman.
“Considering the change in consumers taste, we have brought the ready coffee brand. It received a good response from the consumers. We are recording over 20 per cent annual growth,” he said.
“In Bangladesh perspective, most people are fond of tea but the new generation is very leaning towards coffee. Considering the demands, we make it affordable and available through our ready coffee pack,” said Naquib Khan, Corporate Affairs Director of Nestlé Bangladesh who markets the Nescafe brand.
Naquib said they were witnessing a double-digit growth of their coffee brand.
People like are liking it for its convenience to make it instantly.
“I consume instant coffee at my office as no coffee-maker is there and roasted ground beans are not available in the locality,” M Abdullah, a service holder, told The Business Post.
“The Tk 10 sachet does not give me the perfect taste but it partially meets my craving for coffee instantly,” he added.
Mohammad Jasim, a service holder at Karwan Bazar, said he used to drink tea at a local tea stall but he now prefers black coffee as it was cheaper than tea.
‘’I was not used to take coffee before the arrival of the minipacks. Now I take coffee every day as it is easy to make,” said Fayez Ahamed, a private firm staff at Tejgaon.
