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Selling a commodity as simple as tea and building a successful brand around it and diversifying it is the reason behind the success of FiLLi Cafe and Mr Rafih FiLLi. It all started when a 21-year-old Indian Entrepreneur took a very ambitious decision to quit his job and take over his father’s cafeteria, Al Zumalaa near the beautiful Mamzar Corniche in the heart of Dubai and turn it into something unique.
He began by selling tea and used the name FiLLi which was given to him during his school days. Even though he served the most basic of drinks, a simple cup of energizing tea, it enticed tourists from all over the emirate.
Rafih FiLLi knew the importance of a good marketing strategy so he started promoting his shop through a unique strategy. He started using storytelling as a way for promotions.
He began telling stories about his childhood, his dreams, and aspirations as a teen, and how he came up with the idea of creating FiLLi as an international brand like Starbucks for Tea, which connected with the mass young adults who loved the idea of Tea & Talk.
He started building a brand around it: FiLLi – Tea & Talk and led the cafe by branding it by himself, rather than endorsing it by another celebrity. His way of addressing his customers through social media and being the brand image of Filli built a unique connection with his customers which has helped him immensely to build a global heart for this Local Cafe.
The right blend of state-of-art design and infrastructure in each of his stores with his ideology of spreading the love for tea and connecting people over it, with the latest digital marketing trends and techniques creating global brand awareness around tea is the secret recipe for his simmering success.
Don’t Play Around With A Boy Who Is Hungry!
Being contemporary in their style and yet embracing the authenticity in the flavors of their tea is the way FiLLi marketed themselves.
FiLLi Café has made a name for itself by revolutionizing the way tea is consumed in the UAE and beyond.
Rafih FiLLi wants to grow his business across all emirates and into other developing markets in the Middle East.
Their vision is to become the world’s largest and most admired tea brand by uniting people’s passion for tea which inspires each member of the FiLLi family to strive to a level where FiLLi will be recognized for its tea expertise and will serve as a second home not only for people in the UAE but for tea lovers all over the world.
Their mission is to create an atmosphere that entices customers and connects them to the aromas that each flavor of their tea creates.
Most of the Asian audience love tea more than coffee and there are no major tea brands on a global level and FiLLi Cafe is on the right track to achieve it.
