The World in a Tea Cup

Rafih places great emphasis on perseverance—the early days at Filli Café too were mostly about trial and error. He started out by offering customers a free sample of tea with their order, personally brewing each cup and painstakingly adjusting strength and sweetness. “Everyone who walked in the door loved the tea we served and they started getting their friends and business associates over. Within just a few days of our launch, we were serving over 40 chai orders daily, priced at one dirham per cup.” A few months later, during one of his many kitchen experiments, he decided to fuss around with a pinch of saffron while brewing tea. He had no clue then that the game-changing move would evolve into Filli’s signature zaffran chai. The new offering was lapped up by customers, and repeat orders thrived to become the norm. Today, Filli’s ‘zaffran kadak’ has a loyal following among scores of Europeans, Indians, and Arabs. Some tea-loving fanatics have even tried to mimic its making and showcased their earnest efforts in elaborate YouTube videos; many others recommend it as a must-try on travel and food forums online, speculating and arguing over the contents that make it so intriguing.

With 15 new outlets set to launch in 2021, Rafih still refuses to make a big deal of his chain’s growing popularity. He is busier these days shifting the gears for his 2025 plan, which envisions 110 Filli outlets in the UAE plus another 238 franchise stores all over the world in the next five years. The international expansion will be mainly focused on countries like the UK, the USA, India and Saudi Arabia. His product development team has also shortlisted 16 items unique to the brand, including pre-mix zaffran chai, tea powders and exotic chips, that would soon be available at hypermarkets, supermarkets and other retail platforms. Plans are also on the anvil for Filli Select (a casual dining restaurant serving signature dishes and beverages), and a vending machine that would dispense 16 varieties of tea.