Egyptian Export

 
Now in five countries including the UK, Egyptian coffee bar chain Cilantro has been described by a major international competitor as “the best homegrown concept I’ve ever seen.” Bruce Whitehall talks to general manager Nadine Beshir about the chain’s colourful format, nurturing approach to staff and customers, and the impact of the Arab Spring. Beshir also describes Cairo Kitchen, which hopes to put Egyptian koshari food on the international map.
 
The 2011 Egyptian Revolution helped start the Arab Spring, which quickly spread to Yemen, Bahrain, Jordan, Syria, and Libya.
How did the upheaval affect Cilantro?
Beshir: Millions of protesters demanded the overthrow of the regime of President Hosni Mubarak. It was mainly a campaign of  non-violent civil resistance but nearly 850 people are thought to have died with many more wounded, so it was a frightening and unpredictable period. Having a high profile store in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, we were already having some difficulties prior to the Revolution, when the authorities were trying to track down opposition. For example, one store manager was arrested because Cilantro was offering free wi-fi. The usage of the Internet and social media had been extensive in helping organise and promote protests and some have claimed that it actually sparked the uprising, proving an on-line arena for protesters.
Were outlets damaged in the turmoil?
Beshir: Our customers proved remarkably protective of Cilantro. They saw it as ‘their own place’ and so were very vigilant. We did not have a single instance of a store being looted or damaged. But curfews and other restrictions meant that many stores had to be closed for several weeks, such as in Tahrir Square,where hundreds of thousands of people protested between the end of January and April. Even after that it was very difficult for many stores to stay open, especially in the evening when we are normally very busy. And a lot of our prime locations in shopping malls were shut down completely. The situation hit sales considerably, with only about a quarter of our units being able to trade at all. The country virtually came to a halt for a month. The first day we opened after things returned to normality, like-for-like sales were about one tenth of normal levels. There were considerable cash flow problems for retailers and these had a knockon effect through the supply chain. The central bank put a lot of restrictions on money transfers and this greatly affected our international business. For example, it became difficult to make payments in London just at a time when we were building our third store. Following the Revolution, it has been very difficult for the interim government to take strategic decisions because they are too scared. And we now have 50 political parties, with every kind of ideology competingfor attention.
How did the Revolution affect you personally?
Beshir: I was in Cairo when the upheaval started but the worst day was on January 28 – the socalled ‘Day of Anger’, when I had to be in London. I could see ter - rible things happening on TV andknew that my daughter and members of my family were there. But it was also very moving seeing how people had formed community groups to defend themselves....
 
Visit Cilantro Café: www.cilantrocafé.com
 

 
| 15 December 2011 |