A Cup That Changed Everything: Dhaka’s Coffee Story Begins
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Once upon a city - Dhaka, where the aroma of chai ruled the streets - came a whisper of something new.
It was the early 2010s, and the city’s youth, hungry for fresh experiences, found themselves drawn to sleek cafés in neighborhoods like Banani, Dhanmondi, and Uttara. Coffee wasn’t just a drink - it was a badge of belonging, a portable lifestyle embraced over Wi-Fi and latte art.
In one quiet corner, a dream took shape. Back in Ohio, a student had discovered the magic of a particular brew - Crimson Cup’s award-winning craft specialty. The aroma, the quality, the care in every sip - they lingered.
That dream traveled across continents to Dhaka, giving birth to Crimson Cup Bangladesh - a meeting point of two cultures, where passion found home.
As coffee spots mushroomed across the city, local champions rose too. North End Coffee Roasters, born in 2011, became more than a café - it was a hub for roasting, training baristas, and advancing local coffee culture.
Today, it spans around 14 outlets and even sources from Bangladesh’s hill tracts. Similarly, chains like Tabaq Coffee and Brewers Den won hearts with accessible brews and vibrant spaces for students and freelancers alike.
But what about the roots - literal and cultural?
True transformation has been brewing in the countryside. In Rangpur, a farmer named Mokhlesur Rahman sparked a quiet revolution - planting coffee, opening a tiny café, and selling thousands of saplings.
His venture, the Rangpur Coffee Club, started small but carried a big vision: a homegrown future for Bangladesh’s coffee. And across the country, though thousands of tonnes of coffee are still imported, efforts to cultivate Arabica and Robusta are underway in the Chittagong Hills and beyond.
A Brewing Boom
Bangladesh’s coffee market is brewing strong:
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By 2025, combined at-home and café sales are projected to reach US$2.30 billion. The out-of-home (cafés, etc.) segment alone stands at around US$1.56 billion.
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Growth continues - market forecasts show a CAGR of 6.9% from 2025 to 2030, driven by rising incomes, urbanization, and café culture (plus social-media impact).
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The youth, eager to explore, are making coffee more than a drink - it’s a culture, a trend, a shared ritual.
Why This Story Belongs to Crimson Cup
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A bridge between worlds: Crimson Cup Bangladesh wasn’t a forced guest but a natural protagonist in Dhaka’s unfolding coffee story - bringing decades of craft expertise from Ohio to a city ripe for reinvention.
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Part of a movement: Amid growing home-grown efforts and café communities - from Rangpur’s rural coffee club to North End’s barista training - Crimson Cup adds an international thread to Dhaka’s rich tapestry.
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Inspiring the next chapter: Crimson Cup is not just serving coffee - it is inspiring quality, craftsmanship, and innovation in homes and cafés across Dhaka. It belongs in the narrative, not because it shouts loudest, but because it fits beautifully into the story’s rhythm.
Final Scene: Picture a student in Banani, laptop open, fingers poised for another blog post. A gentle steam rises - Crimson Cup’s signature roast. Around them, Dhaka hums. The beats of laptops, distant conversations, and espresso machines.
Coffee isn’t just served - it’s shared, celebrated, and woven into the city’s soul.
Crimson Cup Bangladesh is part of that harmony. And the story? It’s still being written, one cup at a time.
Written by: Md. Irfan Hossain
Published by: Mehedi Hasan Shohan