Dormans taps into Mombasa’s growing coffee culture

by Philip Mwakio

Shoehorned in Mombasa’s central business district is coffee master C. Dorman’s venture, another of its branded coffee houses.

Dorman’s Coffee Shop, tucked away inside the Mombasa Trade Centre building on the town’s busy Nkrumah Road, is novel enough for the simple fact that not many associate the humid, warm coastal city with upmarket coffee houses.

True, the Swahili culture here is famous for the so-called kahawa thungu. Brewed in huge brass urns, the strong black coffee is drunk from delicate china cups, under the faÁade of quaint buildings in Mombasa’s old town, and against the fading sunset and sea breeze.

But modern coffee shops, despite being removed from this romantic picture, have become a regular daily treat for people in Mombasa, signaling a change of habits over the last 10 years.

This change was mostly influenced by the influx of professionals and businesspeople accustomed to an alternative lifestyle. With the recession, most would be expecting coffee shops to suffer after consumers cut back on their everyday spend, but the numbers swelling coffee shops in the town trashes that notion. But Dorman’s three-year investment could not be further removed from this. Timed to tap into Mombasa residents growing frustration with the increasingly long traffic jams, this top of the range coffee shop is just the right remedy.

Gaining favour

It is very much business unusual, as men and women, young and old partake in sipping cups of coffee. The modern coffee culture, very much a part of Nairobi’s lifestyle for years, is gaining favour here. Gedion Okoth, the shop manager told Financial Journal that their list of loyal clientele has been growing steadily since they opened the shop.

"We have a steady line of consumers coming here everyday. Tourists alike have not been left out either," Okoth said.

Those on city tours to famous century old places, like the Fort Jesus Museum and the scenic Old Town, drop in a cup of coffee. But what keeps them coming?

Mombasa city has three entry and exit points, and with the growing population, the masses have resorted for accommodation outside the main island town.

The entry and exit points are the Likoni ferry crossing channel leading to the South Coast, Makupa causeway that leads out of Mombasa to the mainland west, and the Nyali bridge, which connects the island to the greater North Coast.

As heavy vehicular traffic starts to build up in the late evening, a new crop of professionals while away the time in coffee shops. The manager is not ready with firm data, but if the number of customers in the shop is anything to go by, then business must be good. So good in fact, that Dormans is opening another shop in the up-market Nyali area.

pleasant environment

One of the key drivers in the growth of the coffee shop business is that the shops tend to be more pleasant environments to relax in, with air conditioning and, for some, free Wi-Fi for customers.

Another is the fact that they are ideal for business meetings involving small groups, or just two people. It is the modern equivalent of a pub for most of the consumers. Other than the coffee shops, Dormans also undertake outside catering, and have clinched deals to provide daily buffets to the East African Tea Trade Centre, and to Unilever.

Other top clients are the ship chandlers, which supply food rations to ships that call at the port of Mombasa. A range of well-baked pastries have become a fast selling product from the shop to the ship chandlers. The shops are owned by C. Dorman Ltd is one of the leading coffee roasters and exporters in East Africa.

pmwakio@standardmedia.co.ke