Founder&CEO: "My Journey was Nothing like someone Born into Wealth"||EP 90

What’s up No Trollers 🔥☕

We've Another episode for y'all, and today we've got Muntazir Hussein ,entrepreneur, Founder & CEO  of Kaffe Koffe, and one of Tanzania's most respected  business minds.

We get into the man behind the brand... from his childhood, upbringing, and the experiences that shaped him, to the lessons he learned before success ever arrived.

We talked struggle, wealth, entrepreneurship, decision-making under pressure, the realities of building a business from scratch, and why his journey looks very different from someone who inherited wealth.

We also dive into the hidden pressure that comes with being "the successful guy," staying hungry after major milestones, and the harsh truths about entrepreneurship nobody tells young people.

🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & everywhere you get your podcasts.

(Muntanzir's Socials)
Instagram -@muntazirhussein

SHOUT OUT to pentagon rentals for the SPACE , if you a podcaster or you just enjoy making content, Pentagon rentals is where you're supposed to be

Filmed by: Rocky the mutator & jordan
Edited by : sean81jax

Chapters;
00:00 Trailer
02:36 What keeps you up at Night
05:50 Intro
08:49 Kaffe koffee
09:22 The Pressure of Success 
11:21 Challenges that Tested my Life
14:09 DiscoveringCoffee
18:03 Building Confidence in what you do
20:16 Loving my Parents
20:46 Education & Success
26:14 Mindset
29:44 Muntazir's Childhood
31:45 The Coffee Business
41:08 Building a Business & Brand 
45:50 A Customer is Not King
48:00 Patience
49:09 The Truth about Entrepreneurship 
54:25 Going to Parties & talking to people
57:15 The Dating scene in Tz 
01:00:38 Judging a Book by its cover
01:07:23 Money Buys Happiness
01:07:41 A Principle i Live by
01:11:30 The Best Financial Advice
01:14:52 Who Built me
01:15:24 My Tzee side(NT game)
01:19:49 After the break
01:22:44 The No trolling Questions
01:34:51 Im so Happy
01:36:56 Outro & Shout outs

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:00

I believe that a customer is not a king. I think it's a wrong narrative, and I think a customer needs to understand that that they can be wrong. I still feel that I am the most expensive coffee shop in Tanzania. I want people to enjoy the best coffee wherever they are.

SPEAKER_02 0:16

Okay, so how do you handle the negative comments on the service and stuff like that?

SPEAKER_04 0:21

At Cafe Coffee, we don't have the modality of having waiters or waitresses. We don't have that. At Cafe Coffee, all of us are barristers. I train people to learn how to make coffee. And I think what people appreciate is quality. And I think that's where we stand. If you can't afford it, you can go somewhere else. The experiences that I went through to where I am today are very different from someone who has found wealth from their father. I can go back to zero and I can still sleep in peace. Grew up in a very normal family, middle class family where my dad would go to work every single day. People are used to you being poor. People are used to you being the nobody. So when they see you doing greater or better, uh it threatens them. So you would have even the most successful person jealous of your success. Are you happy now? I'm very happy, bro. I'm the most happiest person in this world.

SPEAKER_02 1:20

What pressure comes with being a successful guy, bro?

SPEAKER_01 1:25

Uh nah. No. No trolling. We ain't trolling, y'all.

SPEAKER_02 1:34

So trollers, guess what? No trolling product is just part of it with TZ to bring you guys the coolest drink for all of y'all that are young at heart. I genuinely love the taste of the drink, and I'm pretty sure you guys are gonna love the taste of it as well. So make sure you grab yourself a TZ drink. Let's sit good this season. Come on, you know what I'm saying? And also, 61% of you guys don't realize you haven't subscribed yet. So, can I ask you for a favor before you dive into the episode? If you like and enjoy the conversation we're having for every after two weeks, and you feel like you want to support us, hit the subscribe button. It's completely free. It's the easiest way to support the pod. And I'll genuinely appreciate that. And when you do that, I promise you, every time we upload the episode, it's gonna be better for you. Me and my team are gonna be working tooth and nail to make that happen for you guys. Thank you. All thoughts, views, and opinions expressed on this podcast are entirely our own. They are for entertainment purposes only. I repeat, entertainment purposes only. We're not exposing, condoning, indicting, or telling you how to live your life. Now, enjoy the show. Long ass day, man. Long ass day? That's it. Yeah. So usually, usually, like when I have a long ass day, it's just like I feel like I need to stretch much. Have you ever done a massage before?

SPEAKER_04 2:50

I always do massage.

SPEAKER_02 2:51

Oh. How often? How often in a month? Uh in a week, maybe twice. In a week, twice. Yeah. Okay, so far from your experience getting a massage and stuff like that, how do you feel? Like somebody just like caressing your body and stuff? It feels good. Oh uh you need you need massage. I feel like I do, but it's just like awkward.

SPEAKER_04 3:13

Was it awkward at first? No, it's I mean, yeah, of course. If uh if uh the first time a lady is touching you, yeah, yeah, you usually have a boner.

SPEAKER_02 3:23

Yeah, of course, of course.

SPEAKER_04 3:24

And so it was like, ah nah. Uh the please don't go there. But in in in your mind, you go like, yeah, yeah, please go there. Okay, what what keeps you up at night, man? Uh at night. Yeah. Uh well, I usually like often go to sleep at night early. Yeah, okay. Yeah, but I think if it's keeping me up, it's either uh work. Okay. Or food. Food? You eat at night? Yeah. What do you like eating a lot? Uh I enjoy barbecue most of uh most of the evenings, yes.

SPEAKER_02 4:04

Barbecue as in steak and stuff?

SPEAKER_04 4:06

Yeah, you can have steak, you can have like uh like sakela uh uh cocoa chips.

SPEAKER_02 4:12

I've never had steak before.

SPEAKER_04 4:13

Steak, yeah, I love steak.

SPEAKER_02 4:15

Do you like cooked rare? What's the vibe?

SPEAKER_04 4:17

I've recently tried steak at Grill It.

SPEAKER_02 4:20

Ah it's nice. Nice. How how do you like your steak done?

SPEAKER_04 4:24

Uh I think medium rare. Medium rare, like a little blood in it. Uh you could say it's not really blood, you know that, yeah. It's just the the color, yeah. Yeah. But I think that's the best steak that I've had in Dar. Um they these guys are imported from South Africa, so it's really nice. Oh, yeah, I hear South Africa has good like meat. Yeah, I mean, you know, like our our our cows, yeah, they go through a lot. Okay. So they their their meat is usually uh very hard to eat.

SPEAKER_02 4:56

Ah, okay.

SPEAKER_04 4:57

Yeah. I never knew that. No? So if the cow is always uh you know climbing mountains and rocks and and is traveling distances, so the of course the muscle becomes heavier and stronger.

SPEAKER_02 5:12

Stronger and it tastes better now.

SPEAKER_04 5:14

So no, it becomes hard to eat.

SPEAKER_02 5:16

Oh, okay, okay.

SPEAKER_04 5:16

So it's less tender.

SPEAKER_02 5:18

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_04 5:18

But if you have you know some specific areas where you get your your cow from that are just relaxed the whole day listening to jazz music. Yeah, so it's like you know, your meat would be softer, my meat would be horrible. Because you're always relaxed, okay, and I'm always at the gym trying to push.

SPEAKER_02 5:46

Okay, okay, okay, calm down. Welcome back on another episode of the No Trolling Podcast, and this is episode 90, man. Uh, I I appreciate everybody that is tuning in right now. We had a successful Kenyan tour, and I appreciate all the Tanzania and the Kenyan fans that are locked in now because we're in it for the long run, and I appreciate the support, man. And today we got an entrepreneur, the man himself behind the Cafe Kofei brand, Montezero, bro. What's up, man? How you doing? How you feeling? I'm good, brother. I'm good. Yeah, good, yeah. Man, it's I'm happy to have you on the show, bro.

SPEAKER_04 6:29

It's been a long time coming, actually. It's been a long time. I think we last met uh was a couple of months ago.

SPEAKER_02 6:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 6:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 6:36

And uh you didn't have the the dreads then?

SPEAKER_02 6:39

It's not they're not dreads, they're like like braids. I feel I remember the first time meeting you, man. I was super excited to meet you, bro. Because like I remember how I met him, he reached out, uh, I think he commented on some of my video when I was like complaining that brands don't work with creators and stuff.

SPEAKER_03 6:58

True.

SPEAKER_02 6:59

It was a it was a funny video, but at the time I was going, I didn't know well, I didn't know I didn't know much about the the game. So basically, when I did comment, when it when I didn't post the episode, I mean the video I'd made, he commented and reached out, and I we linked up, and it was just like that. We were just starting to knowing each other a little bit, saying contacts and stuff. But yeah, now a couple years later, here we are.

SPEAKER_04 7:23

Yeah, you did. You did you knew exactly what you were doing. And and like for us at Cafe Coffee, yeah, like four that four years or five years down the line, um, we knew the value of content creators. We knew the value. Yeah, um, and especially like uh where I where I come from, like I travel a lot, I go to Dubai, I go to like other places, yeah, and I see how content creators, influencers have been given a higher value. And uh what I mean, how can you survive um with your business if you're not working with content creators and influencers? So I knew your value, I saw something great, I saw the potential, and I reached out and I was like, hey, I mean, let's let's do something crazy. And I still remember you'd you'd come down and you'd actually build your studio at the lounge and you'd make those content.

SPEAKER_02 8:19

Yeah, man, it was a long time. I remember uh Montezero was one of the first people to uh share his space with me when I didn't have a studio at the time. So I feel like I shot a couple episodes there. I was just having enjoying coffee there, so it was actually really dope. And I appreciate the support from early on, man. That's amazing, man. Yeah, how you feeling, man?

SPEAKER_04 8:40

It's good, it's good. I'm good, I'm good, brilliant. I just had uh a couple of coffees today. Yeah, of course. I'm full of energy. How old is Cafe Coffee, man? Uh Cafe Coffee will turn uh six. Ah, beautiful. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:55

We just turned three, actually. Yeah, yeah, amazing, yeah, man.

SPEAKER_04 8:59

So it's uh it's still uh it's still a baby.

SPEAKER_02 9:01

It's still a baby, still learning how to walk, still learning how to walk right now. We not crow? It's walking a little bit. It's walking, yeah. Yeah, yeah, it's walking. Well, we we've we're past the crow stage. Now we're just walking. We just wanna like train it to walk so it can take it to school.

SPEAKER_04 9:16

That's amazing.

SPEAKER_02 9:17

Primary. I mean it's nursing school. I'm proud of you. Thank you very much. A lot of you have done amazing, amazing. What pressure comes with being a successful guy, bro?

SPEAKER_04 9:26

Uh a lot of eye.

SPEAKER_02 9:28

A lot of eyes.

SPEAKER_04 9:29

Yeah, a lot of uh um focus on what you're doing on a daily basis. Okay. I think uh that's something that I experience on my day-to-day life. Uh the moment I'm out there, I feel like everyone is is looking at what I'm doing, uh, how I'm performing.

SPEAKER_03 9:49

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 9:50

Um some people want to see how much we are growing, and some people want to see if I will succeed. And it's a daily uh keep up. That's all I can say.

SPEAKER_02 10:03

How do you feel about that, like being ha having eyes on you like that?

SPEAKER_04 10:06

I I think it's it's it's pretty much uh growth. Uh with growth, you have a lot of focus on you. And uh it's uh it's very normal. You you see influences today in the world, you see artists, uh, something small, and they're all over media. So we haven't reached to that level whereby um, you know, cafe coffee CEO, uh, or you know, cafe coffee CEO, the director, the founder, uh has so and so branch, you know, opened at Uno Neo.

SPEAKER_01 10:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 10:41

So we haven't reached to that level, but I feel like it's uh uh it's it's getting there because people are asking questions on a daily basis on what you're doing, how you're doing. I get a lot of like uh Instagram messages, yeah, DMs, um, what is the next move? Okay. And if I don't post something on my Instagram or on story for about two or three days consecutive, I get DMs. Are you alright? We haven't seen a story. Are you sick? And then I just have to, you know, stay active. Yeah, stay active.

SPEAKER_02 11:21

Before business success, what part of your life really like challenged or tested you the most?

SPEAKER_04 11:28

Well, I think the fact that uh I mean if before cafe coffee, yeah, uh and I had a few phases since 2011 where I've always uh tried to build a brand. Okay, and I've always tried to build a local brand. So from Shisha Garden Cafe to Coffeesha, which was um a combo of coffee and shisha. So coffee shawl and then uh you know to uh a real estate company to sparkling boat, okay, uh, and then coming to Cafe Coffee. So of course the challenge or uh the thing that bothers me a lot when you don't have a brand or uh a business, you're always thinking of how should I come up with something that is gonna make me successful.

SPEAKER_03 12:23

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 12:23

That is gonna pay my bills. Okay. So that's the thought that I am always having if I don't have something to do. And even with cafe coffee, there are so many departments and segments. Okay. So yes, we have a successful brand. Uh it's loved by a lot of uh people, and in Tanzania, especially, I think we've covered pretty much uh a majority of people. If I'm not doing something new, it's always bothering me. That why don't we have something new created? So I'm always looking for something that I can do.

SPEAKER_02 12:56

Okay, that's beautiful. Yeah, speaking of challenges and struggle, right? What did struggle teach you? Comfort couldn't.

SPEAKER_04 13:03

Uh struggle has always uh kept me on move. Okay. Um and I believe like problems or struggles always has uh a big uh play in in what you do in life, and especially in business. Okay. If you're too comfortable, like if you see the numbers coming in without you putting much effort to it, you sort of get into this cycle of uh lifestyle that you thinking you will always remain successful. Yeah, but struggle and difficulties and problems will always keep you on your feet, you will always want to learn more, you will always want to see what people are doing out there. A new coffee shop is opening. What are these guys doing? Uh a new factory has has come into play, a new roaster has just invested on a larger coffee roasting machine somewhere in Tanzania. So you always want to know and learn so that you can be prepared for what's coming next and you can always improve.

SPEAKER_02 14:08

How did you discover coffee?

SPEAKER_04 14:12

That's a good question. I don't remember someone asked me this question before. And the first time I had coffee was back in Iran when I was still a student at the university. I had a visitor. Uh a cousin of mine was um was uh visiting me uh in in the holy city of Qum where I was studying, and he used to love coffee. And I was still new to coffee because the culture in Iran is more about tea. So you have tea, uh black tea with a little bit of the sugar cubes that you put it on your lip and then you sip with the tea so that it sort of melts. What it's got this whole culture, and I was so driven by it, and we were addicted to tea. Um so a cousin of mine came down and he wanted to have coffee. So we went to this uh coffee shop, um and I still remember it was underground, beautifully made, very small, you know, like uh a little cute coffee shop. Um, and that's the first time I had iced coffee. And I was so moved by it. I was like, wow, like I really need to do something with with coffee. Uh when I came back in 2011 uh from the university and I really wanted to come up with something that can bring and unite uh young people, uh someplace where you don't have alcohol, someplace where you don't have crazy music, somewhere subtle is very peaceful, quiet. We're watching games, we're playing games, we're having a nice cup of coffee on the side, we have friends surrounding us, and and that's how I then decided that I think this is the route that I want to take.

SPEAKER_02 16:16

Yeah, okay, that's a beautiful story, man. I I feel like defining yourself in the sense of knowing what you like and like pursuing it, yeah. That's that's a powerful like drive to to success, I feel like.

SPEAKER_04 16:34

It's a dream, yeah. It's a dream that you're living in. Yeah, yeah. We're happy all have dreams.

SPEAKER_02 16:40

Okay, okay. Uh I wanted to wish you uh happy birthday. Like a happy early birthday. Yeah, happy early.

SPEAKER_04 16:49

Yeah, tomorrow is my big day. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:52

I mean, how how old are you turning?

SPEAKER_04 16:54

Uh so uh I I wouldn't want to say that on camera. Ah, okay, okay, okay. But how do you feel because I don't think people uh know know my age. Ah and I and I feel like uh if I if I say that too early, yeah, I I feel I'm gonna um give out the secret. You know what? You're actually we're actually on the same page.

SPEAKER_02 17:18

I don't give up my age on camera too.

SPEAKER_04 17:19

No, I know well let's leave that to to our viewers uh so that they can guess. Perhaps maybe on the in the comment section that they can just tell us how old we both look like.

SPEAKER_02 17:31

Okay, but um how do you feel turning the age you're turning?

SPEAKER_04 17:34

Well, I feel great, why? Because uh there is a beautiful saying by the prophet that says that when you reach a certain age, you uh you become matured. Okay. And I feel like when I turned that age, I I felt so matured, I felt uh the responsibility, I felt different. And I and I and I and I and I think it's so true um when when you hit that number.

SPEAKER_02 18:03

Did you always believe you're gonna be successful or did the confidence come later?

SPEAKER_04 18:09

Well, I I always had the urge in me to do something uh bigger. Okay. And and I always wanted to do something greater, but no. I mean I grew up in in a very normal family, a middle class family where my dad you'd would would would would would go to work every single day at 5 30 and would come back at 6 30 in the evening. So I've I thought that I am also going to be in the working class, but my dad would always tell me that you have to study um and you have to study really hard. And I was one of those kids that hated studying. I would bunk school out of like 200 and 260 days or 250 days of school. Yeah, I think I would probably like attend like 50 days, and then the rest of the days I would just bunk. So my dad would be like, uh, you know, if you don't study hard and if you don't become successful in your in your education, you'd probably like, you know, you know, be uh a shoe polish shiner, you know, like on the streets.

SPEAKER_02 19:22

Damn.

SPEAKER_04 19:23

And he would be like, you know, takuna piacing.

SPEAKER_02 19:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 19:30

And you know, like that would bother me so much, why? Because on this side, yeah, I hate studying, and on this side, I want to achieve something.

SPEAKER_02 19:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 19:41

And and so it was so difficult to a point that I would sit in my room at night and I would just ponder. I would think, like, you know, what is it that I can do?

SPEAKER_01 19:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 19:54

That I would be sleeping and relaxing while making money. Okay, okay. And of course, like after like I mean, cafe, coffee, and you know, like getting the success. And today I I am thinking, yeah, I think it's actually a good idea to open a shoe shine business. Yeah, it would be a good idea, actually. Um, are you close with your dad? I am uh close to my dad and my mom. Uh they're both uh uh amazing parents, they have taught me a lot. Yeah, they have given me the freedom that I wanted. Yeah, um, I became street smart. I think I learned so much because of my parents. Yeah. So of course, like uh, you know, like on a every single day uh prayer, I have to have them in my in my prayer.

SPEAKER_02 20:45

Beautiful.

SPEAKER_04 20:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:46

And looking at it back now, would you still knowing the success you're gonna get right after years and years, do you feel like you you still invest more power in studying if you knew this information back then, or you kick back and just you know dive into business?

SPEAKER_04 21:04

Uh I think education is very important. Uh when it reached a time where I I uh finished high school, I still pursued uh in in studying. So I did uh computer engineering on a certificate level because I used to love computers back then. Uh and I mean we still do, but back then it was such a hype.

SPEAKER_01 21:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 21:28

So I did computer engineering, and then after that, like I'd love art. So I I did my art studies and I and I really enjoyed it, and um and after that, like I went to India for my bachelor's in business and communication.

SPEAKER_02 21:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 21:46

And it was such an experience because that gave me a lot of exposure. Yeah, yeah. It gave me an exposure to a place called Cafe Coffee Day, and and I would always sit at that coffee shop and I would sip coffee, and I think that also. somehow contributed to what I'm doing today because uh looking at the uh the hype, looking at you know the culture and the community that came along uh to that you know um uh to that coffee shop, and then they would sit and they would laugh and then they would talk and they would sip that coffee and then it would like you know so that trend like you know like really you know stayed with me. And then after that, of course, like I came back from from India and then I left for for uh university in Iran where I studied philosophy and mysticism, and that is where I studied really hard, to a point that I was an A plus student. Nice, and um yeah, and then I graduated in 2010, October, uh, to a point that my teachers were not happy, you know, when when I when I wanted to leave. Yeah, they were like, you have to continue because you're so you know so I turned opposite then.

SPEAKER_02 23:00

Okay, yeah. At first you hated studying and then you ended up loving it.

SPEAKER_04 23:03

Yeah, and and I think and I think um uh us in Tanzania miss out on a lot when it comes to education because schools don't emphasize a lot on art, emphasize a lot on activities. Yes, and you'd only hear that in in like international school that they're having so many activities. But back in the schools that we went to, yeah, we didn't have these activities, so you're always bored because you don't have much to do. Yeah, so I I believe that schools need to change that. Um, they need to have like more programs so that the the students are more active. And I would go back to your question and say that yes, I think education is extremely important, yeah, but you know, we have to live by today's uh you know uh pace. We need to learn AI, we need to learn about you know so many other things that are out there, yeah, or else we cannot depend on the traditional way of learning and then you know having a practical life. Okay. So do you these are the two. I mean, allow your uh you know, your kid to go to school with with a mobile phone. Why do you restrict them? I mean, today mobile is everything.

SPEAKER_02 24:18

So absolutely. I feel like when it comes to globalization and everything like that, I feel like we are always like behind on that. But I feel like we're just we're stuck in our old ways. And it's gonna take a lot to change the complete the whole system of education. But I feel like it's it's I feel like it's working, but I feel like people need to go an extra mile. You know, if the system is flawed, you have to find a way to impact yourself. You shouldn't worry about the mess.

SPEAKER_04 24:53

I agree. Yeah I agree. I think like uh our systems are are still very behind. Okay, and especially if you go to the the schools in the villages.

SPEAKER_01 25:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 25:04

And I travel a lot, I go to the villages whenever we have visits to the um uh to the to the coffee farms. So when whenever we go to the villages, whenever we go to the cities in Tanzania, you find that a lot of schools are still living with the with the traditional ways. And I think that sorts of delays our growth and um it sort of still holds us, you know, in the in the olden days. Yeah. And it becomes very difficult for that child to grow up in such an environment to be thinking big in today's modern times. Yeah. So I think that makes a huge challenge, but I think a lot of emphasis is given uh to uh schools and and education, especially when it comes to agriculture. Yeah, I think we need to emphasize more agriculture, yeah, and I think we need to also emphasize on the commodities that are traded in the world. So coffee, one of them.

SPEAKER_02 26:12

Yeah, I mean, uh who influenced your mindset the most when you were young.

SPEAKER_04 26:22

I believe that I always had a mind of my own, um, and the thoughts that I've always had in my mind. So I've always had my mind talking to me constantly, um, and uh and guiding me and advising me, and the the thoughts and the dreams that I would have. Uh sometimes I feel like I have alien parents. Like one fine day I would see a spaceship, and you know, like you know, two aliens would pop out of that spaceship and be like, oh, this is our child, and you have to now come back to us, and I'd be like, Okay, wow, now I can figure this out why I had such uh you know an active mind. And I and I feel like uh of course you have parents influence you in in so many ways. Like I believe that my parents influenced me a lot when it comes to religion. Like I feel that I'm so principled today. Like if it is if I'm out late, yeah, I will try to be home by 4 or 4:30 if I am out. Because 5.30 is prayer time, and I would always be up for my prayers. So I feel uh the those values are still in me uh when it comes to religion. And I feel um I think the whole journey, the spiritual journey to Iran also was a huge impact. So I I believe um society.

SPEAKER_02 28:00

Okay, society.

SPEAKER_04 28:04

So I believe that your parents have a huge part in the growth uh and influencing you. I don't think they influenced me in business because my parents were working class.

SPEAKER_03 28:16

Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_04 28:16

My dad would work, but of course he influenced me quite a lot when we would go to the farms. Okay. Um, when we would uh you know buy cash crops. So he was a farmer as well, yeah. And he would be, you know, traveling to different cities, and uh sometimes when I have holidays, school holidays, and I would you know join him to these long trips and the old Land Cruiser long drives, and we would explore. So I think he did influence me somehow when it comes to agriculture. And my mom is from Zanzibar, yeah. So that also somehow influenced me on the swimming part, diving, you know, playing out in the in the in the ocean, you know, fishing, you know, and you know, samarky, enjoying that.

SPEAKER_02 29:08

Yeah, speaking of being young, where did you grow up, man?

SPEAKER_04 29:10

Okay, so um I grew up a bit off my early ages in Zanzibar, and then we moved to Daristlam for for better education and of course medical and and the rest. And we even have a bigger community here.

SPEAKER_03 29:30

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 29:31

So then, of course, I grew up over here and I finished my secondary studies uh in Daristalam, and then that's how I and started traveling on my own.

SPEAKER_02 29:42

Okay, yeah. Uh is there like a childhood experience that shaped how you move today?

SPEAKER_04 29:49

Um I think you know, the the upbringing, the family environment. Yeah, I grew up with three sisters.

SPEAKER_02 30:00

Amazing.

SPEAKER_04 30:01

So uh I feel like I was um, you know, molded by my sisters on how to see a woman from that perspective. And of course, my mom. So we would be, you know, like all women at home, and I would be the only boy growing up with women. My dad would travel most of the time to the firms, and I think that also uh you know gave me a different perspective of how we need to treat women in today's, you know, um in today's society, uh, how to respect and value women. And of course that contributes quite a lot uh to different parts of uh of you know uh you know my journey, um especially when working with women or uh giving uh an opportunity, an equal opportunity to women to work with us at Cafe Coffee. So I would always try and emphasize when we're looking for a barista, okay, uh, or if we're looking for an accountant, and I'd always emphasize that if we can have more women join us so that we can have these amazing leaders to uh to lead cafe coffee. Yeah, so hence you would always find on the higher position, we always have a woman. Yeah, and that contributes a lot on how you know as a child I was I was brought up in that homely environment um with my sisters, and I I d definitely do appreciate that.

SPEAKER_02 31:42

Nice. I mean, let's talk about coffee, man. I want to know like when did that business idea for coffee make sense like to you?

SPEAKER_04 31:52

Well, coffee started uh a while back uh when I got back from the university, yeah, and I really wanted to um you know start something with excuse me, uh I really wanted to have a cafe or a coffee shop business of my own where I would see people gather up, have coffee, talk, laugh, socialize. Okay. So I've always wanted to do that. Uh in 2011, I started a brand called Shisha Garden Cafe. And uh it was on Counter Drive, the very first, the road was very dark, everyone was telling me don't open here because it's very quiet. And hey, like it went successful. Uh, we would have so many people come in and enjoy, and so the trend so happened that it reached cafe coffee. And during uh 2019-20 when COVID was at the peak, yeah. Um I was in Zanzibar, and my parents were in Dar, and my mom one fine day just randomly sent me a message, and she was like, Uh, are you planning to come back to Dar? Because things are becoming uh very difficult. And I think you should come to Dar Islam and perhaps maybe stay with us just in case if something happens, if we get sick, or if you get sick, so at least we're together. And I was like, I think I need to go to Dar. And I think that was a great move. Why? Because when I got to Dar I had $2,000 with me uh as savings. Um and I still remember giving uh a bit of that money to my dad to pay rent and the rest, uh I had it with me, and this old landlord of mine on Kounda Drive, uh he sent me a WhatsApp message and he was like Kaka Halimbaya. And I have this one shop that you've always admired. It's a full glass door, you know, you can start up something. And I was like, Can I come and have a look at it? And I went there, I saw the shop, and I was like, wow, it's such a nice shop. So it's like uh I think 20 square meters, and he gave me a very good rate, um, easy payment on a monthly basis. I think it was 350,000 shillings back then. And I paid him the first uh month rent and I gathered up a couple of things from my friends, a coffee machine from a friend, a few furniture, a table. And that's how my journey in coffee started. And when I opened doors, I still remember the first day we sold I think maybe three coffee, three coffees, and I made like sixteen thousand shillings. And I took that money and I straight went home that night and I gave it to my mom, and I was like, hey, we made 16,000 today.

SPEAKER_02 35:17

Nice.

SPEAKER_04 35:17

And I was so happy.

SPEAKER_02 35:18

Nice.

SPEAKER_04 35:19

And uh we did the same thing next day. We and it wasn't 24-7.

SPEAKER_02 35:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 35:24

And then the next day we did like I think a little bit higher, and then it went to 50, and then it went to 150, and then it became 200. And then, you know, you never know. You know, uh by the end of 2021, we were crossing a million dollars on on selling coffee.

SPEAKER_02 35:43

Nice, bro.

SPEAKER_04 35:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 35:45

And how long did it take for the graph to scale up when you studied coffee?

SPEAKER_04 35:51

Well, immediately. Ah immediately from the first day, from the first day to the second to the third, like the graph went up, kept on inclining. It went up. And that one little shop that paid everything. It paid the employees, it paid taxes, it paid, you know, all the compliances, it paid the house rent, it paid everything in 2021. I paid for my studies in Dubai, and I went and I studied more about coffee. And I still remember like I I scored so high at ICCA Dubai to appoint uh uh the professor that the managing director came and congratulated, and we did like a whole um you know interview, and I still remember that day, and I was like, I'm so proud of myself. Yeah, I booked uh I booked a Hyatt uh Regency, a Hyatt Creek. I paid uh a nice suite for myself, and on the return, I called my travel agent and I was like, Can I have a business class? I want to gift this to myself. I've never traveled with a business class. And he and he, I think I had to pay an extra amount to my ticket. It wasn't much, and I came back with a business class. That's the first time that I felt that I am on the right track.

SPEAKER_02 37:18

Hopping on that business class. Yeah. What does cafe coffee represent besides like selling coffee?

SPEAKER_04 37:25

Cafe coffee represents um uh you know um Tanzania, it represents um the black diamond, it represents people, it represents uh authenticity, um, it represents everything to do with uh with coffee, and that is why we say kahawani cafe coffee. It's a slogan that I founded in 2020 when I was starting. Um when I looked at cafe coffee and I was like where else do you get a good cup of coffee? And at that time it was such a struggle to find a good cup of coffee. Why? Because you can have different sources of coffee. A lot of the coffee shops in Darusalam didn't even know where they're buying coffee from. And back then, nobody in Tanzania, and I can guarantee you that, that even had a cup with their brand on it, we would be served with a normal cup. Yeah, so cafe coffee came and revolutionized the coffee industry and the coffee shop industry as well. Um, we had branded cups, we had a vision, we would have stickers on the bottles, we would have the frappuccino, we would have the cheesecakes, we would have the cinnamon buns, and it created that coffee environment to a point that then a lot of people got inspired. So you would find that a so-and-so coffee shop now started a bottle with a sticker on it, uh, and it so then happened. But we revolutionized uh the coffee industry and the coffee shop business to a point that I felt like kahawa knee cafe coffee. Yeah, it is actually uh the brand. Why? Because the brand founded coffee to our people, it actually taught how uh we should be having the perfect cup of coffee, why? Because then we would only play with the top grade coffee from the sources and not just any type of coffee. So if somebody would come in and ask me where is your coffee from, yeah, and I would say, Mbinga, what is the altitude? 1700 meters above sea level. What is the roast type, medium to dark? What is the grade? What region, what city? And I would have all these answers to give. No coffee shop had that, and it's not that we did not have coffee to grow, it's not that coffee growers were not there. Yes, there were so many coffee growers, there were so many farmers in Tanzania, but did they have coffee shop or no? And that was the question. So when I founded Cafe Coffee and I saw the revolution, the amount of people that came, the amount of people that enjoyed coffee, and the amount of people that literally told us that we have now uh got a good coffee. I said coffee.

SPEAKER_02 41:06

Nice. Um many brands uh lose their magic once they start expanding, distribution, and scaling up, right? Um quality job, customer service fades, and the product no longer feels special. As a person building cafe coffee, how do you grow without losing that taste, that authenticity, that special feeling customer had when it was just small?

SPEAKER_04 41:31

Right. So there is a principle to cafe coffee. Principle is consistency, quality, service, and price. These are the four keys that we work with. Okay. Consistency has to be there throughout no matter what. Even if the coffee prices are high, I will still buy the same top grade coffee so that Tanzanians can enjoy what the good coffee is. Um quality has to be there. So I cannot serve you uh the consistent coffee, which is amazing. But the quality of the coffee or the coffee cup is poor. Um, or if it's not double wooled, you will start burning your hand and you will not consume it. You'll probably go somewhere else. Um and then the service. So the service also has to be perfect. The barista has to serve you the consistent coffee, which is high quality, in the best manner, so that you can enjoy uh your coffee and then the price. So we don't care about the price. I I still feel that I am the most expensive coffee shop in Tanzania.

SPEAKER_03 42:56

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 42:57

And I think some parts um in the neighboring uh country. That is one thing that I have always believed that in order for you to serve something great, and in order for you to attract your customer base, you do not have to negotiate on your price because you're negotiating on everything else. So my prices are high. If you can afford it, you're more than welcome. If you can't afford it, you can go somewhere else. And it's that easy. Um, and this is what I think it was a challenge for me in the first year where um a person came into cafe coffee, uh, took a cheesecake, went back home, uh, you know, paid for it, saw the price, saw the menu, bought it, went home, had the cheesecake, and then went public saying that we're the most expensive cheesecake in Tanzania. I mean, hey, dude, you went to Cafe Coffee, you saw the menu. And you paid for it, you had the cheesecake, you don't have an issue with the cheesecake or the quality or the taste.

SPEAKER_02 44:06

You have the issue with the price.

SPEAKER_04 44:08

Then why are you complaining? So uh it was very simple, you know, a simple text. Hey, like, um, if you can't afford it, you can go somewhere else. And I think the person took it very offensively and went public and and tried to uh destroy uh our brand. Yeah, but I mean, hey, where we are today, and you know, the brand speaks for itself. And I think what people appreciate is quality. Yeah, and I think that's where we stand. We always maintained these four. I mean, yes, at Cafe Coffee, we don't have the modality of having waiters or waitresses, we don't have that. Uh, at Cafe Coffee, all of us are barristers. I train people to learn how to make coffee, and these are the same people that will serve you. Even the guy who is um at the cashier or the guy who is making pizza has to learn basic coffee.

SPEAKER_01 45:12

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 45:13

I mean, uh, you know, in 2020, I think 2021, when I had a painter who was painting our walls, and he did an amazing job, and I was like, hey, I mean, why don't you join us? And today he's roasting Mustard for our coffees at Cafe Coffee.

SPEAKER_02 45:31

So you're saying uh you train your staff to be baristas, not waiters. Yes. Okay, so how do you handle the negative um comments on the service and stuff like that?

SPEAKER_04 45:44

Well, I think it's very important to stay calm. I think that's one. Yeah, uh, two, I believe that a customer is not a king. I think it's a wrong narrative, and I think uh a customer needs to understand that um that they can be wrong. And this is what I believe. And and I feel that if you address it correctly and rightly, yeah, I believe that you uh you solve a lot of the problems. The moment you say a customer is king is where you are undermining your own brand and uh your ways of uh of working. So I believe that you always have to um become, you always have to address the right thing. If you know that you're at a mist at a fault, yeah, you have to you know respectfully uh address it right, apologize, and perhaps maybe offer something to replace uh the product with. So oftentimes we have complaints with our milkshakes or juices. Okay why? Because they're 100% fresh. We don't have additives, we don't put preservatives, we don't have any of those in our milkshakes. Why? Because children drink our milkshakes on a daily basis, and we can't be feeding our children with um, I mean, natural preservatives, yes, unharmful, but if we can avoid it, why not avoid it? Yeah, but then there is a shelf life. Sometimes it can go off, and a customer takes a first sip and goes like, no, this is bad. They return it back to the coffee shop, or maybe they'll give give me a call, or maybe they'll give cafe coffee a call and be like, you know, you guys gave me uh a spoiled milkshake. So our guys are trained to say that we do apologize, it's a hundred percent fresh, it can go off, and our policy is to give you or offer you another one. So please bring it back and we will give you another one another one to replace with. So that's the policy of cafe coffee.

SPEAKER_02 47:59

Nice, beautiful man. And do you feel like you are the the building a brand like cafe coffee made you more patient? No, so you're not patient? I'm not patient. Why, man? I I thought patience is something that helps you build stuff.

SPEAKER_04 48:21

Uh the thing is, like, you will never find me uh out at cafe coffee. I have zero tolerance when it comes to cafe coffee. If I find someone um coming to me with uh with a harsher tone, I often you know go off. Yeah, I just lose it. I mean, it's it's my baby. Like if you if you're attacking my baby without knowing the struggles that I've had to create this brand, yeah. I mean, give me a break. Like, you know, let me explain myself. So I I I tend to uh I tend to avoid uh direct communication. We have PR and P H R and the rest of the guys who do that.

SPEAKER_02 49:08

Um what's something, what's the harsh truth about entrepreneurship young people should know about or young people don't know?

SPEAKER_04 49:19

Um you need to have uh, you know, I don't know how to put it, but uh you need to have uh you know balls of steel, you know balls of steel, god damn it. Please explain it. Um it's it's very it's very it's a tough journey. It's very demanding. Uh you need to have a lot of your uh personal um choices uh sacrificed. So you sacrifice your family, you sacrifice your personal time, you sacrifice your relationship, you sacrifice uh sleep, you sacrifice a lot of that. Entrepreneurship is not easy. It can uh it can give you the best uh you know memories, it can give you the worst. It can give you challenges if you're not able to handle them, you can break. Um and uh it can give you something that can uh you know put a smile on your face and and and smile on the faces of others surrounding you. So you really need to be very strong. You really need to have your life experiences to tell you that hey, if you want to stand on a ground where you will be uh all by yourself with your journey, with your vision, with your dreams, and you have a place what you want to achieve, then you need to leave everything else back. So, I mean, if I have my friends uh sometimes message me randomly, hey, what are you up to? Can we like you know go to a Vuovie? And I'm like, bro, I am so tired. Like I need that sleep because I know I have to wake up early. Or sometimes you always have to be in, you know, in in a professional um you know, wear. Uh you need to be in a suit. You you hate it, why? Because it's it's hot. It's hot, yeah, and you have but you have to have it. Um you miss weddings, you miss birthday parties, uh sometimes uh you know relationships don't work. Um and sometimes you're just alone in your office, and that's your world. So you become uh what your dreams and your visions are, and not everyone will understand. Like if I have to give you cafe coffee today with all of it, I think you'd probably even break or you go crazy. Why? Because the the multitude of challenges and everything else comes along with it can can literally drain you. And do you think challenges keep coming up or they just I mean challenges will never stop, no matter what. I mean, today you have uh you know 500 million in your account, and tomorrow you have two million, and you go wonder like what happened? You know? So you have hope, and then you suddenly have but I believe that God takes you to a journey. For those who believe in God, it takes you to a journey. Um sometimes I have an offer where I have to open a brunch somewhere, and suddenly my my finances will drop, and I go, like, I can't pay for it. I can't pay for the rent, I can't pay you know the the renovations, and I can't pay uh so I mean you basically lose out on that contract. And it so happens that perhaps maybe God is preparing you for something else. So after a month, and then you have maybe like five tons of coffee that you need to buy, and you have to pay maybe a hundred million shillings for it. And then you go like, wow, imagine if I had invested in that coffee shop and I'd signed that contract, I wouldn't be able to pay for this. So God prepares you in a way that it makes sense later on. So you need to be um prepared um on your choices and the choices that uh that God chooses for you. I mean, of course, you don't know, but um that suspense and and what the outcome is gives you a light at the end that hey so today I feel like if something is not happening, I just go like let me wait for about a week or two to actually know what it was stopping me for. Yeah, and after two or three weeks or a month, I will actually find out that something greater was waiting.

SPEAKER_02 54:24

Nice, man. Yeah, I mean you mentioned partying, man. Do you do you go to parties, bro?

SPEAKER_04 54:28

Well, I mean, I I I mean I enjoy going out. I I I used to party a lot back in the day. I would go to Zanziba, I would go to parties, you know, like I would I don't drink, I've never had alcohol in my life.

SPEAKER_03 54:41

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 54:41

Um I don't do any other substances. I enjoy shisha on a daily basis. Um, but I mean since we were young, we would always go out partying with friends, yeah. And I would be the babysitter, I would be the driver and the Uber and the bolt, you know, that all look at me, you know, when they're drunk. Yeah, like uh Mutaze will drop us, yeah, you will take us home. And I think uh I think I have had the best times in my life, and I feel like sometimes we we do find that time. So maybe full moon party, you know, a few friends, you know, like hey, come on, I mean take a break, and then I'd be like, ah, let's go.

SPEAKER_03 55:26

Let's go.

SPEAKER_04 55:27

But then at the end of the day, like 12 1 max, and I am exhausted, and then I just tell them, I'm just quickly going to the bathroom, and then you dare by there. I go sleep, and then I'm the you know, like the guy who is waking up early morning for that beautiful sunrise while they're the ones who are going to sleep at that time.

SPEAKER_02 55:48

Yeah, um, do you feel like you're a closed-off person or you're like you're easy to talk to?

SPEAKER_04 55:53

I I feel I feel like um a lot of people think that I'm the kind of person that you can't approach. I've I've had that a lot. Like I I I usually when I whenever I'm traveling, someone would see me at the airport and and would slide onto my DMs and be like, hey, uh, I saw you at the airport, but I was afraid to come and say. And I'm like, no, you can just come and say hi. You know, you can just say, you know, that you know, you're uh are you, you know, Muntazir, you know, great, like, you know, let's have coffee, let's talk about coffee, or let's discuss about something that you have in mind, or maybe like what do you have in mind like you would want to do, and if you want like my advice or or you know, thought. And I feel a lot of people think that that I'm non-approachable, yeah. In that, like, you know, in a friendly manner, of course. Uh, but uh, you know, I'm I'm I'm cool. Like I, you know, people can talk to me. Yeah, but sometimes, you know, when when you are uh or most of the times when you're constantly thinking about work and you're constantly thinking about coffee, and we're constantly thinking about what are the things that I need to improve, and maybe like a certain branch that I have, or I'm directed at someplace, like I'm always thinking about something. Your face looks like it's so I feel like I, you know, people think like I'm serious, or like I'm non-approachable, but yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 57:15

Speaking of approaching, do you approach like women?

SPEAKER_04 57:19

I do approach women, yes. Ah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 57:21

I think you like date and stuff?

SPEAKER_04 57:23

I date, yes.

SPEAKER_02 57:25

Yes. What's your take on the dating scene in Tanzania?

SPEAKER_04 57:28

Well, I think it's it's beautiful. I think uh women are beautiful, yeah. Yeah, okay. I I think I think women are beautiful. I think uh we have such a beautiful um uh what do you call uh uh community? Um I think women are out there. I think uh uh I and I think women are approachable in in Tanzania compared to like Dubai.

SPEAKER_03 57:56

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 57:57

Um I mean I I often travel to Dubai, okay. And it's so difficult to approach someone because you I mean uh it's it's very difficult there. But over here, I think you know, if you like someone, you can just be like, hey, like, you know, Mambo, do you drink coffee? That's your own, you know. I'll always I'll always go like um uh do you like cheesecake?

SPEAKER_02 58:22

Really? And who would say no to a cheesecake? Have you ever used your car to pick up a girl?

SPEAKER_04 58:28

Uh I when I had GT86, I think I would flux a lot with with it. I'd drift, you know, if I would see a girl somewhere that I that you know, like that caught my attention and I would, you know, quickly take her around and I would be like, you know, I hope she sees me. And uh this girl I was dating, um and she was like, you know, I had a crush on you, and I'm like, yeah, what do you mean? And she goes, like, you know, that that sexy car of yours has a cancer, it works. It does, bro. Cars in Tanzania get you a long way, really. Absolutely, bro. I mean, I feel like it depends on what car you're driving. So if you're driving GT86, which is a beautiful car, um, I would draw a lot of attention, but a lot of guys would compete with me. Uh like whenever if I'm driving, and if I'm driving slow, I have a girl, you know, on the passenger seat, you know, somebody would try and drift or somebody would drive fast so that I would race with them, I've got no time. Yeah, um the mer the Merck, I feel it has a different vibe, but it does turn faces for sure. Yeah, when you put all the windows down and you have the the panoramic view, yeah, poof, it's amazing. And then the the the new one, I think it gives you more of um more of a serious look. Uh uh that it sort of like sort of elevates you. Uh it gives you a little bit of more mileage that, hey, I mean, this is a serious person. Yeah. Is doing something serious with his life. Uh, so it's a bigger investment. So I feel uh the car you drive uh makes a big difference from a salon car, sports car, uh to a luxurious car and to a more uh you know more of um a business sort of uh or maybe a cool you know wagon sort of, you know. So it makes a difference, I mean, in in short.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:38

Did you always like put appearance first when it comes to um going for meetings or stuff like that? Did you or when did you start focusing on appearance and how you look and what you drive, what you wear on your wrist?

SPEAKER_04 1:00:51

I I'm a Taurus. Okay, okay, I'm a Taurus, and I think it comes with my Zodiac that we always like to have expensive brands. Um I I spend a lot on on my on my clothing, uh, my watches, um, and everything basically that I would want to buy for myself, and I think I deserve it. Um it comes naturally not to show off. Like I I have a Gucci bag because I always walk with it. Yeah, it's actually here, it's actually here, yeah. I always walk with it, and I went to Hajj with it, uh the holy pilgrimage when I went last year. And a friend of mine came and is like, why are you show-offing in Hajj with your Gucci bag? And I'm like, for you, I think it's a different perspective. For me, it's just a bag, it's just a bag that I'm carrying. Um, and it actually makes a lot of my life comfortable because I have my phone, uh, you know, I have, let's say, I have some medicine in there. Let's say, for example, I'm asthmatic, so I have to carry my inhaler the whole time. Okay, I have my car key, uh, I have money, I have my cards, I have my wallet. How am I supposed to carry all that if I'm wearing shorts or if I'm wearing, you know, you know, the Muslim dress, Kanzu? Uh it's it's annoying when all your pockets are full and you're seated the whole time. Yeah, yeah. So it makes sense for me to carry a bag, and but I feel like we do spend uh you know a lot on ourselves, and I feel uh that it's very important. Um the prophet has said it always groom yourself, always look amazing, buy new clothes on Friday if you can, buy the best perfume if you can, um, and spend more money, and there is no waste to it. So I feel that I have taken a little bit of those principles and I have put it into practicality. But of course, like I mean, sometimes you want to show off. Maybe you have a nice watch, you have a Rolex. I have a Rolex back at home and I don't wear it because it's heavy. So I would rather not wear it, and I would wear a Gucci because it's super light. Um, but $2,500 right here.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:30

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:31

For me, it's just a watch, it's convenient and it's comfort, it's not the money. Um and I and I feel it is very important, and I think it goes back to your your intention. Like if I am out there show a thing, uh then it's then I'll be sitting like this the whole time. You got five point, bro. Got a Gucci watch. But I think you know, down the line you become very simple, uh, you become very humble. Yeah, uh, you don't want to show someone that you have more than what they've got.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:06

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:07

And you don't want someone to feel bad that they've uh they they don't have what you have, and that's something that I am very careful about. Like if I am there are there are times where I would remove my watch and I would keep it in the bag, or there are there are times where I would go some places and I would leave the Gucci bag in the car, and I would just have my mobile phone and my car key in the pocket. Because I don't want someone to feel like that they can't afford it. Okay, or they they don't have it and I haven't. So it depends, like you know, where where I'm going to, but you'd always see me with something or the other. I'll always be flashing. And there's nothing wrong with just you know There's nothing wrong. If you can afford it, yeah, yeah, do it for sure. If you can keep yourself to a level where it makes you happy. I mean, this time when I went to Dubai, yeah, and I think this is an amazing story to tell the time when I opened cafe coffee, it was the second day of business. Second day of business. The second day of business, and a friend walked in and he was wearing a Gucci cap. And I looked at the Gucci cap and I was like, I wish one day I could afford that. I wish. And I didn't ask the price for it. Um and I knew that it's expensive, and Gucci is known to be an expensive brunch, LV. I don't think Hermes was such a hype then. Uh and this time when I went to Dubai, and I was in Dubai more. And I was walking around looking for a similar cap. And I just wanted a classic cap. And I walked into the first Gucci store, they didn't have it. And then I went to the second Gucci store and I found a latest model of it. And it's so nice. It's plain. You know, it's got a stripe in the front. And I asked a price. And to me it was cheap. And I paid for it. And I paid for the sunglasses. And I paid slippers. And I paid a couple of things. And I took that cap and I wore. So the guy walked, you know, the the manager or the source supervisor walked uh walked up to me and goes like it really suits you. And I looked at him and I was like, thank you. Um and I told him that, you know, like how much is it? And he goes, like, you know, it's you know, and then I paid. And I told him that it was actually not about the price. Uh it's that dream that I wanted to fulfill. Today I fulfilled that dream. So even if I take this cap and I keep it in the cupboard and I don't wear it, I know I accompl accomplished something.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:22

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:24

For me, that is happiness. So money does buy happiness to you. Money can buy happiness if happiness for you comes from money.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:39

Okay. Is there a principle you live by?

SPEAKER_04 1:07:45

I live by a principle uh that is very basic, and that is to never cheat someone.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:58

You mean cheat as in infidelity?

SPEAKER_04 1:08:01

Cheat as in never to lie, okay, never to um never to give someone something what you have promised that you don't keep.

unknown 1:08:20

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:21

So to always be um truthful and to always make sure that you're doing more than what uh they're expecting.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:32

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:32

So, in an example, our coffee cup is a 16-ounce coffee cup. Majority of the coffee shops in Tanzania serve 12 ounce. So it's a smaller cup, you wouldn't know the difference, but I can tell you the difference. We serve 16 ounces, so there is a difference of four ounces.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:00

Yeah, right? Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:02

So if you buy coffee from cafe coffee, you're actually getting more coffee and you're getting more milk. But at the same price that you would pay at the other coffee shop because you're getting a smaller cup. It's just that they've made it in such a way that you wouldn't tell. Correct or not? So my one fine barista came up to me and said, That boss, Tunatumia maziwa mengi sana, why don't we reduce the portion of milk? Let's put this much coffee. It will look like 16 ounce, but the content is 12 ounce. And I was like, don't cheat, people. Okay. Fill the cup, let people enjoy. When someone realizes that at a later stage, will value your brand.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:54

Yes.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:54

So never cheat. Even with the coffee beans. So whenever we have coffee um in the pouches, so if it's 250 grams, we make sure that the content is more than 250 grams and the bag weight is different.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:09

Okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:11

So the then the the the gross and the net are always uh different. What you get inside in the coffee beans is always 250 or a little more. So if you weigh the coffee bag, it will actually give you more than 250 because there is more inside. So that is the principle that I live by. Never cheat someone, always be truthful, even if it is bitter, always say the truth. If you've cheated.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:45

Be honest.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:46

No.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:47

Me? No. No. I feel like to me, lying is so exhausting. Yeah. So I choose not to do it.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:55

In philosophy, we say lie once, say a thousand truths to defend that one lie. You've you've lied a thousand and one times.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:04

Okay. I feel like for me, it's more like white lies, just small lies here and there, but it's not like deep lies and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:11

Yeah, I mean, if your girl asks you if she looks ugly or beautiful, what would you say?

SPEAKER_02 1:11:17

I'd be like, you look amazing to me. Yeah, there's a popular question. Do I look fat? Yeah, yeah. It's a chap, bro. It's a chap. Never respond to that. Um, what's what's the best financial advice you've ever received, Montezier?

SPEAKER_04 1:11:35

The best financial advice I have received is from um an 80-year-old man who told me, yeah, okay, who told me that every square meter of your business matters. Every square meter of your business matters. So if you're making a million shillings out of 20 square meters, the shop divide it by 20. So you're actually making money based on the square meter. So if you have a restaurant, as an example, okay, this might clarify. If you have a restaurant or a coffee shop and you have a hundred tables, you have to calculate how much each table is giving you business the worth of. So you could have a conference table, let's say, for example, if you come to Cafe Coffee in Masaki, we have a huge conference table by the roasting facility. And then we have the two seaters, and then we have the four-seaters, and then we have the sofas, and then we have the lounge upstairs. So which sofa, table, conference table gives you more income? Divide that into your square meters. So not necessarily that you have to now go deep down and dissect that, but the point is that always make sure that you are utilizing every inch of your uh your place, your storage, your premises, your life, your second, your minute, your day, your hour.

unknown 1:13:29

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:30

You have to emphasize on details. Um, and I think that's the best financial advice that I've been given. So whenever I'm thinking of opening a coffee shop, I would always minimize my service area, and I would always emphasize a higher uh uh you know uh a customer area whereby then it would generate more income for me. But if I see that a space is not being used, then I'm losing money from that space. I need to create something on that area so that I can generate an income from there too. So I would say, let's say, for example, sure, Sean, come and open a studio over there and give me $500 a month. So I actually created something out of nothing and generated income. But I think if you see from that perspective in life, yeah, you would actually be able to, and I think uh it comes down to consultancy as well. Like if you're uh giving out consultancy, you have to count your hours. A lawyer will charge you based on the the time that you take of them uh on consultancy, and I think that goes down to the same uh values, and I think it's very important.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:51

Nice. Um you know you are building a brand.

SPEAKER_04 1:14:57

Yeah, I want to know who built you though, what parents haters, friends, people, environment, and myself.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:23

I wanna play a game with you, man. Uh so basically, I wanna get to know your T Z side. So I'm gonna be asking you questions and you just respond to it. Let's do it. Alright, let's play the game. What TZ food instantly tells you someone is truly from the streets? Ugali. Come on, ugali, okay. Um, what's the most teasy thing someone can say in an argument? Kissing the teeth.

SPEAKER_04 1:16:02

Yeah, you're right, you like I have hardly used that video growing up it annoys me. Especially when I think my staff falls on each other. I like them.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:26

That's actually funny. Um what's your TZ shower song? Uh the weekend. Oh no, no, TZ music.

SPEAKER_04 1:16:38

Okay, in the shower? Yeah. If it is Tanzanian, yeah. Um I enjoy a lot of umboso. Mbso a lot of mboso, especially um what do you call um uh the zanzibari tone, you know, the zanzibari uh marashi and madafu?

SPEAKER_02 1:17:02

Umbso has a song called whoa whoa that's a minute. No no woo salama listen to me. Um last one was uh TZ habit we all have but never admit. Uh we all like chipsy. Well come on, people admit to that. Come on, mealy? Yeah, chips my life is a certified snack, bro.

SPEAKER_04 1:17:35

Come on, okay. The habit that they would not admit that's a tough one. That's a tough one. Dig it out, dig it out, quick and figure it out. Habit that we don't admit. Uh maybe we have more than two girlfriends.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:57

Ah, cheating. Okay, yeah, people don't like admitted to that.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:01

I think that's that's very common.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:02

Yes, it is. It is, it's a it's a popular thing. I feel like I feel like it is popular, it's it's really growing.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:09

I think I I think it's very common. And not not only from the guys, um from the women too.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:17

Okay, yeah. Have you ever been cheated before? I've been cheated, yes. Okay. How did you feel about that? Um it's terrible.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:29

Okay, okay, it breaks you, it gives you a whole lot of meaning of of what you know a responsibility, love, care, and trust is. Um it sort of changes your view of of a relationship and your partner.

unknown 1:18:52

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:53

You become more, I think, aware when when you're cheated on uh have you ever cheated? I have I mean, if you're in a serious relationship, if you say that if I if I say that I was in a serious relationship and I cheated, no. That's a good saying, but but if I am dating someone, yeah, and it's not serious, it's a it's not a relationship, it's just a date. It's not a relationship, it's it's dating, it's an early phase. Yeah, and if I have a nice shorty, you know, come on, uh can we go out on a date or can we grab a quick coffee? Yeah, why not?

SPEAKER_01 1:19:36

Hey gang, don't go anywhere just yet. We're still getting more of the North Calling podcast coming up.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:51

You know that song? Which one is that? Chinky chinky ching vum vum. You know it? Is it a piano? I'm a piano. I need to listen to it properly. Wait, do you know I'm a piano? No, you don't know the genre I'm a piano, the South African music? Yeah, I have to listen to it.

SPEAKER_04 1:20:14

What this is blowing my mind right now, bro. I am such a weakened guy. I swear to you, I am such a weakened guy. Like, I can't wait for him to release. Like, I wasn't even that excited when Drake released all his three albums. I'm like, come on, when are you weakened? Yeah, he's like he's really chill right now. Uh I don't know what's wrong with him. I think he's falling in love or something. Yeah, when I fall in love, you know when they have breakups, that's when they actually start producing music.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:49

Yeah, man, that's the artist's journey, I guess. So, again, we're back from the show break, we're back, we're back, and before we keep on moving with the pod, I want to give a big shout out to Pentagon Rentos for the beautiful space. I know you see the new set, you know. I mean, uh, we I mean it's good to be back on my home setup, man. Kenya was amazing, you know, but this setup is this is home, man, and uh, it feels good to be back in the studio. And yeah, if you're a creative like myself and you want to hook yourself up with a good studio that has everything you can possibly need as a creative, hit up Pentagon Rentals, man, and they'll hook you up really good. You know what I mean? And yeah, just check out their Instagram, Pentagon Rentals. But yeah, we also have our very own exclusive uh channel on Patreon. It's a community of people who want to support, truly support the podcast. So no trollers who want to see the behind the scenes of us, you know, chatting with exclusive interviews with our guests, um, Rocky explaining the setups, you know, us just showing you the ups and downs of being a podcaster in Tanzania. We give you raw, exclusive, unedited content. We can go an extra mile and edit it for you, but we don't usually edit it because we don't have time. But we appreciate you for tuning in. You just tap in, link is in the bio, and links are in the description as well. So make sure you type in and enjoy the exclusive content. Yeah, back to you, man. Uh, how are you feeling so far? How are you liking the vibe? Amazing, man.

SPEAKER_04 1:22:27

Yeah, so proud of you. I I think I think we're we've we've uh created this this you know fire that's gonna lead to a lot of more questions.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:39

Ah yeah, more DMs. Absolutely, hopefully, man. That's a go. Um, we're gonna dive into the last segment of the of the podcast. It's called No Trolling Questions. So we have a segment where these questions are made from fans, research, maybe questions I found out that people were asking you, maybe, and stuff like that. I find online.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:58

Awesome.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:59

So we have a saying called No Trolling, don't sweat it. So when I say no trolling, you say don't sweat it.

SPEAKER_04 1:23:04

Don't sweat it.

SPEAKER_02 1:23:05

Yeah. So I any question I ask you from now, and I end it with no trolling, you say don't sweat it, and then you respond.

SPEAKER_04 1:23:12

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:23:12

So I ask Muntazir, what do you like to drink? Don't sweat it. Yeah. Coffee. Uh see? Simple. All right. First question. What habits change your life financially? No trolling. Don't sweat it.

SPEAKER_04 1:23:28

Um give you more access to uh my dreams.

SPEAKER_02 1:23:36

Okay. Explain.

SPEAKER_04 1:23:39

Well, we all have a lot of things that we want to have access to. Whether it's women, whether it's um you know uh accessories, gadgets, cars, cars, yeah, um and that gave me access to that. And I think I mean uh education, uh influence, you know, uh, and that gave me access to it. And I think the more of it, the more power.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:17

What early mistake taught you the biggest lesson at no trolling?

SPEAKER_04 1:24:25

Don't sweat it. Yeah that I didn't do cafe coffee earlier. Nice. And I wish I would have had the means and I wish I would have had the access to to the thought of building cafe coffee. And I think I mean of course everything comes by time and happens by time, but I I think and I believe that if I had found coffee and agriculture the way I found now, I think things would have been different.

SPEAKER_02 1:25:03

Okay. What is that one belief that you hold that most people disagree with?

SPEAKER_04 1:25:19

Don't sweat it. My one belief that a lot of people have a challenge with or don't believe. I would say start small. Go very small. If you have a hundred dollars, you can make it. If you have a thousand dollars, you can make it. Start very small. If you're broke, you don't have money, you can still make it. I did.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:54

Nice.

SPEAKER_04 1:25:55

Start very small. If you have money and if you have access to to something that you can find your dreams easily, it's great, but the experiences that I went through to where I am today are very different from someone who has found wealth from their father.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:26:17

I can go back to zero and I can still sleep in peace. If you take me to the streets and now if I had to sleep on the floor, I'd be very happy. I'd I'd be comfortable.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:29

Because you went through that.

SPEAKER_04 1:26:30

Because I went through that, and I think that teaches you a lesson. But I know somebody who loses wealth, wealth that has always seen wealth. It's different.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:43

Speaking of you know, growing, did you lose people growing?

SPEAKER_04 1:26:47

Don't sweat it. Yeah, of course. A lot.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:52

How did you uh how did you go about it?

SPEAKER_04 1:26:55

Well, I mean success has its part uh where uh you gain and you lose. And I believe that when when you're becoming successful, the I the idea of people, of who you are to people, sort of fades. People are used to you being poor, yeah. Or people are used to you being the nobody. So when they see you doing greater or better or going faster, uh it threatens them. So you would have even the most successful person um you know jealous of your success. Um and you lose friends and you lose. I mean, on a recent uh event, a friend came by to Cafe Coffee and uh had his headphones, was on the laptop. And uh my barista thought that hey, I mean I mean we get a lot of people who come there for studies or for a call or a conference call or a Skype call, then they don't want to be disturbed. So the barista thought, hey, give them space. The guy don't disturb he's doing his work, and we were we left him for um almost two hours, almost two hours and my baristas are always moving around. So it could be hey, can I please have coffee or can I please have something to have? And yes, but the baristas are passing by no communication, so that means hey, leave me alone, I'm doing my work. When I need you, I will call you. And so it happened that the person went online, published quite a lot, talked about me. I was in Tanziba at that time at the Park Hayat, and I was having um a few meetings on how we can bring coffee to to a certain hotel, which I can't mention now.

SPEAKER_01 1:29:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:29:17

And uh it has so happened that one good friend of mine, a photographer, said, Why don't we take a few content of yours, perhaps maybe, and you know, like, you know, give some activity. So I was like, okay, great. I mean, we had a nice picture, I posted it, uh, you know, coffee is luxury or cafe coffee is luxury, and the person went personal. Um, and I'm just thinking to myself, bro, if you're listening to this, bro, you had my number. You could have given me a call and be like, bro, the guys did not serve me coffee. And I would have shouted at my guys and made sure that you're having a free coffee on your table. There was totally unnecessary for you to go public and seek attention. I have a minister would give me a call. Kaka, and I would kill, I would call my my my my my staff, and of course, you know, have the sense of killing also, and be like, kuna moshimi wapala meka, kuanino jam pelaki akahava, doko bise, and like bosti, we sindu mesema. Every customer is the same customer, so it's just a minister, doesn't mean that I should rush to him. And I'm like, no, but you have to go, I mean, give priority. So we have I have another friend who is also his friend, and we used to hang out, three of us together. And I would call his mom, my mom, and I would go to their house. So I gave him a call, and I'm like, bro, what's happening with this guy? Why does he have to go public when he has my number? You know what he said? That taught me one of the biggest lessons in my life that day.

SPEAKER_02 1:31:15

Damn.

SPEAKER_04 1:31:16

You know what he said?

SPEAKER_02 1:31:17

What?

SPEAKER_04 1:31:18

It's like maybe he never took you as a brother or as a friend. Maybe he never took you as a friend.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:24

Shit.

SPEAKER_04 1:31:25

And I just went quiet. And I was like, wow, that is so true. That this whole time that I am thinking that this guy is a brother. And I'm like, God, and I had to deal with it in a different manner.

SPEAKER_02 1:31:41

Man, I feel like we went through the same shit, bro. I had a friend as well. I thought he was a brother, bro. The way I got stabbed in the back, bro, I couldn't believe it. Left me out to dry. I was like, it actually that came my biggest lesson as well. Damn, I feel like we have that in common. Yeah. Damn, it's crazy. Part of growth. Absolutely. Part of growth. Absolutely. Um how do you stay hungry after reaching so many milestones? No trolling.

SPEAKER_04 1:32:18

Don't sweat it. It's the passion that drives. Okay. It's the dream, it's the vision. Like I want to do more, I want to reach more Tanzanians, more people. I want people to enjoy the best coffee wherever they are. So I will make sure if I am alive for the next 100 years, I will make sure that the next hundred years I am pushing so much that everyone in Tanzania can enjoy the best cup of coffee.

SPEAKER_02 1:32:50

Beautiful. What's something you know now you wish you your younger self could understand? No trolling.

SPEAKER_04 1:33:00

Don't sweat it. That one thing give priority to your parents. Okay. Love your parents. Every day is a day less with your parents. So always make sure that no matter what the circumstance or situation, always make sure that you are saying hi to your parents. And I think growing up, especially us as boys, we always forget that we we have parents who are growing older. A simple question like, you know, like, mom, how are you today? Uh and you know, when you're growing old, you have pain from nowhere. Like sometimes you wake up and you go, like, oh, I have a pain in my leg. For God's sake, where did this pain come from?

unknown 1:34:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:34:06

And that's part of aging.

SPEAKER_01 1:34:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:34:10

And there are so many things that our parents go through and they don't tell us. So it's always going back to your parents and always asking, How are you? And just making sure that you are there for them that whole time and the whole process, no matter how busy you are, no matter how occupied you are, never say oof to your parents. And I think this is something that I would remind myself or I would tell myself even when I was a kid to always value them.

SPEAKER_02 1:34:50

Nice. Um before I let you go, man. I wanna know. Like I truly wanna know. Are you happy now? Don't sweat it.

SPEAKER_04 1:35:01

Yeah, I'm very happy, bro. Yeah, yeah, you know, I am the most happiest person in this world. For real? The most happiest person in this world. And um the reason I'm saying is that even if I would have to die tomorrow, you know, when you when you think of death, yeah, you would either think um you'd either you know fear death or you'd take it as something that you have to accept. Um if I have to embrace death tomorrow, I'll die so happy. Because I think I've accomplished quite a lot in my life. Yeah, I've accomplished um being with my family and giving back to my parents and them. Uh when I see them, my when I see my dad watching Netflix the whole day, doing nothing, and I go like, wow, you know, he's so relaxed. It's just chill. You know, I look at my mom enjoying her food and her snacks, and she's waking up at her own time and she's going to sleep, and she has like, you know, family at home, and I go, like, you know, wow, it's such a beautiful, you know, life that we're in. I've succeeded in business, I've succeeded in in my relationship, though I got cheated on. Okay. Um, I'm not, I'm still single. I don't have uh anyone in my life uh right now. But I feel like I'm at a stage where I am so content, I'm so happy that I I can't ask for more.

SPEAKER_02 1:36:55

Beautiful, man. Yeah, that's the best way to end the show, bro. Yeah, and that was it, gang, ladies and gents, note trollers. I appreciate everybody that tuned in to episode 90, bro. That's another milestone. 10 episodes to a hundred. That's gonna be big. I need to do like a little celebration on a hundred. But I appreciate everybody tuning in. We just hit 12k uh subscribers on YouTube. We appreciate that. Hopefully, it's gonna be like 20k soon, man. Road to 20k. And yeah, um, I feel like we've said enough today. We we've said pretty much, and then uh hopefully you've been noting and taking notes and learning from our lovely guest Montezero over here, CEO, founder of Cafe Cafe. Six years uh of doing the business. Congratulations again.

SPEAKER_00 1:37:43

Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 1:37:43

And it's truly an honor to sit down with you and to have this beautiful conversation. Truly appreciate it.

SPEAKER_04 1:37:48

And so, yeah, so it's the same feeling.

SPEAKER_02 1:37:51

Oh, yeah. Any last words?

SPEAKER_04 1:37:53

Well, I think uh I think uh you, my guy, are gonna go big. Oh yeah. Uh I see I see that you're doing an amazing thing right here. Um, and I would want to see more of you drinking coffee. Absolutely. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 1:38:14

Yeah, I appreciate that.

SPEAKER_04 1:38:15

Wish you all the best. And uh, you know, it's such a milestone to to grow to 12k. Yeah, and I think that 20k is gonna be soon.

SPEAKER_02 1:38:22

Yeah, for sure, bro. Yeah, and after this Kenyan tour, I feel like we've we've gained so much Kenyan audiences, and I properly introduced myself to the Kenyan market, and it's only up from now, gang. I appreciate the no trollers, and I promise you guys to deliver the best conversation every time you see my face. Uh yeah, until next time, gang. Peace.

SPEAKER_01 1:38:44

Hey gang, don't go anywhere just yet. We'll still get more of the No Trolling podcast coming out.