Mauritius has been a good market for us for a while now. The capital was the piece that was missing.
We opened in Port Louis on 27 July, at the SIPF Building on Remi Ollier Street, opposite the theatre.
Mauritius has been a good market for FiLLi for a while now, but the capital was the piece that was missing. Port Louis is where the island comes to work, and that is exactly the kind of place a FiLLi belongs — somewhere a cup of chai fits into an ordinary morning rather than a special occasion.
The way we enter a country has not really changed since the first cafe outside the UAE opened in Qatar in 2016. Find a partner who actually knows the market. Open one cafe and let it prove the demand. Then go deeper, city by city.
It is a slower way to grow than signing everything at once. It is also the reason the brand still tastes the same in every market. More than 100 locations across 14 countries, and one recipe behind all of them: Zafran Chai, Kashmiri saffron, made the way it has always been made.
“We have never been in a hurry to plant flags. We would rather open one cafe in the right hands and let the market tell us what comes next. Mauritius has told us plainly, and Port Louis is the answer.”
— Mr. Rafih FiLLi, Founder, FiLLi Cafe
Opening day brought a room full of people, and we are grateful to every one of them. That response is the whole reason this works.
The menu is the one you know — Zafran Chai and Karak Tea, specialty coffee, sandwiches, wraps and all-day favourites. Breakfast, lunch, tea time, or just the daily FiLLi fix.
Now open — SIPF Building, Remi Ollier Street, Port Louis. The tea is waiting.