OUR FOUNDER OF THE WEEK- Every Tuesday, Founder of the Week looks at how a successful member of Egypt’s startup community got their big break, asks about their experiences running a business, and gets their advice for budding entrepreneurs. Speaking to us this week is Aly Khattab (LinkedIn), founder of Egyptian specialty coffee brand ReQaf.

My name is Aly Khattab, founder of ReQaf, a specialty coffee brand designed to make high quality coffee available in Egypt — and eventually abroad. We offer specialty drip coffee bags sourced from trusted Specialty Coffee Association suppliers, and our goal is to create a curated, accessible coffee experience. Everyone wants their coffee fix, but still, they want good coffee, not just instant — we’re bridging the gap.

I graduated from the British University in Egypt in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in political science. My academic path wasn’t directly related to business, yet political science gave me a very solid foundation in terms of analytical thinking, my understanding of macroeconomic dynamics, and it proved useful as I transitioned into the private sector and entrepreneurship. It’s quite the leap going from political science to kickstarting a coffee company.

I started my career working for my father, who had a manufacturing company for home appliances. Because of that job, I travelled to Kenya for the first time. It was there that I was introduced to filter coffee, and that’s where it all started. Next, I moved into the energy sector and started working at Elsewedy Electric. That taught me a lot about corporate life. I then moved to management consulting at Simon-Kucher & Partners, and that was a big leap for me. I fell in love with consumer behavior, analytics, and strategies. That’s where I excel with ReQaf. Then I moved to banking for three years, and that killed me. My wife told me that it was as if my brain had started dying.

It was then, with her support, that I realized I needed to start my own business. I had full support from everyone, especially my wife and parents, and so I started ReQaf. I remember that day I came home after resigning from my job, thinking I’d lost stability, security, and made a mistake — but that same night, we came up with the name for ReQaf. The initial idea was a coffee shop, but we started veering towards convenient coffee.

We launched ReQaf out of a deep passion for coffee, and a desire to fill a gap in the Egyptian market. Specialty coffee was limited to cafés, you had to go to one to enjoy a decent cup of coffee, but we wanted to offer an on-the-shelf alternative that people could enjoy at home without compromising on origin, flavor, or freshness.

I spent time observing consumer behavior and gaps in product availability. I got myself into the specialty coffee community, and I leaned on my consulting experience to build a clear strategy. We did a lot of testing and sent out samples to family, friends, and an extended network. We gathered feedback and started crunching the data. A year later, we came up with the right strategy — it was all in the data.

ReQaf isn’t just a coffee brand, it’s a curated experience — that’s what sets us apart. ReQaf is more of a lifestyle product — for a busy parent or a school teacher or a doctor. We don’t sell just a product, we cater to lifestyles. We’re also the exclusive distributor for Standart — the number one coffee magazine in the world — and an example for what I mean when I say we cater to a lifestyle.

Success came in waves, and I knew we were successful when we started getting repeat customers. We also felt successful when we began expanding into new channels and partnerships. But for me, success is really a moving target. I would say we are successful, but there is more to be achieved.

In five years, I see ReQaf becoming a regional name in the specialty coffee scene, known for its innovation. We won’t be stopping at drip coffee bags, growth will be driven by expanding distribution, strengthening our partnerships, and building educational content around coffee.

To manoeuvre the recent economic challenges, we had to be extremely agile. We adapted our prices, adjusted our packaging, and negotiated better terms with suppliers. We’re also focusing on optimizing our supply chain and working capital. The biggest lesson has been to build a business that is resilient by design, not by reaction. We’re always trying to be proactive. If the worst happens, we’re prepared. With coffee prices fluctuating in the past year, we had to reprice several times. If costs increase 20%, you can’t increase your price by 20% — you’d kill your competitiveness. It’s quite challenging, but it’s interesting.

Three things I would change about the industry are transparency, consumer education, and sustainability. We are more open about sourcing, roasting, and pricing — something I learned from coffee roasters in Germany. Creating more accessible knowledge around coffee is also something that we try to do. In terms of sustainability, better practices around packaging and logistics is something that we want to see.

When someone messages us saying ReQaf changed how they experience coffee, that’s proof we’re making a real personal impact, which is very rewarding. The hardest part of running the business is wearing many hats. Sometimes I wear the driver's hat, I go and deliver orders myself to the warehouse. Sometimes I take care of production and I spend days and nights on the machine producing. Luckily, we have a very lean and agile team.

Balancing home and business is a constant effort, but I've learned to set clear boundaries and prioritize tasks. I try to reserve pockets of time for rest and reflection. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. I have my routine. As soon as I wake up, we have some quality time, my wife and I, then we have a cup of coffee. I start reading a bit, and work out. Anything that follows throughout the day is like, whatever, I’ve done my part for myself.

The last book I read was Illusions of Triumph by Mohamed Hassanein Heikal. It's a political science book that delves into the first Gulf War and its prelude, focusing on the political origins and motivations. It also examines how the US and British gained a foothold in the Gulf due to the war and its ties to oil.

If I weren't the brain behind my business, I'd likely be into strategy or venture building. I really love building things from scratch and scaling ideas. My ideal life would be living by the beach, eating fish, and kite surfing. That's definitely my hobby, and luckily, my wife and I met kite surfing, so we both share the same passion.

If I could give advice to my younger self, I’d say start smaller, validate quicker, and don't be afraid to pivot. Go all-in, document everything, and over-communicate with your team. Communication is truly key; it's something I didn't learn when I was young, but I've since made an effort to master it.

Advice for budding entrepreneurs? Know your "why" and be ready to fight for it every day. Don't give up at the first challenge. Build a business that solves a real problem, because if you do, and if you believe in it and treat it like your baby, you will truly thrive.