AYDIN Doğan is an entrepreneur who set out planning to travel the world to do what he loves.
Doğan, who immigrated to England from Northern Cyprus in 1996, currently operates three coffee branches in the UK and produces his own coffee.
Rand Coffee Roastery is a speciality coffee company where the coffee lover Doğan imports the beans he sells at his branches and on the internet. Doğan has had to constantly adapt and change the way it does business during the pandemic – but still manages to expand in times of Covid.
In 2010, Doğan opened its first branch, Coffee Rand, on Blenheim Terrace, opposite the University of Leeds. Opened Rand Coffee Roastery on Street Lane in Roundhay in August 2019. Then, it managed to open its third branch at Moortown Corner in Moortown in October 2020.
Known as ‘Mr Rand’ by customers, Doğan stated that he imported 20 different coffee beans from countries such as Costa Rica, Honduras, Peru and Colombia. He went to coffee festivals in the USA, Italy, Germany, France and Turkey to learn more about his profession.
Speaking to Londra Gazete on his plan to bring Rand Coffee Roastery to London Doğan said: “I came to England in 1996, my aim was actually to go to Austria, but I was lucky enough to stay here and realize my dreams here. In the first place, I lived in North London for a while, but I did not encounter the landscape I had hoped for. I was expecting higher standards. On the recommendation of a friend, I moved to a town outside London and opened a Turkish restaurant two years later. In 2010, I decided to enter the ‘cafe’ business. I have three branches now and I have serious attempts to open two more branches. One will be London.”
Doğan stated that they have been working with the title of ‘Speciality Coffee’ since 2017. “We buy our coffee directly from the farmer and pour it directly into our customers’ cups. The aim here is to directly benefit the farmers and eliminate the interlocutor. We support activities to foster a global coffee community and make speciality coffee a thriving, equitable and sustainable activity for the entire value chain.”
We asked, “What advice can you find for young startups who want to pursue their dreams?” Doğan emphasized that “Success comes with the work you love” and said:
“Unfortunately, the new generation believes that with the power of social media, it is possible to win everything very easily. However, ‘There is no food without work’, the first step to success is work, nothing happens without work. Young entrepreneurs must first decide what they want to do, then decide what their favorite job is, and then do the necessary research. You should not put money first, you should put the work you love into your priorities. When you do the work with love, success comes, followed by money.”
