Thai answer to Starbucks:Hanuman vs Superman

[Guest guest]

.. "To fight Superman, you can't send an ordinary ape — you need

Hanuman," he says, invoking the name of the monkey-god hero of

Hindu mythology. "And Banrie is Hanuman."

 

 

Temple Of Tradition

A Thai coffee chain takes on Starbucks by sticking to its roots

photo

http://img.timeinc.net/time/europe/magazine/2005/1024/coffee.jpg

By ILYA GARGER

COURTESY OF BANRIE COFFEE

OLD-SCHOOL THAI: Traditional design makes Banrie's stores instantly

recognizable

Sunday, Oct. 16, 2005

Stumble upon the steep-roofed, wood-framed structure by Ekkamai

Skytrain station on Bangkok's bustling Sukhumvit Road, and you could

be forgiven for thinking that you had come across a temple. Set amid

lush greenery and running water, the building looks like a sanctuary

from the clamor of the Thai capital. But in this case, coffee drinking —

rather than meditation — is the preferred mode of retreat. Welcome to

Banrie, Thailand's answer to Starbucks. It's a flag-flier for local coffee

culture and serves a selection of domestically grown brews prepared the

Thai way — with plenty of sugar and coconut milk.

"In Thailand we think of coffee as a dessert, so we make it sweet and

rich," explains Banrie founder, Saichol Payaonoi. He started the

company in 1997 with small shops built alongside up-country gas

stations, and he now oversees 104 branches. The 39-year-old former

architect and student radical is building up Banrie as a worthy adversary

to the American coffee superpower that's become such a big player in

his country. "To fight Superman, you can't send an ordinary ape — you

need Hanuman," he says, invoking the name of the monkey-god hero of

Hindu mythology. "And Banrie is Hanuman."

 

For Saichol, who personally designed the company's logo, staff

uniforms and coffee cups, as well as every store, Banrie is the

expression of an aesthetic and political vision. The national anthem

plays regularly at stores, and Saichol buys coffee at premium prices to

support domestic growers.

Of course, you don't have to be a fervent Thai patriot to enjoy a cup of

coffee at Banrie. At the end of the day, it's simply a pleasant place to

relax and refuel. Try the aforementioned, temple-like branch on

Sukhumvit Road. It's the chain's largest and is open 24 hours a day.

The fight against the world's coffee superpower takes place around the

clock, after all.

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