‘Chapai Coach’: One woman’s quest to promote the fruits of Chapainawabganj

In recent times, it has become quite risky to buy and bring products from physical stores due to Covid-19, which is why the country has seen a surge in orders from online stores. But ordering fresh food online, especially fruits, can be tricky. People usually prefer to go to markets and physically inspect the items.

To fill up this demand for fresh and unadulterated fruits, many online stores have scaled up operations while new ones have joined. "Chapai Coach" is one such newly established online fresh fruit delivery business has caught people's attention.  

Chapai Coach started with the idea of delivering fruits directly from the district of Chapainawabgonj – a locale famous for its fruits. They receive orders through their page on Facebook. The page and business was launched by Sayma Akhter.

The main motto of her business is to bring traditional delicacies from that district to people in Dhaka, especially those who were missing out on all the amazing flavours of fresh fruits from the district.

Chapai Coach manages its operation by picking out fresh fruits from the gardens in Chapainawabgonj and delivering them straight to the customers home in Dhaka. Currently, Chapai Coach is delivering only 5 to 6 types of mangoes such as khirsapat (commonly referred to as himshagor), lengra, gopalbhog, amrupali, fazli.

 To place an order from Chapai Coach, a customer needs to order at least 15 kilograms. After taking orders from customers, the mangoes are picked from the gardens, packed carefully and delivered through courier service.

The mangoes are collected from 5 to 6 gardens. As the mangoes are plucked directly from the garden and delivered, the integrity of the fruits are intact. Furthermore, no preservative or chemicals are used in the mangoes. Unfortunately, because of this, some mangoes rot before getting delivered, but the owner discloses this information directly to customers while they are ordering.

 According to Chapai Coach's owner Sayma Akhter, in every delivery 3 to 5 percent mangoes become rotten due to weather and timing. Furthermore, she ensured that if too mangoes are rotten in a delivery she offers refunds.

This is a great example of business ethics and proper accountability. To ensure proper safety measures due to Covid-19, the mangoes are packed carefully with packagers wearing gloves and the page notifies the customers on how to properly disinfect their delivery when they receive it. By maintaining transparency and dedication, Chapai Coach is gaining a reputation among customers as an honest fresh fruit business on an online platform.

In the future, Sayma Akhter has plans to expand her business by delivering more traditional fruits, food, sweets, carpets etc from Chapainawabganj  to people sitting at home in Dhaka. The main vision that she sees through Chapai Coach is representing and branding the district of Chapainawabganj so that people can have a more clear idea about the district and what it has to offer.