Rasha Al Danhani

Rasha Al Danhani
Born	UAE
Occupation(s)	Businesswoman Entrepreneur
Known for	PappaRoti

Rasha Al Danhani (Rasha Sharif Al Dhanhani) is an Emirati businesswoman and entrepreneur, who is the UAE owner of the PappaRoti coffeehouse chain. ^{[1] [2]}

Education and early career

Al Danhani studied entrepreneurship at Dubai Women's College and graduated in 1998. ^[3] She started her career working in the banking sector but moved to the real estate business.

PappaRoti

In 2009, Al Danhani acquired the Malaysian brand PappaRoti (meaning 'Father of the bun' in Malaysian) that started in 2003, and turned it from a maker of buns and beverages into a coffee shop chain, with the coffee-coated bun as its signature. ^[3] In an interview, Al Dahnhani said she bought the brand through her savings from her previous work and a loan from her father. ^[4] The first store was a small kiosk opened in Dubai Mall in 2009, ^[5] with a staff that included only five people. ^[6] After five years, the number of locations exceeded 200 locations. ^[3] As of February 2020, PappaRoti has over 400 stores and kiosks located mostly across the Middle East and eastern Asia, with locations in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France, Brazil, and other countries. ^{[7] [8] [9]}

Awards

In 2012, Al Danhani received the Mohammad Bin Rashid SME Fund's Entrepreneurial Personality of the Year. ^[10] In 2013, she won the Entrepreneur of the Year Award at Arab Woman Awards UAE 2013, organized by ITP Publishing. ^[11] In 2014, she was ranked #57 in the Forbes Middle East 200 Most Powerful Arab women. ^{[12] [13]}

References

1. Gutcher, Lianne. "Emirati brews up a franchise success story with PappaRoti". The National.
2. "Malaysia's Papparoti plans 25 cafes in India in 5 years - Restaurant India". Restaurantindia.in. 15 October 2024.
3. "PappaRoti: Wow! What a bun!". Arab News. January 7, 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
4. "Emirati brews up a franchise success story with PappaRoti". The National. January 23, 2014. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
5. "Uwind: Bun appetit!". Gulf News. May 19, 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
6. "رشا الظنحاني تحصد جائزة رائدة أعمال العام 2013" [Rasha Al Danhani wins the entrepreneur woman of the year award 2013] (in Arabic). Fujairah Today. December 12, 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
7. "First U.S. PappaRoti coffee shop opens in Farmington Hills". Hometown Life. May 21, 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
8. "About us". PappaRoti Canada. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
9. ""الظنحاني" تدخـــل قائمة أقوى النساء العرب بـ 409 مقاهٍ" [Al Danhani enters the list of the most powerful Arab women with 409 coffee shop] (in Arabic). Emarat Alyoum. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
10. "'Mohammad Bin Rashid SME Fund' decreed". Gulf News. December 12, 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
11. "Rasha Al Danhani Wins Entrepreneur of the Year Award at Arab Woman Awards UAE 2013". Zawya. December 12, 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
12. "سيدة الأعمال الإماراتية رشا الظنحاني تحصد جائزة أفضل رائدة أعمال عربية" [Emirati businesswoman Rasha Al Danhani wins the Best Arab Woman Entrepreneur award] (in Arabic). Al-Watan. January 28, 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
13. "هل كانت "كعكة مقرمشة" بداية رحلة نجاح هذه السيدة الإماراتية؟" [Was a 'Crispy bun' the beginning of a successful story of this Emirati woman?] (in Arabic). CNN Arabic. July 2, 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2020.