Do you live in the urban areas of Yangon? If so, you may be familiar with the voice of your friendly neighborhood brown beans sellers. Mornings come alive when they shout the phrase “Haw De Ka Pe Pyote” in the streets. It is a lovely streetscene that you can only experience in Myanmar.
Ma Mi was the main supplier of brown beans for restaurants like Feel, Shwe Palin and many other local teashops. Her family has been operating the brown beans business since her grandparents’ generation. However, things took a turn for the worse when the Covid pandemic hit unexpectedly.
All the shops they had been supplying had to shut down. Orders shrank and their business was struggling. Ma Mi didn’t want to give up as she inherited this business from her parents. So, she decided to pivot and try selling brown beans online.
Ma Mi and Ko Win started a Facebook page in September 2020. “TT & BB” was named after their two little boys. They sold only brown beans at first. Later, she got the idea to add Burmese curries to the menu because of her husband. Ma Mi revealed that he is the true chef in their family, even better at cooking than she is!
At the moment, they are opening a food stall and selling a wide variety of Burmese cuisines and desserts at an affordable price at Star City Thanlyin.
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