Ehsan Rahman, a school teacher aged around 40, still fondly remembers a childhood favourite of his: Mimi Chocolate, which surprisingly came in an orange flavour.
"My first fight with my older brother was over this chocolate. See, my mother had given us money to buy one bar of Mimi chocolate on the condition we both share," he recalls.
Now, Ehsan knows he can afford more than a bar. "But even if I wanted to eat it now, I can't," he laments.
Ehsan's nostalgia is shared by millions across the country.
World Chocolate Day – which celebrates the introduction of chocolate in Europe – for Bangladeshis can be a trip down the sweetest memory lane.
Except with one missing ingredient, which now leaves a bitter aftertaste – the loss of Mimi chocolate.
So where did it go? Dhaka Stream decided to investigate.
The Mimi Mystery
When Mimi hit the shelves, the Bangladeshi market was yet to see such an aggressive penetration by foreign brands.
Mimi's story started back in 1965, in a small factory in Tejgaon, in what was then East Pakistan.
Machineries were brought in from Germany to ensure swift production of a high quality delight.
Following Bangladesh's independence in 1972, the management of the company came under the Bangladesh Muktijoddha Kalyan Trust.
With imported chocolates out of the reach of common consumers, Mimi's sales continued to soar.
For about 18 years, the company did remarkably well. Even into the 1990s, monthly sales of chocolates and chewing gum reached Tk 50-60 lakh, according to reports.
But then, as Bangladesh's income per capita grew and tastes changed, Mimi's downfall began.
But were these the only factors?
To get a clearer answer, Dhaka Stream went to the office of Mahbuber Rahman, managing director of the Muktijoddha Kalyan Trust.
Rahman chalked out a number of reasons for the decline in sales, primarily identifying imported chocolates.
That's when the business losses mounted.
"There was no innovation in this government sector and no market study. Our research and development sector is very poor. It could not survive the competition due to inefficiency," he said.
In 2006, the authorities decided to close the company for the first time. But this was not to be the end.
In 2009, the government announced a loan of Tk 126 crore had been granted to several organisations under the trust, including Mimi Chocolate Ltd.
A comeback dreamt, weakly delivered
The fresh injection of capital meant local chocolate aficionados could dream once again. Mimi Chocolate was coming back.
But the return would be short-lived, especially against the backdrop of a new reality.
By this time, the company's machinery was antiquated, according to factory authorities. Production costs had also grown, and the increasing supply and visibility of foreign brands did not help.
As a result, people's interest in Mimi gradually decreased.
Once racking up crores in sales annually, by 2014, Mimi's turnover had dipped to Tk15-20 lakh.
In 2018, authorities pulled the plug: Mimi Chocolate Ltd was closed, and the factory space was rented out to a motorcycle showroom.
All that was left was the sweet orange aftertaste, permeating the memories of a generation.
For now, there are no plans to restart the production of the chocolate. But, one can always dream.
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