The beginning of the brand<\/p>\n
Despite their young age<\/a>, Hirji and Samnani are already established entrepreneurs. The \u201ctwins\u201d (who are actually extended cousins) weren\u2019t particularly close growing up, but developed a bond during their studies at Western University in London, Ontario (Hirji studied kinesiology and Samnani studied business intelligence). Shortly after, the two launched their first business venture\u2014Twins Caf\u00e9\u2014in the same city, to much success.<\/p>\n Seeking to expand their booming brand across the country, Hirji and Samnani made the trek to Vancouver, where they had always been \u201clooking for a reason\u201d to move.<\/p>\n \u201cThe coffee culture and community here is huge,\u201d said Samnani.<\/p>\n The Tiny Twins strategy<\/p>\n Of course, arriving in an already saturated market meant the cousins had to figure out a competitive edge.<\/p>\n \u201cTo differentiate ourselves, we\u2019ve got pretty creative with our branding and the way we package our products. Also, our social media<\/a> presence is a key factor,\u201d said Samnani. \u201cWe try to become very personable with everyone and put a face to the brand.\u201d<\/p>\n By no means does that mean their personability is restricted to online. In fact, community-driven initiatives like their \u201ccommunity wall\u201d\u2014a space for neighbouring local businesses to advertise for free\u2014are the backbone of their model. They\u2019ve also already done pop-ups with Lululemon<\/a>, Lagree West, B Ninety-Eight Pilates, among other B.C. businesses and social clubs.<\/p>\n Though they have playfully dubbed Tiny Twins the \u201cmost hated caf\u00e9 in all of Vancouver,\u201d the business has already received an outpouring of support from the community.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we first opened up in Ontario, we had absolutely no clue what to do or what was going on,\u201d said Samnani. \u201cWe experienced a lot of challenges over there with what we thought the initial numbers would be versus what it actually ended up being.\u201d<\/p>\n But this time around, with experience successfully running a business, they were able to take a more sure-footed approach to setting up Tiny Twins.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve learned to just roll with the punches,\u201d said Samnani.<\/p>\n Breaking down the numbers<\/p>\n So far, the cousins have invested $205,650 in Tiny Twins, which can be broken down into five main categories\/phases: the deposit on the lease, construction fees, the kitchen, the espresso machine (yes, it gets its own category) and finishing touches.<\/p>\n Naturally, the cousins\u2019 first phase was securing a space, which set them back $37,500.<\/p>\n Next, getting the caf\u00e9 space up to snuff was no easy feat, with construction being the second most expensive category. Expenditures totalled $51,500, which included costs associated with demolition, framing, plumbing and electrical.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Tiny-Twins-Expenses.png\")
Pie chart of costs associated with launching Tiny Twins (so far).<\/p>\n