Burak Bener left his economics post at Bilgi University, and Emin his job at Pronet, after the two, brought together by their children's friendship, conceived Montag in Amsterdam in 2014. The name is German for Monday. They trained as baristas and roasters, opened in April 2015 upstairs across from an old Armenian church above Kadıköy's food market, and moved roasting to a separate studio in Maltepe by the end of 2016.
The wholesale programme began in 2017 and now reaches more than 150 locations in Turkey, with partners in the Middle East and Europe. Its coffee comes through specialty trading agencies in Europe, and the Bomonti and Moda shops followed in 2019.
