Cafes are evolving into immersive destinations, offering not only F&B but also live music events, workshops and interactive installations 

by AZALEA AZUAR 

WHILE coffee was introduced to Malaya during British colonisation, it initially played second fiddle to tea. It wasn’t until the Chinese immigrants introduced the tradition of dunking Chinese doughnuts into black coffee that the coffee culture gained traction. 

Former Hainanese chefs, once employed by the British, established small coffee shops, now known as kopitiams. The term originates from the Malay word “kopi” for coffee and the Hokkien word “tiam” for shop. These classic kopitiams are characterised by their white marble tables and green floral ceramics, providing affordable cuisine and fostering community gatherings. 

Today, many kopitiams have been passed down through generations, preserving this cherished tradition. However, a new coffee culture is emerging in Malaysia, influenced by, among others, Malaysians who have studied overseas and observed the global coffee trend. 

This influx has led to a surge in neighbourhood baristas, trendy cafes perfect for the Instagram moment and a growing community of third-wave coffee enthusiasts. While Malaysia maintains its traditional kopitiam heritage, modern cafes are on the ascent. 

Global coffee chains like Starbucks and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf have also found fertile ground in the country. Even the Indonesian coffee chain Kopi Kenangan has expanded, with a new store at Suria KLCC and plans for four more in MyTown Cheras, Pavilion KL, NU Sentral and Sunway Pyramid by year’s end. 

In the ever-evolving food and beverage (F&B) industry, even beloved classics like “kopi O” and “kopi susu” have undergone transformations. Consumers are now seeking plant-based alternatives, leading to a surge in cafes using oat milk and almond milk in their brews. 

Additionally, there’s also a growing emphasis on sustainability, with cafes eschewing single-use plastics in favour of eco-friendly paper-based packaging. 

Cafes are evolving into immersive destinations, offering not only F&B but also live music events, workshops and interactive installations. Specialised drinks like matcha latte, turmeric latte and bubble tea serve as unique signatures for these establishments, setting them apart in the burgeoning coffee scene. 

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought a rapid pace of digitalisation worldwide forcing many businesses to embrace technology. 

Digitalisation reduces operation costs by eliminating human resource dependence and facilitates a smooth transition from traditional analogue to digital systems. 

It also allows businesses to build a solid customer base through efficient processes and automated workflows. At the same time, it empowers the workforce, enabling better productivity and quicker results, and empowering them to capitalise on efficiency. 

Malaysian digital-first coffee chain Gigi Coffee has opened its 100th store in Pavilion KL where it primarily focuses on pick-up and app ordering. 

On the other hand, local coffee chain ZUS Coffee uses mobile app which has become a game-changer in the industry and is now exploring artificial intelligence to enhance customer service. 

The brand achieved 7.5 times and three times revenue growth in 2021 and 2022, respectively, serving 200 to 400 cups of coffee daily. 

Cafes for the Community 

Cake Jalan Tiung co-founder Hidzad Lahure explains that there are a lot of good cafes in Malaysia and a lot of different concepts which are based on trends. 

“So most likely when we first started about eight years ago, it was your coffee sort of cafe. 

“That’s what was popular then I think things evolved. Things progressed, so people started opening coffee with food, like pasta, with things like that,” he told The Malaysian Reserve (TMR). 

However, Hidzad shared that there is no “one size fits all” concept for cafes as different concept will attract different groups of people. 

“I think different cafe concepts attract different types of people. 

“So, ours is more on the way we design it and the things we provide. It’s more for these types of people,” he refers to female customers in their early to late thirties who make up 70% of their customers. 

Located at Seksyen 4, Shah Alam in Selangor, the cafe is nestled inside a quiet neighbourhood in an old shop lot. Radiating a vibrant and warm aura, the cafe has more in common with kopitiam of old rather 

than the new chain cafes where it served the communities who live there rather than a place where workers dropped by in big cities. 

The cafe was founded by Hidzad and his wife Nur Shafinaz Abdul Rahman who wanted to have a cafe inside a housing area. 

“It’s a one-row shop lot only. We wanted to blend in and did not want the place to sort of pop out. 

“We wanted a place where people around here feel like it’s part of the community,” he said. 

For this, they kept the concept very clean by having light wood as decoration so that the customers could feel comfortable. 

While cafes continue to evolve into co-working spaces, Cake Jalan Tiung, however, will remain a destination for people to have conversations with their friends and families. 

“People do come with their laptops, but there’s no free WiFi, there’s no lots of power outlets and things like that. 

“It’s not built as a co-working space. It’s built for you to have a chat with your friends, to enjoy some time in front of somebody rather than sticking your face in the laptop,” Hidzad explained. 

Coffee Thirst 

As many more suburbs began to change with community cafes such as Cake Jalan Tiung, Malaysia’s coffee industry is booming. 

With no local beans, the industry is, however, dependent on imported green coffee beans, particularly Robusta and Arabica varieties. 

While Malaysia’s competitiveness in coffee extract products presents an opportunity for industrial players to expand and improve the country’s economy, government support and systematic action plans are needed for sustainable growth and sustainability. 

The Department of Statistics Malaysia reported that Malaysians consumed 48 million kg of coffee every year in 2021 and 2022. 

Malaysia produced 126 million kg of Liberica and Robusta coffee beans in 2018, sourcing from Indonesia to meet domestic and international demand. 

East Malaysia, particularly Sabah with its famous Kopi Tenom is an emerging area for coffee production, using the Arabica coffee beans. 

Malaysia’s speciality-grade Arabica beans are still new as the previous batch was wiped out in the late 19th century and was replaced by Liberica beans. 

Nowadays, Malaysian producers are planting Catimor and Typica hybrids where they are cultivating them with care and experimenting with processing methods. 

More Vibrant Cafe Scene Needed in Sabah

Home to the famous Sabarica Coffee, a local brand using the Arabica coffee tree, Sabah is the most exciting place for coffee planters and farmers in the country. 

One of the most known is the Yit Foh Coffee which originated in the 1960s. The brand has its own cafe called Yit Foh Robusta Cafe which serves both Asian and Western cuisine 

Tenom, a district located about 150km from the capital, Kota Kinabalu, is known as the “Coffee Capital of Sabah” since it is one of the major coffee producers in the state. 

Despite its reputation, Kota Kinabalu (KK), the largest and most modern city in the state, is still lacking in a vibrant cafe culture compared to Peninsular Malaysia. 

Audrey Chin from KK recently travelled to Kuala Lumpur (KL) for work and realised that Sabah’s cafes are not up to standard. 

“There’s a lot of cafes that I think are very unique and interesting. 

“In KK, it is a booming industry especially for cafes so we do see more cafes opening up there,” she explained. 

Compared to the Sabahan capital, Chin shared that there are more choices in terms of speciality coffee. 

“I come here (KL) for work quite often so whenever I have time, I’ll just visit the cafes. 

“That’s one of my favourite things to do, which is cafe-hopping, so I like to visit different cafes while taking my time to enjoy a cuppa,” she said. 

She added that there are more coffee chains there compared to speciality coffee cafes, which she prefers. 

As the legacy of kopitiams endures in Malaysia’s cultural tapestry, a new wave of coffee culture is reshaping the nation’s palate. 

Influenced by global coffee capitals and the rise of modern cafes, Malaysians are experiencing their favourite brews in innovative ways. 

In this dynamic blend of tradition and innovation, Malaysia’s coffee culture continues to brew, promising a flavourful future. 

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• This article first appeared in The Malaysian Reserve weekly print edition