HIPSTER coffee shops, usually a common sight in big cities, are now sprouting in Kuala Terengganu, with most pioneered by young people.

The cafes in Kuala Terengganu mushroomed during the Covid-19 epidemic, with cross-border travel banned.

Kedai Kopi Payong owner Mohd Azli Yah, 42, said he was surprised by the number of hipster coffee shops in Kuala Terengganu over the past two years as the cafe culture was not a big thing in the east coast state.

“It could have been due to the travel ban. Terengganu people needed a place to hang out. Where else can they go?

“Because of that, during the movement-control order we saw many coffee shops opening in the state, even when the coffee culture wasn’t strong. 

“If we look before the pandemic, the trend was iced tea. Coffee was very rare except in Kemaman,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

The Terengganu-born Azli said he tried his luck opening a hipster coffee shop last March after seeing the potential. 

Apart from that, as a freelance photographer whose income took a hit from the pandemic, it was also a factor that pushed him to start the business. 

Azli said with a capital of RM6,000, he opened the first hipster coffee shop in Bukit Payong.

He added that his attempts have bore fruit. Azli now has five branches, including in Bukit Payong, with 13 employees.

Coffee for all

He said that just like other businesses, the challenges remain, especially to ensure buyers are not burdened by the price of a cup of coffee.

Azli said the purchasing power in small towns was much lower than in large and developed areas such as Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Penang.

Therefore, he said, he did not use machines like other coffee shops to brew his beverage.

“That is why the price of our coffee is not expensive like other premium coffee shops. Our cheapest cup costs RM3.50, and the most expensive is RM8. 

“That is our intention. We actually want everyone to experience this coffee culture because if we look at coffee, it is only popular among adults. Children rarely like coffee. 

“Because of that, we improvise on coffee to suit the taste of children and young people. So this village coffee, apart from being less expensive, is also received by all.

“Our coffee is for those who are just starting to get used to this coffee culture,” he said.

Fazura Fauzi, 35, opened her hipster coffee shop at the Hiliran low-cost flat last month.

The owner of the Kisah Manis coffee shop said she had previously sold sushi at one of the supermarkets in Kuala Terengganu but had to close her business. 

“Since the pandemic, I had to close my kiosk but the rental was still being paid. I really can’t afford to lose money.

“So I closed my sushi kiosk and opened a coffee shop with a cheaper rent of RM500 a month. After all, it has been my dream to own a coffee shop,” she said.

She added that she spent RM10,000 to start the business and learnt how to brew coffee through YouTube.

At the time, she admitted the response was poor.

“I think this was the challenge. As we’ve only been open for a month, it was still new. Unlike others, we didn’t have much capital. But I believe over time my coffee shop will be known.

“Because of that, I named this shop Kisah Manis. I want to maintain a positive spirit. The years were very challenging for me. There were many sad stories. So this year we just want a sweet tale,” she added.

Cakes… and then coffee

Meanwhile, the owner of MonoMY Pastel, Nur Sarah Adlina Mohammad, said the response for her year-old business has been good.

The 26-year-old said at first she only wanted to focus on selling pastries and cakes. 

“At first I sold accessories online but the response was not great. Then I learned how to bake cakes and pastries during the first MCO and after that I started selling. 

“The response has been very encouraging. I can sell 50 to 200 boxes of cake a day,” she said. 

Nur Sarah said based on feedback, she expanded her business by renovating her family’s house into a café, decorating it to attract youngsters. 

She spent RM10,000, of which RM3,000 was a grant from the state government and the balance was profit from the sale of cakes and pastries.

“We did not have much capital because we started small. When we first opened our shop, there were only five tables.

“The space was not big, and then from the profit generated we bought more equipment. At first we didn’t want to sell coffee but because of the high demand, we started serving coffee too. 

“For me, coffee and cakes go together. People don’t just come for the cakes. They want coffee too,” she said. – January 27, 2022.