Syed Arif Azman has always loved business.
“I was selling CDs and T-shirts when I was in high school,” Arif reminisced. “I was going class to class and asking students whether they’d want a custom music CD playlist.”
Now, the legality of what Arif was doing is… questionable at best, but it was the start of his interest in running his own business.
He eventually pursued his tertiary education at the Henley Business School at the University of Reading, UK, where he graduated with a BA in Business Management.
It was during his schooling days that he fell in love with something else—coffee.
Most university students will relate to Arif’s reliance on coffee when studying for an exam. Arif was so into it that he ended up buying a small De’Longhi coffee machine to fuel his studies.
From there, he would learn how to make drinks and even do latte art through YouTube videos.
When Arif graduated, he decided to combine his two passions. And that’s how Wolf & Turtle Coffee got its start in 2016.
Slow and steady
Arif started the business with an RM50k loan from his father, and he’s been reinvesting the profit made into the business ever since, even until today.
Just like how Arif combined his love for coffee and his passion for interest, the name Wolf & Turtle combines his two favourite animals.
“Wolves resemble how me and my team work always in a pack,” he said. “Turtles resemble the slow and steady longevity of the business, since turtles can live up to hundreds of years old.”
In the beginning, Wolf & Turtle was simply selling coffee and cakes that were sourced from other businesses.
“We were just selling them at margin profit,” Arif explained. “I just had this passion for coffee and really wanted to see how far I can use this concept. So, I just started asking my friends who were Starbucks employees at that time and see if they’d want join me in my crazy adventure.”
Steadily, Arif grew Wolf & Turtle to four outlets prior to COVID. Surviving through the pandemic, he realised that his business could truly go far. That was when they began “expanding like crazy”.
With his bold ambitions to scale his business, Arif launched the roastery side of his business in 2022 to keep costs down.
Today, Wolf & Turtle has nine self-owned operational outlets.
Arif shared that he has no plans to offer licensing or franchising opportunities, as he believes that this might put their quality in jeopardy.
“Others might want this just for profit-making instead of having a passion for coffee,” he said. “We’ve turned down a lot of offers from those who want to be our partners and asking for licensing.”
Spreading Malaysia’s coffee game
Over the past decade or so, the coffee scene in Malaysia, specifically Kuala Lumpur, has been rapidly growing.
“There’s a lot of roasters in KL now and I think the quality is really, honestly better than some roasters in Aussie and in Europe,” Arif pointed out. “So, it’s really good for the Malaysian market to have these sort of quality roasters.”
Arif certainly has a lot of pride in Malaysian roasters and coffee shops. When travelling in Bali for his holiday, he felt like Malaysian cafes were up to par or even better than the coffee shops he saw there.
That was when he began thinking about opening Wolf & Turtle there. “If the matsalleh all can open business there, why can’t I do it?” he wondered.
Plus, Arif has built many connections with coffee farms in Indonesia, which would help in their expansion there.
Bolstered by this support, Wolf and Turtle will be opening up an outlet in Bali, Indonesia. Depending on how the outlet performs, the team might explore expanding further in Indonesia.
Keeping to your own pace
Over the past eight or so years, Arif has learnt many things about running a business. Hiring the right people has been key.
But by that, he doesn’t mean hiring those with the most impressive resumes and accolades, but rather those who align in terms of growth.
“I didn’t hire any professionals to come join me,” he pointed out. “We’ve been teaching ourselves everything from zero since day one. So, keep on hiring and make sure you spend time with your employees. Only then you can see whether or not they have potential to grow and you can invest in them.”
He elaborated, “Be on the ground, don’t be money centric. It’s not all about the money. It’s about building a whole community and making sure people grow around you.”
Similarly, Arif isn’t too concerned about making Wolf & Turtle into a cash cow of sorts. Instead of directly competing with the likes of chains like ZUS Coffee or Starbucks, Arif wants to stick to his own pace.
“I won’t do something fast and harsh just because someone else is doing it. I create my own path. We’ve been slow and steady like the turtles—nine years and 12 outlets. And that’s okay I think,” he said of their future.
- Learn more about Wolf & Turtle Coffee here.
- Read other articles we’ve written about Malaysian startups here.
Featured Image Credit: Wolf & Turtle Coffee
