Sometimes, big things come in small packages, and that might be the case with Calibrate Small Space, a coffee shop nestled in a cosy half-lot location in SS2.
Founded in early 2024, the man behind Calibrate is Tan Jia Yuan, a trained professional chef who graduated from William Angliss, Institute of TAFE in Melbourne.
The motivation to start Calibrate is multifaceted. It started out when the half-shop lot itself became available to rent. Noticing this opportunity, Jia Yuan initially wanted to transform it into a mini restaurant.
“While looking for funds, I unexpectedly bumped into a friend (Zhu En) who wanted to have a coffee space and decided to invest in me/this venture, and another close friend of mine (Carmen) who believed in my entrepreneurship journey,” he shared with Vulcan Post.
With their support, Calibrate got its start.
Serving the community
The name ‘Calibrate’ comes from a nickname Jia Yuan has been given—Calibrate King.
“That came about from a few coffee friends when I was able to calibrate whatever coffee beans thrown to me to its optimal flavour,” he explained.
At the same time, ‘Calibrate’ also refers to the cafe’s ambition to offer a moment for individuals to calibrate themselves mentally, physically, or even emotionally.
With its small footprint, Calibrate is both a convenient spot to get your morning fix to go as well as an intimate hideout for a quick pit stop.
“I used to study in Melbourne and really like the cafe scene there,” Jia Yuan shared. “The taste of the coffee is gentler and more balanced. Hence, the development of the house blend came about where I combined Melbourne flavour/vibes with Malaysian taste.”
Beans are sourced from Letscoopi Roaster, a local roaster who has helped Calibrate curate its house blend.
The bestseller at Calibrate is something called ‘Magic,’ a crowd favourite in Melbourne. Specifically, it’s a double ristretto that is topped with steamed milk, served in a five-ounce cup.
Calibrate also collaborates with online bakers, asking bakers to bring samples that will be tested for the weekend.
“Those that sell well and have good feedback will remain, otherwise we will change them out,” Jia Yuan explained. “We welcome any baker that aligns with the cafe’s concept. For now we usually sell non-chilled baked goods, so they must be fast-moving products.”
Failure is the mother of success
Prior to founding Calibrate, though, Jia Yuan actually has had quite a robust portfolio of past ventures.
“But they’re all closed down now due to certain circumstances,” he added.
For one, there’s D’ Little Chef, Jia Yuan’s personal chef brand, which he has plans to revive.
Then there was Espresso Attic, the very first cafe that he opened back in Nilai as a joint venture with a couple of friends.
Then there’s his involvement with Proof Sky Lounge and The Forum KL, located in Signature Hotel, Sri Hartamas. “I was part of the opening team and helped to curate the menu as well as design the kitchen layout,” he elaborated.
Fēst in Jaya One (which relocated to Damansara Perdana, then TTDI) was a cafe that Jia Yuan opened with childhood friends back, offering coffee, signature waffles, and sandwiches.
To complement Fest, they also opened Grain in Damansara, serving modernised Malaysian food. Unfortunately, this closed down during the MCO.
And finally, there was Just Brew, a pop-up coffee bar in a Japanese cafe.
“I closed them all and started fresh with Calibrate,” Jia Yuan shared. “It was due to a few factors such as location, partnership, and financial projections that led to the closure decisions.”
While this trail of shuttered business may deter some, Jia Yuan was able to learn a lot from his journey. For one, he realised he needed a focal point for future ventures. With Calibrate, he decided to just focus on beverages and serving the community.
Other lessons he learnt were that regulars were key to the business, cash flow is critical, and being hands-on is paramount.
“I measure Calibrate’s success differently from past businesses—sticking through the core belief in myself that I am able to serve good products with affordable prices and being able to have regulars from the previous business ventures here at Calibrate,” he said.
Calibrating the future
Looking into the future, Jia Yuan aims continue sustaining his crowd while working towards creating more merchandise for a stronger brand presence.
“Currently, there are no plans to expand Calibrate to other locations, but there are plans to include other collaboration offerings if the space gets extended in the future,” he said.
For others who may want to venture into the F&B space, Jia Yuan has some advice. Specifically, he has a list of questions he wants you to ask yourself:
- What is the purpose of opening a cafe in the first place?
- What else can you offer to the crowd among all these cafes that have been booming?
- Have you got the right manpower to kickstart the place?
- Do you have emergency funds to sustain the business for six to 12 months if things didn’t go as planned?
- Have you thought through and discussed thoroughly with your business partner(s) on the potential risks and communicated expectations and emotions?
- Are you willing to get your hands dirty for long hours with no break/holidays and make sacrifices?
Your answers to these questions may very well tell you all you need to know. That said, Jia Yuan also advised, “Always have a clear goal of what you want to do and not be swayed by hearsay of others.”
In essence, properly calibrate yourself first with these questions, and the resulting cup of coffee is sure to be good one.
- Learn more about Calibrate Small Space here.
- Read other articles we’ve written about F&B businesses here.
Featured Image Credit: Calibrate Small Space
