Even before he co-founded Agrain, Kee Wei has always been quite the high achiever.
Born and raised in Alor Setar, Kedah, Kee Wei completed his A-levels at Abbey College, Cambridge, obtaining 1A* and 2As. Continuing his studies in the UK, he pursued a degree in Accounting and Finance at the University of Warwick.
He said, “I picked the course because I loved numbers, I loved money, and I thought this degree seemed like the most straightforward path to both!”
After graduating, Kee Wei started his career at one of the Big 4 accounting firms in KL. Steadily, he climbed up to Audit Assistant Manager.
“I didn’t hate the job, and I loved my team,” he mused. “But the rigid corporate environment, the layers of hierarchy, the repetition, etc., just didn’t feel like me and definitely not something that I look forward to after waking up.”
After years of preparing balance sheets and P&Ls for other businesses, Kee Wei realised he wanted to create something of his own.
Joining hands
On the fateful night of his 25th birthday, right after he made a wish to own a business one day, Kee Wei received a phone call from his cousin Jason, whose friend was looking to sell off a café business.
Seeing it as a sign, Kee Wei took on the opportunity. This business was The Townsmen, a now defunct café.
At the time, Kee Wei juggled full-time auditing and operating a café. It was a huge toll, but it taught him everything he needed to know from registering a company with SSM to managing payroll.
“It was raw, intense, and hands on—thinking back, it felt like a crash course for entrepreneurship,” he recalled.
It was this experience that really led him to start Agrain.
Remember cousin Jason? Well, back in 2016, Jason had launched a healthy burger brand called HALE. While it found traction with expats, it didn’t quite click with Malaysians.
But Jason, his friend Kendrick, and Kee Wei believed locals were growing more and more health conscious, and wanted to reimagine what healthy food could look like for Malaysians.
“What if we took the concept of mixed rice?” they wondered. With this, Agrain got its start in 2018.
Bumps along the way
The vision was clear: becoming the McDonald’s of healthy food. They envisioned a fast-casual chain offering delicious, healthy meals at affordable prices.
More than good prices, they offer good value—100% real ingredients, made from scratch, no MSG, no preservatives, and no processed food.
Agrain also believes they were the first in Malaysia to offer a macro calculator for every ingredient on their menu. Their website even lets users calculate their BMR and BMI.
With their efforts, business grew fast. In year one, they were already up to five stores. At their peak, Agrain grew to eight stores and a central kitchen. But then, COVID hit.
Their customer base of corporate crowds disappeared overnight, and so did the revenues. The pandemic humbled them, bringing the team back to ground zero.
“At one point, we had to downsize massively just to stay afloat. And through that, I realised: I would rather run 10 profitable stores than 100 unprofitable ones. Quality over quantity. Value over vanity,” he decided.
Kee Wei calls this their “massive reality check era”—an era that ultimately taught them lifechanging lessons.
Specifically, the team learnt to operate lean. That meant fewer people, decentralised ops, data-driven menus, and a laser focus on what customers want, instead of what the team thinks is cool.
A new way to grow
Changing things up, Agrain now expands by way of joint ventures, and their newest Mutiara Damansara is a testament to that.
“Our first JV partner is actually a loyal customer of ours who believed so much in what we do that she decided to partner with us to fuel up our expansion plans,” Kee Wei explained.
She funded 100% of the setup capital expenditure, while Agrain retained a majority stake in the newly formed JV company, allowing them full control of the brand.
“We also prioritise distributing a greater share of dividends to our JV partners once profitable—it is our way of showing we are just as invested in the store’s success, if not more,” he said.
With this model, Agrain is going all in on lean operations, speed-to-market, and control at the ground level.
Profitable ag(r)ain
Speaking to Vulcan Post, Kee Wei was proud to share that Agrain is profitable—again.
“We suffered a heavy total RM2.5 million loss over the three years of the pandemic. But we are now back, stronger than ever,” he expressed.
For their latest financial year (2024/25), they expect to close RM4.5 million revenue, all with just two outlets. Kee Wei also reported around 30% year-on-year revenue growth and around 50x the profit amount from the previous financial year.
With these positive figures, the former auditor aims to expand within Klang Valley using the JV model with like-minded partners.
“Our north star is to have 50 stores across ASEAN,” he said. “We want Agrain to become a household name across the region—the Sweetgreens of Southeast Asia.”
It’s not glamorous, but it’s worth the ride
After more than six years of running Agrain, Kee Wei has learnt (and unlearnt) a lot of lessons.
Coming from a finance background, he used to believe that numbers could tell him everything. But in F&B? That’s not always true.
For one, numbers alone don’t drive customer experience or culture. Sometimes, a marketing campaign might show a negative ROI in month one—but by month three, it’s what brings customers back time and again.
“If you make decisions purely based on spreadsheets, you miss the human element that drives a F&B business,” he commented.
Over time, Kee Wei has also learnt that the angriest customers are often the greatest teachers. The nastier it gets, the more excited the co-founder seems to get.
“Of course, the harsh language used at times may hurt you, but putting emotions aside, it is actually a shortcut to figuring out what was broken and how to fix it fast,” he shared.
But he’s also grown to have healthy scepticism—he doesn’t just reflect on what is going wrong, but also what is going right.
That, he shared, is how he keeps evolving.
For others who may want to follow him in this path, Kee Wei has pearls of wisdom to share.
First, don’t come into F&B to make a quick buck.
“F&B isn’t glamorous. It is a battlefield. You will face unpredictable operations, emotional rollercoasters, and razor-thin margins,” he emphasised.
Secondly, listen to the experts. Then trust yourself.
Especially if you’re like Kee Wei and coming from a different background, you don’t know everything. But that’s okay.
“Learn from those who have been through the fire. But don’t lose the voice in your head. Your instinct still matters,” he shared.
And lastly, be present and enjoy the ride.
“Don’t obsess over where you would rather be that you forget to focus on where you are,” he advised. “F&B is a long game. You can’t possibly win tomorrow if you are not paying attention to today. And remember—tomorrows aren’t guaranteed.”
Featured Image Credit: Agrain
