Sneak peek of Sandbox Somerset: This festival celebrates 100 youth founders aged 35 and under
Last Friday (November 25) marks the first day of Sandbox Somerset, an event organised by Invade, in partnership with the Somerset Belt Office, powered by the National Youth Council.
Held at the Somerset Youth Park, Sandbox Somerset will run for two consecutive weekends, celebrating the spirit of entrepreneurship and featuring youth founders from creative, retail, and F&B industries.
It is also a part of Somerfest, with presentations of youth-led projects in a range of themes, including mental wellness, creative arts, sports, and even magic.
According to Kent Teo, founder and CEO of Invade, Sandbox Somerset is a collective effort by various organisations aimed at rejuvenating the Somerset Belt along Orchard Road by bringing together 100 youth founders and industry professionals in one place.
To that end, the event will provide resources, insights, and other forms of support for youths to experiment with creative and impactful ideas and connect with peers to discover unique experiences.
We hope to identify new faces to add to the list of 100 Somerset founders in subsequent years, and to celebrate their achievements and inspire new entrepreneurs.
– Kent Teo, founder and CEO of Invade
In particular, the event features panel discussions, networking and mentorship opportunities, performances by young artists, and even a Shark Tank-style pitching event by SEED Ventures. There are also retail and F&B pop-up stores for entrepreneurs to showcase their products.
Where new blood meets the old guard
Prominent founders from many companies will be at Sandbox Somerset, and many of them will be part of panel discussions to share their entrepreneurial journey.
Jackson Aw, founder and CEO of Mighty Jaxx, will be speaking next Saturday (December 3) at a panel titled ‘Right Time, Time Right’, where he will be sharing more about the company’s journey and its secret to success.
The company has had quite the meteoric rise, and is backed by companies like Tencent and venture capital firms like SGInnovate. Earlier this year, they also made their debut into the metaverse with MightyVerse Presents: Spooky Season, in collaboration with metaverse platform The Sandbox and collectible maker Sideshow Collectible.
Other notable entrepreneurs who are part of the 100 Sandbox founders include Rachel Lim of Love, Bonito, Adrian Ang of SGAG, Walter Oh and Andrew Lim of Boxgreen, and Johnathan Chua, co-founder of GRVTY Media.
During the first day of Sandbox Somerset, Johnathan – who is also the co-host of The Daily Ketchup, one of the top podcast channels in Singapore – moderated a panel that discussed the traits of being an entrepreneur, and how startups can better scale.
“It’s an honour to be part of Sandbox Somerset 2022,” said Johnathan. “I think it’s a great initiative for new and young entrepreneurs to learn from the experience of seasoned founders, especially the mistakes made.”
For younger businesses, the opportunity to learn from these mature businesses can be a great help as well.
In fact, many younger founders are also in attendance. Sarah Wee and Cheyenne Naidu, who founded local homemade candle startup Nitwick, noted that as rookie entrepreneurs, they can have the opportunity to learn from other, more seasoned entrepreneurs.
It’s really nice to be at Sandbox Somerset. There are many more experienced founders and investors here, and they’ve given us some advice on how to strategise for the growth of Nitwick in the long term.
– Sarah Wee and Cheyenne Naidu, co-founders of Nitwick
Get quality feedback for your startup…
Of course, no startup ecosystem is complete without funding and at Sandbox Somerset, SEED Ventures is bringing the capital to fund the startups of tomorrow.
SEED Ventures will be hosting two rounds of Shark Tank-style pitching events, and looking for promising new startups to invest in.
Sandbox is where a lot of startups come to showcase what they have, so when Kent invited us to host the pitching events, we felt it was a natural fit.
I’m also looking for founders to coach, and Sandbox Somerset is a great place to meet such founders. There are many more great startups that are here at Sandbox Somerset, and I’m interested to see a lot of them.
– Ian Gan, founder and CEO of SEED Ventures
Several of SEED Venture’s portfolio companies are already in attendance, including Ang Moh Liang Teh, a craft beer specialist in Singapore.
…while rediscovering the creativity of today’s youth
And for those looking for a fun time, there are exciting performances lined up as well. These performers are all recipients of the Realise Your Somerset Project Award, and they have been invited by Invade and the National Youth Council to represent the youth.
Artists such as Green Arena 2.0 and Marcus Lee performed on the first day as part of the opening ceremony, and for those who are interested in seeing what Singaporean designers are coming up with, the event also hosted a fashion walk.
There are also pop-up stalls within the festival, for anyone to grab a quick bite or a drink. In line with the festival’s theme, these pop-up stalls are also run by young founders who are trying out new and creative ideas. Festival-goers can expect to see booths by startups such as Style Theory and Tokidoki, just to name a few.
According to Kent, the pop-up stores are a low-cost way for founders to explore their ideas.
“Setting up shop in a shopping mall is expensive – we are talking about putting in six months of rent, renovation costs, and more. Sandbox Somerset provides these founders with a far shorter time period to work with. If they are only ready to open for a week or even just a day, we are able to accommodate them,” he said.
The energy and creativity on display at the festival is certainly not to be underestimated, and it provides an interesting show of what Singapore’s youth can come up with and how far our passion – an often underestimated resource – can carry us forward.
Hosted at Somerset Youth Park, the festival is a five-minute walk from Somerset MRT and SCAPE*, and entry is free.
It will run from 25 to 27 November, and continue from 2 to 4 December. There will also be a Christmas rendition, happening from 10 to 11 December, as well as from 17 to 18 December.
So if you’re looking for a fulfilling weekend or want to find out more about how you can be part of the initiative, feel free to drop by Sandbox Somerset!
This article was written in collaboration with Invade.
Featured Image Credit: Invade
Also Read: Love, Bonito CEO on making the ‘right’ acquisitions – bets big on the US market as it eyes IPO
Naive or risk taker? Young S’poreans still keen on investing in crypto despite market crash
The crypto landscape has been exceptionally volatile this year, with billions of dollars vanishing overnight through unfortunate events such as the Terra-Luna crash and FTX’s collapse. The industry that was previously valued at US$3 trillion last year now sits at US$900 million.
The onset of the recent events in the industry has only accelerated the ongoing crypto winter, with cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin plunging 23 per cent last week to hit a two-year low of under US$16,000.
These events have dried up investors’ funds and eroded the trust in the industry, which was itself created as a response to a loss of faith in traditional finance following the 2008 financial crisis.
In addition, due to the crypto winter, the crypto industry has also seen layoffs from the likes of Coinbase and Crypto.com as a bear market sweeps the industry.
Younger Singaporeans still remain bullish on the crypto market
Despite the hot water the crypto industry has landed itself in this year, millennial and Gen Z Singaporeans are still bullish on the crypto market.
Currently, close to one in five (18 per cent) of Singaporeans in their 20s are invested in cryptocurrencies.
About two in five of them are still planning to invest in crypto within the next 12 months, although about two in five (42 per cent) of them made an overall loss on their investments, up 19 per cent from last year.
Meanwhile, Singaporeans in their 30s also display a similar risk appetite — 14 per cent of them are invested in cryptocurrencies, in contrast to the measly eight per cent of Gen Xs aged between 40 and 54, and four per cent of baby boomers aged 55 and above.
More than a third (35 per cent) of Singaporeans in their 30s who have invested in cryptocurrencies have made an overall loss, up 10 per cent from last year.
But why exactly are millennials and Gen Zs steering towards crypto despite its volatility?
The crypto market has only come crashing down since late 2021, yet Gen Zs and millennials still remain hopeful for crypto’s upturn.
Hopeful for future real use cases of crypto
Citing a quote from the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter, Dave* (not his real name), a 29-year-old who lost US$7,000 in the FTX crash said, “I remain bullish on crypto. Crypto is not the same as Sam Bankman-Fried. It’s not crypto that’s the problem – it’s FTX.”
Dave started investing in crypto back in September 2020, when the crypto market was down.
He grew wary of the rumours surrounding FTX way before its crash, and decided to empty half of his holdings in FTX to his cold wallet on November 7, which transacted as usual — giving him the false confidence that the digital currency was still stable.
However, two days later, he had the gut feeling to withdraw his remaining monies to his cold wallet, but it was too late for Dave. His investment of US$7,000 was wiped out.
Losing his money in FTX gave him a much-needed pause to rethink his believes about crypto and its future.
Despite the loss, Dave still strongly feels that crypto will have a place in the future — although the FTX crash may set back crypto’s progress by a few years — and hence, he still plans on investing in cryptocurrencies.
The crypto market is still nascent
Echoing his sentiments is Anna*, a 27-year-old who has been investing in crypto since early 2020.
“In my opinion, the crypto market is still nascent and we are still early on. Just because the crypto market has not been doing great for some time doesn’t mean that it has “failed” — nothing only ever goes up.”
She explained that markets like crypto are volatile in the short-term, and tend to trend upwards in the long run, likening the volatility of crypto to gold after the end of the Gold Standard.
“Most people are treating crypto like a speculative asset, hence the behaviour of the crypto market mirrors this. I believe that the volatility of crypto will die down just like gold once it hits a certain market cap.”
Anna lost quite a sum of money in the FTX crash and the Terra-Luna crash, however she still remains optimistic on the future prospects of crypto. “These things happen, and should be expected from a market as volatile as crypto,” she said.
“When the volatility of crypto dies down, crypto will still not be as stable as fiat. But in the end, crypto’s short-term volatility will offer long term growth, in contrast to the long-term decrease in purchasing power from the short-term stability that fiat grants.”
Agreeing with this, Dave* said that the current volatility of crypto’s price also does not bother him as he invests for the long run.
The FTX crash was essential for the crypto industry
“The FTX crash, if anything, was needed as it pushes towards the need to regulate crypto — which is something I personally welcome as it can shield users from bad actors such as FTX in the future,” said Dave.
Crypto exchanges such as Binance have come out with their proof of reserves to build back trust within the crypto community, and globally, regulators such as the Bank of England are feeling the heat to implement new laws.
“This is good for investors like me, it lets me feel more confident about the crypto industry. With the possible implementation of new regulations to supervise crypto assets, I do not see any need to stop investing in crypto assets,” he added.
In Singapore, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) proposed guidelines for crypto companies back in October, aimed to protect Singaporeans and ensure that businesses act properly when dealing with their customers and their assets, including providing relevant risk disclosures, and disallowing the use of credit facilities for consumers.
Gen Zs and millennials are worried about retirement
According to OCBC’s report, Gen Zs’ and millennials’ risk-taking appetite can also be attributed to their worries of retirement.
On average, Gen Zs and millennials in their 20s and 30s aspire to retire at 58 – a decade before Singapore’s official re-employment age of 68. In addition, they wish to retire lavishly, as compared to baby boomers and Gen X.
However, Gen Zs and millennials are concerned about whether these goals can be reached despite being relatively far from retirement — 62 per cent of those in their 20s and 56 per cent of those in their 30s worry that they will not have enough retirement funds.
Hence, many have resorted to crypto due to its reputation to yield high returns despite posing high risks.
“While I know that investments in crypto are risky, it is a risk that I’m willing to take,” said Adam*, a Gen Z who has made significant losses since he first started investing last year.
Citing the recent inflation and price hikes, he said that while he is on the path to retire with a sufficient amount of funds, he would rather retire with funds that would allow him to live comfortably and afford whatever he desires. This is why he turned to crypto.
“My chance at making a huge sum of money may be slim, but if I do, it will be worth every cent. I’ll be able to afford the lifestyle I want. It’s not a good chance, but it’s the best chance I have at attaining this lifestyle.”
Anna also alluded to similar beliefs. “I do believe I’m on track to retire with a sum of money that is enough for me to live comfortably, however, I believe that my investments in crypto can expand my retirement fund.”
Navigating the crypto market responsibly
“The world of crypto is moving fast, but it’s also important to remember that cryptocurrencies are high-risk investments that can be extremely volatile,” senior product specialist at robo-advisor investment platform Wealthfront Tony Molina told Select.
“First, assess your current savings and then decide what kind of risk you want to take on from there,” he advised.
While investing into crypto is lucrative, it is always important to ensure that you have the financial footing to support yourself and withstand the risks that come with investing in crypto.
Diversification is also important when it comes to investing, be it stocks, cryptocurrency or other assets. Some have lost life savings and resorted to suicide by betting their money on one medium of investment.
Through diversification, losses can be minimised and long term financial goals can be attained in the least painful manner, according to subject matter professionals.
Featured Image Credit: Bankrate.com
Also Read: From Terra-Luna to FTX, the crypto contagion is upon us – is this the beginning of the end?
How an ability to “hear colours” helped this M’sian crafter sustain her family & studies
When Chloe Lloyd Liew listens to music, she’s not just taking in the beats or the lyrics or the singer’s voice. Rather, Chloe sees bursts of colours whenever she listens to music, and has been able to do so ever since she could remember.
Chloe experiences something called synaesthesia, a phenomenon or condition where one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway.
In simpler terms, it’s when someone feels sounds or tastes shapes, or in Chloe’s case, hears colours.
“Just imagine a splatter of paint coming across your face, over your vision kind of thing,” Chloe explained. “It’s more on the melodic sounds and composition.”
Perhaps this ability of hers influenced her decision to pursue contemporary music and music technology, but it definitely plays a crucial part in her part-time jewellery business, The Naked Beads.
Jewellery-making is her way of expressing herself
Before the pandemic, Chloe would work part-time in an independent jewellery store that would travel between flea markets and bazaars.
But because of the pandemic, she was out of a job as the jewellery store was reliant on events.
Her parents also faced similar struggles. With her dad as a film director and mum as an events manager, many aspects of their jobs were put on hold.
“Eventually, I just took the initiative and stepped up to create something that could potentially fund my family and my university as well,” Chloe shared.
This resulted in the start of The Naked Beads, a jewellery brand that specialises in accessories that are inspired by movies, TV series, and music.
Adding her own colour
Chloe has used her synaesthetic capabilities of hers to create music-inspired jewellery, having made necklaces for songs such as ABBA’s Voulez Vous, Mamma Mia, Honey Honey, and more.
“I wanted to channel and use the ability [of synaesthesia] through my craft and let people wear it and bring it to life,” Chloe shared.
For character-based pieces, Chloe focuses on what the character wears, or watches the movie and TV series to analyse the character and how they behave.
She’s designed necklaces inspired by Marvel superheroes, Harry Pottery characters, and even ones from The Queen’s Gambit.
“Before I actually design my necklaces, I take about 10 to 15 minutes of meditation just to clear my mind and make sure there are no excess thoughts going through my head,” Chloe said.
Continuing her craft
The uniqueness of her business has allowed The Naked Beads to actually contribute to her family’s financial stability in terms of daily necessities.
According to her LinkedIn page, Chloe now works with SUN4U Radio, Sunway University’s student-led radio, juggling roles as a co-host, co-station manager, and production director.
True to her words, though, Chloe has continued to harness her creativity and make unique jewellery pieces through The Naked Beads even after pandemic restrictions were lifted.
She still actively posts her necklaces on her Instagram page, with her latest drop being the Midnights series, based on Taylor Swift’s recent album.
Her pieces are typically priced around RM40 to RM60 and are sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
“Just because my parents are back at their jobs doesn’t mean I’m going to stop completely because it really makes me happy,” Chloe shared. “It’s something that I really love to do.”
-//-
This interview was done as part of a previous Vulcan Post video series, Pandemic Born.
You can watch Chloe’s full video interview here:
- Learn more about The Naked Beads here.
- Read other articles we’ve written about Malaysian startups here.
Also Read: Here’s what IPC’s new work pods can offer mall goers who are also workaholics
Featured Image Credit: The Naked Beads
How 2 years of no physical games only solidified Breakout’s plans to create more in 2022
[This is a sponsored article with Breakout.]
After almost two years of restrictions, Breakout has finally officiated the launch of Breakout The Curve, alongside Breakout Melaka at The Shore Shopping Gallery on April 23, 2022. Both outlets come with four themed rooms for players to experience.
Among the four themed rooms, the Breakout team also unveiled their brand new game concept, called the Spy Game, which made its debut at their new outlets.
It’s a monumental moment for the team, as not only did they pull through countless lockdowns and tight restrictions without closing any Klang Valley outlets, but they’re even expanding beyond the area.
So, how did they achieve this feat, and more importantly, what did it take to do so? We brought our questions to the team.
Adapting to adverse situations
It goes without saying that Breakout’s main business model of providing physical entertainment to the masses suffered immensely during the periods of long lockdowns.
Needing to innovate and adapt to survive, they took some drastic measures. One example was pay cuts, with the directors having the highest pay reduction among all the staff in the company.
Other than that, Kelly Low, Breakout’s Head of Business Development, stated, “During the lockdown period, we worked with our talents to continue our marketing and R&D efforts.”
“We believe that constant brand exposure will help to boost customer confidence in our brand, and when we re-open, we will be part of their choice of entertainment,” she added.They also experimented with their creative team to create Enigma puzzle boxes and online escape games over the pandemic, the latter of which we’ve tried out ourselves.
But it didn’t stop there. In order to not stagnate during the lockdown, Breakout’s Head of Experience Design, Johnny Ong, mentioned that the team also took the time to evaluate their existing outlets, and see how they could improve the player experience further.
The result of the evaluation was that they’ve developed a system where players can interact directly with the game master via their mobile devices, negating the need for physical interactions.
During the two-year lockdown, the team also noticed that people were more concerned about hygiene, and preferred touchless systems whenever possible.
Catering to this change, the Breakout team now ensures all touch points are sanitised before and after each game, and they provide online payment and multiple e-wallet options too.
Flexing their creative minds in new ways
The themed rooms in Breakout outlets located in Avenue K and Nu Sentral would usually last around 45 to 55 minutes and offer a mixture of puzzles.
To solve them, players must engage in physical activities like crawling and climbing, which keep you on your toes and immersed in the game.
For the Spy Game concept which is exclusive to Breakout Melaka and Breakout The Curve, there are a few puzzles involved.
Instead, players will roleplay as a spy, where they are tasked with infiltrating a secured room to finish their objective, while avoiding detection by non-player characters (NPCs).
The Spy Game is made for players to feel as if they are part of a Mission Impossible-esque game, giving them a surreal experience equivalent to being immersed in a movie.
When we asked Johnny why this new game concept was created, he said, “Our vision is to create a variety of unique and immersive experiences. We do not want to be bound by our previous success.”
“We want to keep creating new and unique experiences to bring a variety of immersive experiences and entertainment to the public.”
Though the team is best known for their ability to create engaging and challenging yet fun puzzles, they’re also aware that some people prefer to play mission-based games instead.
Thus, to cater to both audiences, the new outlets will offer the new stealth and mission-based game alongside their usual puzzle games.
Breaking out of the mould
Since they were creating the Spy Game from scratch, the team needed to take a different approach.
Johnny mentioned, “It was hard as different experiences required our game designer team to think differently but yet create an immersive and unique experience for our players, which is our main goal.”
Because individual players behave differently, they have to take several factors into consideration while coordinating with the NPCs during the design phase.
On top of the Spy Game, the outlet in Melaka will also feature several exclusive escape rooms that range in themes from horror to time travel and even fantasy.
Upon Breakout The Curve’s launch this November, it will only feature the Spy Game, with other puzzle games to be added in the future.
Also Read: To help SMEs expand in M’sia, Lalamove offers affordable, on-demand interstate deliveries
Featured Image Credit: Breakout
Why this Johorian is so determined to grow this rare coffee for his seed-to-cup cafe
In a world of Robusta and Arabica coffee, Liberica coffee is like a unicorn. Touted as the sweetest coffee species, it’s so rare that it’s even been called endangered, with various sources claiming it occupies less than 1% of the globe’s coffee production.
But for a farm in Johor, Liberica coffee is its way of life.
Specialising in a “seed-to-cup” concept, the aptly named My Liberica Coffee isn’t just a café but a company that has its own farm, processor, and roastery.
Established in 2009, it boasts over a decade of experience as well as ups and downs, having been a pioneer of speciality coffee in Malaysia.
It watched as third-wave coffee swept across the nation, then as bubble tea became the more prominent speciality beverage. It’s still watching now, as local espresso coffee chains such as ZUS Coffee and Gigi Coffee rapidly expand their foothold in Malaysia.
But My Liberica Coffee’s founder, Jason Liew, isn’t as concerned about the new wave of coffee brands. Rather, what he’s concerned about is something different—the survival and proliferation of Liberica beans.
A legacy of agriculture
Jason grew up seeing his dad cultivating crops like peppers and bananas as well as rearing chickens and ducks.
“Since my ah gong migrated to Malaysia, we’ve always been in farming,” Jason explained.
Eventually, to support his children’s education, Jason’s dad started to plant limau kasturi (calamansi). Over a decade later, however, the plants became diseased, so he turned to planting lemons. But as a profitable fruit, the lemons ended up being stolen.
So, the farmer decided to plant something he believed wouldn’t be stolen—coffee.
Up until that point, Jason had been a self-professed milo-drinker, having been around 16 or 17 years old. In fact, he didn’t drink coffee up until his university days in Taiwan where he pursued agriculture.
As part of his course, he attended coffee tasting classes, learnt how to roast beans, and also picked up barista skills.
“The reason why I started roasting my own coffee is pretty simple,” Jason said. “To save money.”
According to him, coffee beans in Taiwan were fairly affordable, plus all the equipment to roast the coffee was available on campus.
As time went on, he grew a sincere passion for coffee. He would experiment with flavours and ask for critiques from his teachers during lunch breaks.
After graduation, Jason worked briefly in Taiwan, then was sent to Indonesia for two years, before he ultimately decided to come home.
“I studied agriculture,” he explained. “I wanted to come back to help my dad.”
Finding his calling
When he came back, Jason started growing papayas, vegetables, and of course, coffee.
As a coffee enthusiast, he yearned to experiment with different roasting machines and techniques, but doing so at home had its limitations.
“So the fastest solution was to open my own coffee shop,” Jason said. “This way, I can buy industrial and more advanced machines.”
Calling it luck, Jason’s business, My Liberica Coffee, quickly gained attention for its unique positioning, as most coffee shops back then were still focused on traditional coffee. By its sixth month, Jason said they were no longer just breaking even, but turning a profit.
However, they encountered a new issue—a shortage of coffee beans.
“Ten years ago, growing coffee in Malaysia was not easy,” he said. “A big part of the industry was in the hands of traditional roasters and established manufacturers, as importing the beans requires a permit.”
But because local coffee factories were in dire need of beans, Jason decided to work with them to easily acquire a permit. He would supply them with the beans and buy the processed and milled beans back to roast them himself.
However, because these factories prioritised efficiency, there wasn’t any room to create tailored flavour profiles. While Jason could insert his own input in the roasting process, he shared that the processing plays a bigger role in affecting the bean’s taste.
Thus, Jason decided to open his own coffee processing plant in 2013 to gain more control, which granted My Liberica Coffee the catchphrase of “from seed to cup”.
“To be honest, for many years, the coffee processing plant was not profitable,” he said. “I finally understood why traditional processors do things the way they do. If they don’t do it their way, it’s hard to stay afloat.”
Championing Liberica coffee
After some smooth-sailing years, My Liberica Coffee ran into a big problem—the pandemic.
A few years before the pandemic, the team started its agrotourism efforts and even closed partnerships with tourism agencies.
However, due to the COVID-19 restrictions, the team was unable to continue with the tours.
The lockdowns in place also ended up closing My Liberica Coffee’s KL outlet, a devastating blow for the business as it’s mostly reliant on its retail front.
Yet, like a light at the end of the tunnel, the World Barista Championship (WBC) appeared as a saving grace.
The WBC is a platform where baristas all over the globe will explore and experiment with different coffee beans. Looking for something more unique, there began to be a focus on coffees that strayed away from the typical Arabica or Robusta types.
With this, a barista in Australia found out about My Liberica Coffee’s products and recommended its beans to his mentee, Danny Wilson, who managed to place third on the WBC 2021. This brought in orders from other baristas across the globe for competitive-level beans.
Like all coffee species, Liberica originated from Africa, but the Malaysian variety is differentiated due to the terroir (ecosystem). Thanks to My Liberica Coffee’s focus on speciality coffee, it has also made a name for itself amongst coffee lovers.
“Because of this, we really started seeing some hope,” he said. “Suddenly, we were able to tell the world about our existence.”
Today, Jason is seeking to rebuild his team.
“A lot of times, it’s not as easy as we think,” Jason mused. “Just because you want to hire someone doesn’t mean you’ll actually be able to hire them. A lot of times, it depends on fate.”
The future of Liberica
My Liberica Coffee is not the only Liberica coffee player in Malaysia. Another Johor-based brand that we’ve featured, Sai Kee Kopi or Kopi 434, also specialises in Liberica coffee, which they call elephant bean coffee.
This is as compared to Robusta and Arabica coffee, Liberica coffee is a more viable option in Malaysia due to weather and altitude limitations.
With that said, Liberica in Malaysia is typically used for the manufacturing of instant coffee or “traditional coffee” rather than speciality coffee, such as with Sai Kee Kopi.
Yet, Liberica’s sweetness works well in speciality coffee as it pairs well with milk. But beyond taste, Jason believes speciality drinks is the way forward for the industry’s survival.
“When you drive by highways, have you ever seen coffee trees?” he asked rhetorically. “No, right? That’s because coffee farming in Malaysia is a sunset business.”
For cost-saving reasons, coffee manufacturers in Malaysia may source coffee from countries where labour is cheaper, forcing local growers to decrease their own prices. Plus, Liberica plants have three times less yield compared to Arabica and Robusta coffee plants.
“That’s why it’s so difficult to see coffee plantations in Malaysia,” Jason reasoned. “Most of the ones you see are ones that were planted a long time ago by older uncles. Virtually, no one wants to plant coffees anymore.”
“But if we don’t continue to cultivate these farms, we might not have coffee in the future,” Jason warned. “The only coffee trees you’ll see might be in museums and parks.”
This is an issue that he realised early on. In order to keep Liberica relevant, he believes he needs to approach it from a different angle. That’s why he decided he must focus on speciality coffee rather than the traditional kind.
“Because speciality coffee is about flavours first, then money second,” he said. “You must create good flavours for customers to pay a high price for them. This is the aim I have with my processing plant.”
In the bigger picture, a higher price will attract more people to the industry as well, which will help sustain the existence of Liberica coffee.
Although he’s already made some headway through the WBC, he believes the next step is to find a way to commercialise the bean.
“You’ve entered the market, but how are you going to grow the market down the road? How are you going to innovate within the industry, to the point where one day, while driving down the highway, you’ll see a coffee plantation instead of just oil palms?” he wondered. “To me, that would be success.”
But Jason alone cannot bring about this change. This will take a national effort complete with governmental support.
“And perhaps I will be the match that ignites this movement,” Jason decided.
Arabica coffee itself has been constantly improving and evolving over the years, with players in the industry experimenting with the roasting, milling, and extraction processes. Thanks to all of that, Arabica has been able to establish itself as such a popular option.
Likewise, Liberica itself will need to undergo all of these experiments before it can attain the same status. That’s why partnering up with competitive baristas will help do just that for Liberica beans.
As Jason puts it, Liberica’s journey in speciality coffee has “only just begun”, and perhaps My Liberica Coffee will be at the helm of its proliferation.
- Learn more about My Liberica Coffee here.
- Read other articles we’ve written about Malaysian startups here.
Also Read: To help SMEs expand in M’sia, Lalamove offers affordable, on-demand interstate deliveries
