Oriental Kopi will IPO on January 23, to raise RM183.96 million at 44 sen/share
If the snaking lines outside of various Oriental Kopi outlets are of any indication, the F&B chain has been consistently in high demand.
And that should be good news for investors, as Oriental Kopi’s listing on Bursa’s ACE Market has been scheduled for January 23.
It has set its initial public offering (IPO) price at 44 sen per share, and aims to raise RM183.96 million through the IPO.
According to The Edge, the company intends to use its IPO proceeds as follows:
- RM75.78 million will be used for working capital
- RM53.68 million will go to setting up a new head office, central kitchen, and warehouse
- RM36.4 million will be for the expansion of cafes within Malaysia
- The rest has been allocated for marketing activities in foreign countries, expansion of its brands of packaged food, and to defray listing expenses
Under the IPO, the company has set aside 60 million new shares for the public and 20 million shares for eligible persons, The Edge reported.
Oriental Kopi will also sell 88.1 million new shares to select investors and 250 million shares to Bumiputera investors, both through private placement.
Rapid growth that hasn’t gone unnoticed
Founded by Datuk Calvin Chan, his brother-in-law, Sean Koay Song Leng, and sister, Callie Chan Yen Min, the company has grown to 19 cafes across Malaysia and one in Singapore in four years.
It’s famous for its signature egg tarts (which are recognised by The Malaysia Book of Records for having the thickest crust), coffee, nasi lemak, and polo buns, to name a few menu items.
At the time of writing, 13 of the 19 cafes owned by the company in Malaysia have been certified halal, with the rest in the process of being certified.
According to The Star, all its packaged food products have been halal-certified, and are mostly sold in-store or through distribution channels such as supermarkets and ecommerce platforms.
The Edge reports that Oriental Kopi more than doubled its net profit to RM43.13 million in the financial year ended September 30, 2024.
Beyond these accolades and efforts, still not much can be publicly found about the company’s founding story.
We hope that someday, there’ll be more opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs to learn from Oriental Kopi’s founders’ business playbook.
Also Read: Inside the exclusive programme for startups by Grab Malaysia, GXBank leaders & Endeavor Malaysia
Featured Image Credit: Bernama / The Exchange TRX
This chef has been revamping Sandakan’s F&B scene to help keep young people in the aging town
Food is more than just physical nourishment. Beyond being a necessity, it’s a tangible form of culture and history.
This is something that Linn Yong believes in passionately. Born in KL, she grew up in JB and commuted to and from Singapore daily from 9 to 20 years old.
During her studies, Linn worked in the F&B industry, taking on roles from banquet waiter to Starbucks barista to cover the high living cost as a Malaysian studying in Singapore.
It was when she got to travel and try new cuisines that she began thinking about food on a deeper level, intrigued by the history behind certain foods and cuisines.
Why is Thai food Thai food? What are the subtle nuances between northern and southern Indian food, and how did those differences come about? How on earth did Chicken Tikka Masala become England’s national dish?
“In industrial design methodology there’s a saying—form follows function,” Linn pointed out. “It explains that things are designed the way they are to solve a problem.”
By diving into each cuisine’s origins, she began to see how food does the same thing. It exists to do more than satiate. “Or god-forbid, for a fleeting snapshot on social media,” she said.
Linn determined, “It’s an expression of our culture, heritage and identity. Nowadays a dining experience in a reputable restaurant run by celebrity chefs can even stand as bragging rights or go as far as being a gluttonous weapon of choice acting as a political soft power tool.”
This understanding and principle are apparent in her restaurants, one of which is San Da Gen Kopitiam.
Journeying into Sandakan’s F&B scene
As you may have picked up on, Linn actually has a background in Industrial Design, having worked in an MNC furniture company as a designer and merchandiser in Singapore for a few years.
In 2008, she moved to Sandakan, where her husband Anton Ngui is from, to manage the old family heritage hotel. Called Nak Hotel, its heyday had been defined by patronage from lucrative timber tycoons and foreign delegates of colonial times.
By 2016, they had revived the hotel to its former glory, offering it up as an affordable budget hotel with a stylish oriental twist. Their own Balin Rooftop Bar was also doing well.
However, the ground floor space had been vacant ever since the previous tenant ended their contract.
“We just couldn’t find any suitable takers because at that point, Sandakan town was on a steady population and economic decline as people moved upwards to spanking new townships by big developers,” she explained.
The population was aging too, as young people who left to further their studies generally did not wish to return.
That’s why she wanted to create a brand where they could bring in a breath of fresh air to the town, attracting young people and visitors alike while keeping it relevant and comfortable for the original demographic of old kopitiams.
“We also wanted to encourage other businesses to explore the untapped potential of the unique old world charm Sandakan could offer,” Linn shared.
With the blessing of her late father-in-law David Ngui and the rest of the family board, Linn, her husband, and their friend Teo Chee Kim decided to plough ahead with San Da Gen.
Three big spoons
San Da Gen translates to three big spoons or mouthfuls, anglicised to sound like Sandakan in Hakka, the most commonly spoken dialect in the area.
The eatery serves up classic Malaysian breakfast dishes like nasi lemak and kaya toast, as well as innovative homages to nostalgic flavours like dried shrimp sambal tossed noodles, paired with a chicken chop coated with Hup Seng Cream Crackers.
Pastries are also a strong suit of theirs. In fact, San Da Gen is a proud purveyor of UFO or Cow Pad Tarts that originated in the 60s to 70s in Sandakan.
“I wouldn’t be exaggerating to say that 10 years ago, you could only order UFO tart from one or two very, very old bakeries, even though it’s a pastry item that was unique to Sandakan,” Linn said.
But thanks to San Da Gen Kopitiam, everyone from home bakers to coffee shops in KL now make and sell them.
“We can’t say we single handedly revived the nostalgic pastry, but I certainly believe we have contributed to its rise in popularity,” Linn said.
They also offer unique special treats like white rabbit ice potong sandwiched between a soft sweet bread roll, topped with crushed peanuts.
“I wasn’t one of those lucky ones with an aunty or grandma to trawl recipes from,” Linn shared. “A lot of it was research from books or online, then trial and error.”
This is reflective of their mission statement from the get go—tribute to the old and inspiring the new.
Underscoring that ambition is the kopitiam’s status as a community centre of sorts. It hosts workshops, talks, tourist info, and even culinary classes.
“Because for us, beyond getting your kopi fix, the Malaysian kopitiam culture serves as a hub for the hottest town gossip, animated pre-election debates, and a space to connect people of all races and income groups,” Linn said.
“Though we may not have spelt these values of our business out explicitly, over the years we’ve developed a very loyal customer base who supports us because they understand and support the vision too. One that is of a valiant attempt to revive our dying township…. be it one Cowpad Poop Tart at a time.”
Balancing numerous brands
Today, Linn juggles San Da Gen with Balin Rooftop Garden Bar & Bistro and their newer Limau and Linen brand.
“Forget about it, you won’t find that balance,” she said when asked about how she balances her roles. “Literally impossible to find a balance between all the roles I play at work or even at home.”
While there are days she feels incapacitated by guilt over her outlets, Linn has learnt that having a good support system such as diligent department heads and even long-time loyal customers sometimes really helps.
“I think it starts with accepting you can’t be everywhere all at once and understand that though you can control most of the perimeters through good management structure, it does take some time and luck to put the right team of people in place to bring brands to life,” Linn shared.
Becoming a local stalwart
Over the years, Linn and her husband have managed to really establish their F&B brands as staples in the scene. Linn does consider themselves to be pioneers in town, having sustained Balin Roof Garden Bar & Bistro for around 16 years, while San Da Gen Kopitiam is in its ninth year.
However, challenges are still abound. For one, there’s a newly opened franchised modern Nanyang-style kopitiam right opposite of San Da Gen now.
“Naturally the team is extremely nervous about the threats ahead, but I am quietly confident in our product,” Linn said. “Maybe it’s not such a bad thing that they are bringing the crowds back into town too.”
This year, the company plans to implement some big changes, such as sourcing ingredients locally and operational shifts. She’s even toying with the idea of starting a small farm to grow some typically imported items.
“KL, JB, and SG all have a special place in my heart, I still go there to look for inspiration,” Linn shared. “But Sabah and its untapped potential is what really excites me as an entrepreneur. 16 years later, I feel like it’s only the beginning for us all as a team.”
“San Da Gen Kopitiam in particular has seen some high highs and low lows, but let’s just say for now it is enough to keep us three spoons fully well fed and happy to keep going.”
- Learn more about San Da Gen Kopitiam here.
- Read other articles we’ve written about F&B businesses here.
Also Read: 5 reasons Tokyo makes an ideal launchpad for M’sian & S’porean startups to scale globally
Featured Image Credit: San Da Gen Kopitiam
To popularise vegetarian food, these bros expanded their restaurant from JB to Bangsar
In August 2024, a new two-storey restaurant popped up in the affluent address of Bangsar.
This is Roots, a restaurant that refuses to let its vegetarian menu limit its offerings.
The brand actually hails from Johor, founded by brothers Ian, Sean, and Chee Seng—each of whom boast a different background and skillset.
A trio of brothers
A biomedical engineer by education, Ian spent the majority of his career working as a marketeer.
Sean’s experience with F&B extends a little deeper, having worked in the industry since he was 18.
Two years into his career there, Sean decided to pursue a vocational baking course. Upon completion, he worked at a German artisan bakery shop in Jurong West and joined notable bakery brands such as Simply Bread and Swissbake, and even hotels such as St. Regis and One Farrer Hotel.
He also travelled to countries such as Taiwan, Japan, and Germany to deepen and broaden his industry knowledge, ranging from technical skills to merchandising know-how.
Meanwhile, Chee Seng graduated as an IT analyst in NUS back in 2011. The youngest of the three, he handles HR matters and accounting.
Before founding Roots, though, the three brothers had experience with another business, vburg Cafe & Bakery, which was founded in 2016.
The business is still alive today, but unfortunately, only the bakery aspect is maintained, as the cafe was closed down during the pandemic.
Not ones to give up, the three brothers joined hands with Chef Wilson Haw and founded The Roots Bistro brand in May 2022, with their first outlet in Mount Austin, Johor.
Reducing the stigma around vegetarian food
You might be wondering at this point—why vegetarian food?
Well, the three siblings have actually been vegetarian since birth.
“We often find that the landscape of vegetarian and vegan foods in Malaysia lack the ability to change the stigma over vegetarian foods,” the brothers explained.
With that mission in mind, the brothers have been trying to push the boundaries and introduce various cuisines in a vegetarian format since vburg Cafe.
This way, they aim to reach vegetarians and also non-vegetarians, a demographic they hope to change the minds (but not necessarily lifestyles) of.
Having received positive feedback in Johor, they decided to expand to KL. The founders chose the Bangsar location for its diversity of customers that comprise different backgrounds.
“The response in KL is quite high due to its high population density,” they shared. “The vegetarian and vegan community is also much larger compared to Johor Bahru.”
Even though JB does receive a good crowd coming in from Singapore, they share that their targetable demographic is still bigger in KL.
With that, there’s also increased competition. “Hence, we have to keep up the pace to innovate more cuisines that aren’t just creative but also taste great to attract more non-vegetarians to enjoy the foods,” they determined.
The Johor outlet has ceased operations since October 31, 2024, though, due to the lease ending.
But don’t worry, they plan to reopen in the second quarter of 2025.
Pushing the boundaries of vegetarian food
At Roots, typical vegetarian food isn’t the goal. Rather, they’re always on the hunt to create unique dishes from various cuisines that can be “veganised” to accommodate the growing community of plant-based eaters.
Leveraging their nine years of bakery experience with vburg, Roots creates their own sourdough, using their levain that has been cultured for nine years.
This sourdough is also used in their pizzas, which offer a variety of vegetarian toppings.
“We are aiming to launch vegan pizza with nice vegan cheeses in coming months,” they added.
According to the founders, their Orh-luak/Orh-jian (oyster omelette) is well-received by meat-eaters too despite coming without the oysters. For some who don’t mind processed meat, they enjoy the restaurant’s Trio-plant based meat with Ginger Sesame Oil Basmathi Rice.
There are also fusion dishes such like Nasi Lemak Risotto and Sambal Petai Sourdough Pizza, which they admit can be very polarising.
“These dishes are good to let some adventurous diners explore unique combinations,” they said.
With plants, for plants
Aside from serving plant-based foods, which in itself involves lower carbon footprints, the business is also actively trying to be environmentally conscious.
“As much as we can, we try to reduce the use of processed meat. Even the processed meat we used are locally-made instead of other international big brand,” they said.
By “meat,” they are of course referring to “mock” meat.
“We are also trying to practise using clean-labelled products if available, such as the jackfruit mushroom patty,” they said, referring to Nanka, a homegrown brand.
Currently, the Roots team is also working with local farmers to use their fresh lion’s mane mushroom instead.
They’re also planning to launch a “Bring Your Own Container” programme, having noticed that more and more walk-in customers opt for takeaway.
Growing from the roots
Although the three brothers have managed to steadily grow their F&B brands over the years, a challenge they continue to face is consistency in quality and standards.
“This often boils down to the streamline of SOP and training of staff,” they shared.
Aside from reopening their Johor Bahru branch, they plan to return to KL and expand their footprint there.
“We are planning Roots to encompass various countries and cultures of vegan and vegetarian cuisines to deliver a full range of meatless experiences,” they shared about the business’ future.
The brothers also reveal that they’re aiming to open in Singapore as well as other parts of Southeast Asia in the next three to five years.
Also Read: Meet 5 M’sian founders who made it & are now helping to grow the next gen of startups
Featured Image Credit: Roots
