BATU PAHAT: A deep love for coffee saw a young man leave his teaching career to continue his father’s legacy of a coffee shop business in the district here.
Johan Arif Sofian, 28, an English teacher, had always been interested in coffee since childhood. So when his father Sofian Fuad, 57, opened a coffee shop in 2014, it was perfect for the youngster to “mess around” in the shop.
He said he was at the time undertaking his Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) studies, and had no plans to work in the coffee shop after that.
“However, while waiting to get his teacher’s posting, he worked part-time in his father’s coffeeshop called ‘Kelab Kopi’, which is now located in Jalan Mohd Akil after moving from its premises in Jalan Abu Bakar.
“Although I obtained a teaching position, my deep interest in coffee made me join and run Kelab Kopi,” he said when met by Bernama recently.
According to Johan, competition among coffee outlets in the district is stiff with many places mushrooming everywhere recently, but he views it as healthy competition.
Additionally, each coffee shop that opens has its own uniqueness with owners ‘inventing’ their own specialties to attract customers.
“I also believe that a coffeeshop with its own specialties will attract a regular clientele, and they can offer a loyal programme,” he said.
“For the Kelab Kopi, among the things it places importance on to attract customers is having quality coffee, where we use coffee such as Arabica beans imported from Brazil, Colombia and Indonesia.
“We give unique names to identify our coffee such as ‘Hayven Latte’, ‘Butterscotch Latte’, ‘Gula Melaka Latte’ and ‘Local Coffee 434’. Apart from these, various types of food are also sold including the main dish, the Salted Egg Rice,” he said.
Johan also said that due to the favourable demand, his father, he and his younger brother, Adam Arif, 26, have opened a branch in Jalan Rahmat and plan to open another outlet in Kluang.
He added that the Kelab Kopi, which is now run by 13 young people, often plans and creates a new menu each year as an attraction. — BERNAMA
