Interview report

SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN
FOUNDATION IN NATURAL BUILD ENVIRONMENT
PRESENTATION TITLE: CAFÉ CULTURE
GROUP MEMBERS:
Names Presentation / Research Report Roles.
Gary Yeow Jinn Sheng History of Café Culture
Lynette Law Yong Yi Challenges, Appendices
Chew Yu Jing Background of both cafes
Hariish Kumar Cover page, Recommendation
Hyuh Minh Nhat Dinh Reference, Bibliography
Ng Kheng Soon Similarities and Differences
Adam Tan Yen Sheng Transcipts, Recommendation
ENGLISH II / ENGLISH 2 (ELG 30605 / ENG 0205)
LECTURER: CASSANDRA WIJESURIA
SUBMISSION & PRESENTATION DATE: 3th December 2014 / Wednesday
Table of Contents 2

No. Title Page numbers
1. Artistic page
2. Cover page 2
3. Table of Contents 3
4. Key Summary 4
5. Research Report
-Description of the History of Trade
-Description of Business
-Comparative Analysis
-Summary table of Similarities and
Differences
-Conclusion
5
6-13
14-16
17-18
19
6. Recommendation 20-22
7. Bibliography 23
8. Appendices
-Appendix 1 : Transcript
-Appendix 2 : Photos
-Appendix 3 : Minutes
24-39
9. References 40
KEY SUMMARY : BITTER SWEET CAFE AND COFFEE INK
3
To understand more about uprising local businesses, we researched and

interviewed Bitter Sweet Cafe in Penang and Coffee Ink in Klang. Bitter Sweet
Cafe has been operating for 4 months and Coffee Ink for 1 year and 3 months.
Both are minimalist conceptual cafes selling premium coffee and western cakes
which mostly are home-made. Bitter Sweet cafe creates the ambiance of
childhood memory with a bright lit atmosphere whereas Coffee Ink illustrates a
vintage feeling with extensive black and white inking artworks. Different
personalities of the owners, from a fun and laid back Penangite to a hustle hard
Klang boy, also affects the style of conducting business.
*We were left with no choice but to interview businesses that are less than 10
years which are Bitter Sweet Cafe and Coffee Ink as the interview with China
House in Penang was canceled last-minute.
4
A. Description of the History of Trade
Coffee culture indicates an atmosphere or environment which

associates with social behaviors that stressed heavily on coffee. It
was particularly known as social lubricant, to enhance the interaction
between people. In late 20th century, in the Western world and
urbanized centers on the world, espresso had becomes a dominant
form.
Hence, the formation of culture contributes to the born of
coffeehouse (modernly known as Café) since 14th century ago.
Coffeehouse became popular in European country, such as France,
London, Portugal etc. This culture been developed to United States
and caused the spread of franchises of businesses such as
Starbucks.
After the influences of coffee culture, Malaysia started involved
in this field when Starbucks kicked off their first shop on year 1998.
A lot of businessmen came out with that idea after they realized that
Café could bring prosperity. Since that, many Cafes such as Flat
White, Coffee Bean Tea & Leaf, China House, Pacific Coffee
Company etc.
Café may refer to a bar, tea room or other casual eating and
drinking place. Usually, their products were considered as “light-weight”
meal, such as coffees, sandwiches, and some desserts.
They were different with coffee shop (famously known as kopitiam in
Malaysia) since Café doesn’t serves too much choices of main
course. Even though they were contrast with each other, there was
still a threat for them.
5

B. DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF COFFEE INK CAFE
Coffee Ink commenced business in October 2013, a 1 year and 3 months old
cafe founded by Zabedee Chiang. Coffee Ink’s location is based in Klang, No.
19, Jalan Remia 3, Bandar Botanic 3, 41200 Klang.
The motive of building Coffee Ink lies in the feeling that Klang could be
remembered for so much more than just bak kut teh and gangsters. Therefore,
Zabedee Chiang builds the very first proper conceptual cafe in Klang. Zabadee
has the courage to go against the wind to open a coffee shop to be the trend
setter for others to follow suit. Zabadee also wants to provide a conducive
environment and provide opportunities for the youth to learn more about the
coffee culture.
6

Coffee Ink concentrates its effort on it’s main products serving coffee, cakes
and western dishes. Featured delicacies are premium brew coffee, Belgian
chocolate, exotic teas, Mill Crepe cakes and big benedict breakfast.
Occasionally, cookies and churros are sold.The Belgian is a high quality
chocolate beverage as it’s chocolate ingredients strictly follows traditional Belgian
recipe and is laboriously hand-produced. The Belgian is the best-seller of the
cafe. Priced at RM12, The Belgian looks like any other ordinary chocolate but
after shaving a Belgian chocolate topping, it becomes distinctive. Coffee Ink
baristas would shave the Belgian right before your eyes to prove that genuine
imported Belgian chocolate is used.
Coffee Ink operates from Tuesday to Sunday, 6 days a week. From Tuesday
to Saturday the opening hours is from 11am to 11pm a 12 hour stretch. On
Sundays, it opens in late afternoon at 2pm and closes at 11pm. The day-off of
Coffee Ink is every Monday.
Coffee Ink has 10 workers at the time provided that 6 are full-time and 4 are
part-time. There are 2 shifts every workday for the part-timers to fill in their slots.
During every shift, there will be 2 baristas, 2 waiters and 1 cashier, putting
together a team of 6. Full-time and part-time workers have their working hours
tailored by the owner to suit their time as a number of them are still studying part
time. The owner would also arrange the workers time accordingly if the worker
has notified that there were important plans during his or her work time.
The cafe only accept cash payment provided that free wi-fi is given and an
open air smoking area is provided on the balcony segmented from the closed air
indoor cafe for health purpose.
Coffee Ink targets youth and adults aging 15 and above as the crowd is
familiar with the coffee culture. The targeted crowd brings in more business as
they would involve people around them to indulge themselves in the coffee
culture. For example, highschool students would invite their friends over to the
cafe to hang out or to have group study sessions. As for the adults, they would
conduct business meetings or do their work with co-workers in the cafe.
Coffee Ink advertises itself in a subtle way by spreading word through it’s
Facebook page and Instagram account by showing tempting pictures online.
7

So far the estimated average number of customers is 30 customers per time
shift. There are 4 shifts a day, morning, afternoon, evening and night, thus
averaging about 120 customers on a good day. In estimation, the total number of
customers that had visited Coffee Ink for the time period of 1 year and 3 months
is 46,800.
The recent development of Coffee Ink is the expansion of its menu 6 months
ago in May 2014. Apart from selling cakes and beverages, Coffee Ink had came
up with new recipes to serve main course such as pasta and breakfast, lunch and
dinner set meals.
Zabedee’s goal is to maintain the business and grow in revenue. As an
entreprenuer he is not restricting himself only to do business in the food and
beverage industry. Therefore, he did not stress hard on the point of opening a
new branch as many cafe or restaurant owners would. Zabedee points out that
he would venture into different industries.
To contact Coffee Ink, their local phone number is +6 03-3319 3591. The
owner, Zabadee Chiang’s number is +60163933591. Online inquiries can be
submitted to fourbeansplt@gmail.com. Their Facebook link is @Coffee Ink and
their Instagram page is #coffeeinklg.
8

ORIGINS OF THE OWNER AND COFFEE INK
Zabedee Chiang the owner of Coffee Ink once had an idea of building his
very own coffee shop at the age of 21, while he was studying graphic design. He
drew many sketches of how the cafe would look like inked on paper in his
personal sketchbook where all his ideas lay within the pages. As the book closes,
the idea of building his own coffee shop was nothing more than just an idea. In
other words, it’s just an empty thought with nothing put into action.
After graduating at the age of 23, just like other graphic designers he applied
for a job in marketing and advertising. Day in day out, he worked hard to prove
his capabilities. He always had coffee with him to take him through the long hours
of work. But, no matter what coffee he tries, it never gets to his taste buds.
Was something wrong in the blend in his cup? No, there was something
wrong with his boss. Zabedee couldn not even enjoy a cup of coffee as the taste
of his boss taking advantage and credit for all his work was too bitter.
One day, with great courage, Zabedee quited his job and pulled out his dusty
sketchbook. He decided to transform the idea into reality by his own hands. He
had to step out of his comfort zone, from the advertising industry into the food
and beverage industry. To learn coffee art he practiced baristering with local
gurus. As he had no investors, he had to cut cost by building the place by himself
taking lessons from Bangladeshi workers learning how to mix cement and lay
bricks. After completing the groundwork, he added the finishing touches onto the
place with his favourite type of art, inking. With passion in black and white, he
created dimensions of art within the space. With the combination of coffee, inking
and courage, Coffee Ink was born.
9

BEVERAGE PRICING
CHOCOLATE
HOT CHOC RM9
THE BELGIAN RM 12
TEA
ENGLISH BREAKFAST RM5
CAMAMILE RM5
EARL GREY RM5
GREEN TEA RM5
LEMON & GINGER RM6
PEPPERMINT RM6
VANILLA TEA RM6
CHAI LATTE RM8
COFFEE
10
ESPRESSO RM4
LONG BLACK RM6
FLAT WHITE RM7
CAPPUCINO RM7
CAFFE LATTE RM7
MOCHA RM8
ESPRESSO RM8
DIRTY CHAI RM8

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF BITTER SWEET CAFE
Bitter Sweet Cafe founded by Ashton Ang commenced business in June
2014, a 5 months old cafe.
Bitter Sweet Cafe is located in 33, Lebuh Armenian, 10200 Georgetown,
Penang. Armenian Street in Georgetown is chosen to build the cafe as it is a
main tourist spot famous for its mural art paintings that can draw crowds.
Bitter Sweet Cafe do not want their customers to just eat and go. Bitter Sweet
cafe’s motive is to provide customers with memories of good times with friends
and family in the setting of the cafe’s interior design bearing the concept of
childhood memories.
Bitter Sweet Cafe’s main product is western food and beverage. Bitter Sweet
Cafe is famous for it’s waffles especially its earl grey caramel waffle and sea salt
caramel waffle. Waffles are specially hand made crispy on the outside fluffy on
the inside which could not be found in other cafes in penang. All waffles are
served with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream to increase the taste of
sweetness. They choose to make the ice cream in the very most traditional and
natural way by not using any artificial flavours. Coffee served comes in a choice
of Latte, Mocha and Cappucino. For cakes, Bitter Sweet Cafe is also known for
its home made Strawberry cheesecake and Tofu cheesecake.
Bitter Sweet Cafe focuses its effort to develop real taste. They are constantly
11

searching for different kinds of coffee that can stimulate the customer taste buds
while giving customers a whole new experience. Being interactive towards
customers, the staff often ask customers for reviews and feedback in order to
upgrade their reputation.
Bitter Sweet Cafe is open from 10am to 10pm on weekdays and 8am to
11pm on weekends. The peak hours are during late afternoon 3pm to 5pm when
tourists take a break and shelter after sightseeing in George Town in the hot
weather.
There are 8 full-time employees in total which consist of 1 manager, 4
baristas, 2 waiters and 1 cashier. The crew of 8 works through the whole day of 4
shifts which are morning, afternoon, evening and night.
Because Bitter Sweet Cafe is located at the main tourist spot, so the target
market is tourists, but not to neglect locals as well. There are a lot of local style
old school cafes and restaurants in the area, so Bitter Sweet Cafe focuses on
western food culture to show its distinctiveness especially to attract European
customers. With this marketing technique, local crowd would be drawn in as
Malaysians have the bias of elevating the status of cafes if they see white people
having meals in the cafe.
To create Bitter Sweet Cafe’s identity, they keep on trying new things by
putting in home made recipes into their menu at different days. The cafe wants to
be remembered for it’s taste than it’s interior design as for true Penangites, the
taste is the most important of all. Penangites are very strict on food quality and if
the food is nice, Penangites would recommend and revisit the place. Bitter Sweet
Cafe wants to prove its abilities towards the people. On the other hand, they are
making efforts to look for new ingredients to create new recipes to provide
customers with more choices.
Bitter Sweet Cafe encourages people to post photos and tag and hashtag
them on Instagram. Using the power of social media among youngsters, the cafe
came up with a photo competition giving free food to 2 participants who took the
best picture within the week. Besides free advertising, it also brings recurring and
new customers in when the winners of the weekly photo competition come back
for a complementary meal. Nowadays, many people are following the trend of
taking pictures of the food before eating, so Bitter Sweet Cafe uses this
opportunity to promote the cafe at the same time accommodating itself with the
youth culture.
12

The estimated average number of customers is 20 customers per time shift
provided with 4 time shifts morning, afternoon, evening and night gives it an
average of 80 customers a day.
Bitter Sweet cafe has the goal of expanding its popularity within 6 months to
1 year’s time to let people know their name and the premium quality of food and
beverage they are serving. Bitter Sweet wants to be so famous that people from
other parts of Malaysia would come to Penang to visit the place just like the other
famous concept cafes around George Town.
As for recent development that could be accounted for within 4 months of its
operation since the business commencement date the cafe has expanded its
menu and revenue. Bitter Sweet Cafe encourages its working crew to experiment
with new food and beverage recipes and they have formulated different kinds of
home made cake to be alternately sold on weekends. Their revenue also had a
considerably steady increase as it has increased in sales due to the increase in
customers.
To contact Bitter Sweet Cafe, dial 04-2614360. The Facebook page link is
@Bittersweet Cafe and the the Instagram account is #BitterSweetCafe.
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C. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF BUSINESS COMPETITIVE TRAITS
COFFEE INK BITTER SWEET CAFE
I. Number of
competitors
in the area
3 competitors :
 China House
 The Mugshot
 Piknik
3 competitors :
 Coffee House
 Starbucks Coffee
 Brass Cafe
II. Brief
description of
competitors
China House Coffee House
Main products are cakes
primarily carrot cake, Tiramisu
and chocolate moist. It has an
art gallery on the first floor.
Boardgames are also provided
free for customers to play in
the cafe.
Newly opened cafe in june
2014. Known for its homemade
cakes and coffee. Provides a
home feeling as it it regarded as
extremely clean by customers
are shoes are not allowed at
eating spots.
The Mugshot Starbucks Coffee
Famous for its freshly baked
bagel sandwich and home
made yogurt. Opens earlier
than other cafes in the area at
8am to serve breakfast.
An established brand familiar to
customers internationally. Food
and beverage quality is
ensured. Has an
accommodative environment
acting the middle point while
traveling from home to work and
vice versa.
Piknik Brass Cafe
A cafe bar famous for its
waffles and alcohol.
Boardgames are provided free
for customers to enjoy while
waiting for orders. Has a cozy
seating even for outdoors.
Serves steak and alcohol.
Provides a romantic setting for
dates and is also accustomed to
suit business meetings. It has
the theme of a big city
restaurant in a small town
appeal.
14
15

III. Business
strategies to
compete with
competitors
1. Pricing
Reasonable price considering
that the ingredients are of high
quality that enhances the
aroma and taste of food.
Affordable price considering that
some ingredients are imported
from overseas.
2. Advertisement
Photo competition to spread
the name across and provide
visuals of the food and
beverage of the cafe. Winners
of the week would be given a
free meal the next time they
visit which in return would
bring recurring and new
customers into the cafe.
Promoting food and beverage
while associating the theme of
inking art to show the
distinctiveness in concept of
cafe. Coffee Ink is also
advertised on newspapers in
“Life Magazine” in the Nan Yang
Press.
3. Variety of dishes
Keep trying to create new
recipes for food and
beverages as try outs to
provide alternatives apart from
the menu.
Expanded its menu to serve
western main course to provide
full meals other than just
snacks.
4. Quality of food
Very satisfying as the cafe
provides natural taste by not
adding any flavouring to the
food and beverage.
Good and the cafe has a special
coffee taste that differentiates
itself from other cafes as the
coffee beans and chocolate are
imported from overseas.
5. Quality of service
Friendly and efficient. Fast and effective in preparing
food and beverage.
6. Atmosphere

A brightly lit setting and
comfortable cushion seats
blending in with the theme of
childhood memories.
A vintage style approach that
incorporates black and white
inking at and cozy indoor
seating.
IV. Obstacles
faced by new
businesses
The main obstacle faced by new business is pulling customers
from existing businesses in the same area. Existing businesses
already have a steady following as the customers are familiar
with their products and service. Existing businesses can lower
their price by providing packages by skimming so that the new
business will lose in price points. New business cannot afford to
lower their price that much as they have to pay off their debt for
capital. Without a strong cashflow the cafe business cannot be
sustained.
V. Nature of
market
Both of the cafes are in a competitive market as there are many
competitors in the same industry in the same area. Theoretically,
the market share will be divided and it would be hard to have a
steady flow of customers as there are many options of different
prices provided in the area.
Strategies Bitter Sweet cafe come up with the solution to focus their effort
on food value as Penangites are strict eaters of good food. To
develop better taste than the competitors, Bitter Sweet cafe uses
high quality ingredients and avoid flavouring to give a natural
taste in the food and drinks.
Coffee Ink come up with the strategy to start the trend of coffee
culture in Klang to gain a steady flow of customers. Being the first
proper concept cafe in Klang gives the name an establishment
and good reputation being the leader of the trend ion the area.
vi) SUMMARY TABLE OF SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
TWO RESTAURANTS 16

BITTER SWEET CAFE ASPECTS COFFEE INK
Western food and coffee. Main products Western food and coffee.
All of them are locals and all
full-time workers since the
day the business started.
Workers All of them are locals consiting
part-time and full-time workers.
No plans to open new
branches.
Future plan Plans to open new branches in
5-10 years.
Significant natural taste of
waffles and ice cream as no
flavourings to stand out.
Strategy Being the first proper concept
cafe to be the trend setter of
Klang.
Ashton Ang established Bitter
Sweet cafe in June 2014 as
he saw an opportunity to
serve wetsern food and
beverage to local and
international tourists visiting
George Town.
Founder and
history
Zabedee Chiang quit his
previous advertising job to
establish Coffee Ink in October
2013, the first proper concept
cafe in Klang as it was the idea
he had when he was 21 years
old studying graphic design.
Bitter Sweet cafe is located in
Armenian Street as there are
many local and international
tourists visiting George Town.
The mural art and steel
artworks are close by, making
it a pit stop for the visitors to
enjoy western food and
beverage.
Location Coffee Ink is located in Bandar
Botanic with a shopping mall
across the road and high-end
residential area behind the
business park. The cafe has
higher accessibility to larger
crowds as there is
concentration of population.
No branches. Number of
branches
No branches.
Waffles, ice cream, coffee
and cakes.
Types of
products sold
Main course, Belgian
chocolate, coffee, cakes and
17 tea.

Monday to Friday
10am - 10pm
Saturday to Sunday
8am -11pm
Business hours Tuesday to Saturday
11am - 11pm
Sunday 2pm - 11pm
Closed on Mondays.
Handled by Ashton Ang
onitoring and managing the
cafe himself.
Business
operation
Handled by Zabedee Chiang
monitoring and managing the
cafe himself.
About 80 customers a day. Number of
customers
About 120 customers a day.
Local and international
tourists
Targeted
market
Youth and adults 15 years old
and above.
vii) CONCLUSION
18
Based on our analysis, Coffee Ink is apparently having a bigger business

potential than Bitter Sweet cafe acknowledging the fact that Coffee Ink has
been running for 1 year and 3 months than that of Bitter Sweet cafe which is
only 4 months. Although the pricing for food and beverage of Bitter Sweet
cafe is lower than that of Coffee Ink which would theoretically attract more
customers, Coffee Ink has more customers. Coffee Ink sells with a higher
price to a larger crowd than that of Bitter Sweet cafe which makes an obvious
distance in revenue. Coffee Ink also increases its profits by modifying its
menu to suit their customer’s taste. As for Bitter Sweet cafe, they are trying to
attract more customers by developing their very own recipes by preserving
the natural taste of their food and beverage by not using any flavourings.
There is no wrong in this strategy, but it would take a much longer time to
familiarize customers with their style of taste. In terms of recognition, Coffee
Ink is more recognized as it is the very first proper concept cafe to set foot in
Klang whereas Bitter Sweet cafe is one of the many concept cafe in George
Town. The more the name is established, the steadier the flow of customers,
the more the increase in profit. In conclusion, judging which cafe is better from
where it is now, Coffee Ink is more successful than Bitter Sweet cafe.
RECOMMENDATIONS
19
Based on previous comparison of Bitter Sweet Cafe and Coffee Ink we can

conclude that Bitter Sweet Cafe have to fully utilize their location and expand
their menu to attract more customers. As for Coffee Ink they could consider
on opening up new branches and be more aggressive in advertising. Bitter
Sweet Cafe has the perfect location in Armenian Street, a famous tourist spot
of George Town, so they could use this advantage to expand their menu
according to the tourists liking to create more business opportunities. On the
other hand, since Coffee Ink is quite established in Klang being the first
proper concept cafe they could increase business by branching out and by
advertising more aggressively.
BITTER SWEET CAFE 20

1.TOURIST MAGNET
As Bitter Sweet cafe is located at the heart of the tourist spot, they should use
this to their advantage by catering more food choices towards the tourists.
They could also cooperate with Malaysian tourists to help promote their food
by word of mouth naturally. This could be done by serving amazing food and
beverage along with a friendly and efficient service.
2.EXPANSION OF MENU
To maximize their full potential, they could increase their range of products
sold in the cafe. By attending more to the tourists liking to further expand their
menu, they would make their customers happier and more willing to spend
more on their delicacies which would generate a raise in profit.
21

COFFEE INK
1.EXPANDING BRANCHES
Having Coffee Ink being quite well-known in klang, they should consider
expanding to other territories. Bringing Klang’s treasured cafe to different
areas would do no harm but benefit them. The expansion to areas outside
areas would provide them with more recognition which would increase
business and that would make them a more successful food and beverage
business.
2.ADVERTISING
As Coffee Ink being the first ever proper concept cafe to set foot in Klang,
they should seize this opportunity to bring early fame and recognition to this
cafe. Visual advertising is very important as concept cafes have to promote
their food, beverage and interior design online to attract customers. This
would attract people engaged in coffee culture through social network such as
Facebook and Instagram. Having a nice and friendly service and serving great
food is a great way to advertise their cafe by word of mouth passed on by
customers to bring in new customers.
22

Bibliography
Maciinis, H. (2010). Consumer Behavior (5th ed., p. 493). Ohio: South-
Western.
Robbins, S. (2009). Managment (10th ed., p. 579). Pearson.
Zikmund, W. (2014). Marketing Research (3rd ed., p. 615). CENGAGE
Learning.
Porter, M. (2004). Competitive Strategy (1st ed., p. 397). Free Press.
LeoM, D. (2014, January 1). ME COFEE JOURNEY. Retrieved December 2,
2014, from http://www.mecoffeyjourney.com/2014/05/coffee-ink-bandar-botanic-
klang.html
Hunt, K. (2014, August 29). Retrieved December 2, 2014, from
http://www.kenhuntfood.com/2014/08/bittersweet-cafe-armenian-street.
html
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APPENDICES
APPENDIX 1
TRANSCRIPT ( COFFEE INK ): Chew Yu Jing and Zabadee Chiang
Q :Why the name Coffee Ink?
A: Well coffee is just basically coffee, his style of art is black and white which is
also refer to as inking, and you collaborate both together to get Coffee Ink. Most
of the art are done by him, and some by his ex-college mates from One
Academy. He majored in Graphic Design and Advertising.
Q: When did Coffee Ink begin?
A :Coffee Ink is actually 1 year and 3 months old, he got the idea when he was
aged 22, he had a few sketches of the idea in his sketch book, but just never
took the initiative to make it happen, till late 2012 only he started to look for
investors to fund this project.
Q: What's the inspiration?
A : For any art background person, it's always good to keep a sketch book by
your side so you could just sketch or jot down any collective ideas in it. Along the
way, you'll probably get inspired to add or remove a few ideas for you main
concept. It's through his sketch book that inspired him to start off this business,
done working for others.
Q: Has it always been a childhood dream to open a coffee shop?
A :Starting a coffee shop was never his childhood dream, he wanted to be a pilot
but his was never good in maths, so it wouldn't had worked out.
Q: How did all this start?
A :He used to work in an advertising agency for a few years, he was the senior
graphic designer, he got tired that all the credit was given to the art director
instead of him, despite having work his hardest for the company. One day he just
decided to do something for himself, to build something that he desires. As
cheesy as it sounds just listen to your heart. Besides that, he can't work without
his daily dose of coffee, because in an advertising agency you'll have to work
from day to night, you'll rarely get to see the sun, and coffee is the only thing that
keeps you going. Coffee has become a huge addiction for him. He loves coffee,
and just exploring coffee. After sometime he thought he should collaborate things
24

that he likes, he loves coffee and he loves art, so that's where he came up with
his concept.
Q: How is the coffee art developed?
A : He would first teach his baristas the basics and fundamental of coffee, and
then from there he would teach them the basic latte art, then from there he wants
and allow them to explore more on their own, using their creativity to guide them.
They could do like a peacock with open feathers, or two swans facing each other,
it's up to their creativity, but first they have to learn the fundamentals from him.
Q : What makes the coffee different?
A :They have their signature blend of arobica and robusta, and they also have
sumatrum blend. The arobica beans gives a fruity flavor to the coffee and the
robusta beans gives it that kick, which would indulge your taste buds, so when
you take a sip of coffee you will first get a fruity sensation, following that with the
impact of the bitterness from the coffee, that's the difference in coffee in Coffee
Ink. Besides that, they also specialize in chocolate, one of their main signature
drink is their belgium dark chocolate, that's one of their best sellers aside from
their coffee.
Q : What's his favourite coffee?
A : He likes the piccolo, it's like a more concentrated version of a latte. A piccolo
is a shot of ristretto with minimal milk. It comes in a short glass(bigger than a shot
glass), it has a strong coffee taste to it, rather than a latte, a latte is really milky,
and a flat white is even more milkier.
Q : What's your strategy against the competition?
A : At the beginning, when he told his dad he wanted to open a coffee shop his
father thought he was crazy, because in Klang they have a mentality for the word
of money which is, “we want it big and we want it alot.” When you think of
opening a coffee shop in Klang the older generation would find it hard to accept,
but if all the fishes are swimming on the right, he believes on taking the left, he
does not like to follow the main trend. That is why he opened the first ever coffee
shop in Klang, like a proper cafe not like those roadside coffee shops(also known
as Kopitiam). The competition soon followed within 6 to 8 months after Coffee Ink
was opened. Within 8 months there were like 9 competitors just surrounding
Coffee Ink. What makes Coffee Ink standout is probably because he is the local
artist, most of the artwork in Coffee Ink is done by him, the difference is that them
ambience in Coffee Ink is all created by him. He build everything with his own two
25

hands. In Cafe line you can't runaway from 3 things, the beverage, the choice of
dishes and the ambience. You have to keep a good balance between the 3 to
retained and attract more new customers in to your Cafe, it's always a people
orientated industry. If a coffee shop is to remember your name and orders, you
are more likely to go back, because they have built a personal relationship with
you, and in Coffee Ink the like to practice that, and it's the main principle here, to
make it a people orientated cafe.
Q : Why did you choose this location in Klang? Whenever people think about
Klang is their bah kut teh?
A : His a Klang boy, and he gets frustrated whenever people just associate Klang
with only the Bah Kut Teh and gangsters, because there is so much more to
Klang then what it seems. If he got the opportunity to build something with his
own two hands, he would like to start it in his hometown. “Klang boy, Klang town”
Even though the risks are high, that's the opportunity, you would not want to
open a mall in an area where theres crowded with mall already, instead you
would want to open a mall where theres no mall in sight, so that you'll be the only
one. “ You start the trend, you be the leader, let the others follow you.” That's
what drove him to pick this location, over Subang, PJ or Damansara which is
already packed with all kinds of cafe, with all kinds of concepts.
Q : What are the benefits to the society?
A : He believes that there are lots of youths here, who are looking for exposure
and a new experience, rather than working in a F&B line in Klang which are
McDonalds, KFC and etc. He wants to bring the coffee culture here in Klang, for
the youth between high school and college. He wants to create an opportunity for
them to work, to make it like a management training program, so as they work
here they would not just learn something new about the industry, but also a skill
they can use later on in life. For example, communication skills, being able to
speak fluently in various languages like Mandarin, English and etc, and also able
to have the knowledge of coffee. The manners and the ability to carry themselves
well could be applied to their new jobs. He would like to bring these opportunities
for them, because when he was young he never got much guidance in life, so he
would like to create these environment for them. As you grow, the people and
society would grow with you, so that's his concept in opening Coffee Ink in Klang.
Q : What is in the past and future of Coffee Ink?
A : When he was a teenager, he mixed around with all kinds of people, most of
them were unpleasant ones, so at the age of 21 he thought he was going to die,
but somehow he believed that God had placed him at the right place, at the right
26

time to meet the right people and to be where he is now. He feels blessed to
have this place(Coffee Ink), and he never expected to own a coffee shop by
himself, because he comes from a very poor family. He was so poor that there
are times he would be too shy to socialize with other people. When you come
from a poor background and was given an opportunity, you would definitely give
everything you have, sacrificing everything. Coffee Ink has 5 and 10 year plan,
hopefully the business would grow, and the branding would grow and hoping to
open a second outlet in the near future.
Q : What's the situation of the F&B industry now?
A : Who knows, in 5 to 10 years he might venture into other industries, many
might not know that the coffee industry has hit the third wave at this moment. In
every industry especially the F&B line, you'll have a hype, and then when it hits
the peak of the apex, it would either drop a little to a Plato line, just like the
bubble tea craze, last time people were crazy for Chatime, they were willing to
que for Chatime, but look at the hype now, it's beginning to be very subtle. We
wouldn't know what the future brings for us, but we have to be ready for it, but
who knows, in 5 to 10 years he might be in a different industry.
Q : What are the advice for new entreprenuers?
If you are born in a rich family, you are really blessed. Make full use of the
resources you have, make full use of the connections you have, and also do it
wisely without wastage. If you come from a poor family, that's even better,
because you are driven to do something with your life, someone in your family
has to pay the price to go to the next level. So if you start from nothing, give your
everything, don't hold back, sacrifice everything you got and just do it. The world
would only tell you what you cannot do in life, but it is up to you to make the
changes yourself. For all the entrepreneurs out there, think of the ways for how
you could stand out among the majority of your industry. Like in Architecture,
what make you stand out as an Architect? Perhaps you have an outstanding
communication skills, which makes you the main choice of your company to lead
the presentations. Maybe you have a different kind of concept that no other
Architects may have, maybe you have some bizarre ideas or concepts no one
has ever thought of, so you have to explore yourselves first, and identify these
unique selling point that you have, and the one you got to offer, invest time in
yourselves, invest time to learn, invest time to explore, because what you invest
in yourselves would only benefit you. Alot of people would tell you they want
something real bad, but how much do you actually want it, do you want it bad
enough to do everything for it, or do you want it bad enough but you still want to
party and you still want to spend your money like you're drinking water, without
any self-control. If you want something bad you got to sacrifice, you got to put in
27

effort, put in determination, but don't just say it, do it. For all future entrepreneurs,
you got to believe in yourselves, because if you don't who else would believe
you, if you don't believe in yourself who else would believe you, so that's really
important. If you pitch your ideas to get sponsors, or partnership or to get loans,
you have to be convincing, you have to prove to them that you really believe in
this idea and concept that it's definitely going to be a success, that passion and
inspiration that comes from you would drive them to have great interest in you
project and that would never fail. If you have positivity in your life, you got to
show it.
Q : How long was the hustle?
A : He was fortunate to get the right location for a right price at the right time, so
he built this place from scratch in 3 months. He had really limited resource at that
time, so he went with the concept less is more, he has to use the idea of
minimalism as his concept, things like bricks and cement he brought in a lory,
and he had to carry the bricks and cement all by himself, it was really crazy, each
cement bag was 60kg. He got some Indonesian guys to teach him to mix the
cement to build the bar. He could not afford a contractor at that time, so alot of
the things in Coffee Ink is done by themselves, except for plumbing and
electricity. They did it within 3 months, everything was done quite well and no
problems after that.
Q : Who were the supporters?
A : Firstly he would like to thank God, for making this happen. And also to the
people around him, to his parents, his close friends, they all played a big role to
where he is now. You can never grow progressively alone, you'll always need
morale support.
28

TRANSCRIPT ( BITTER SWEET CAFÉ ): Chew Yu Jing and Ashton Ang
Q : Why did you pick the name Bitter Sweet?
A : Our initial focus was on coffee and dessert,we used the taste of both it to form
our name.
Q : How does your coffee differ from the competitors?
A : We focus more on the taste of the coffee rather than the coffee art.We also try
our best to experiment using different types of coffee beans.
Q : What is the food that is highly on demand by the customers?
A : Our best selling food is our waffle.
Q : Why did you choose to open at Armenian Street?
A : We choose this location because this is one of the main spots for tourists.
Q : Do you target the tourist or the locals?
A : Our primary target the tourist,but we also make sure to cater the needs of the
local.
Q : What type of food do you serve here?
A : Mostly western food.
Q : Why is there so many paper planes on the wall?
A : To give a nostalgic feeling of our childhood and also integrate with our
minimalistic interior.
Q : How do you advertise online?
A : We had a competition to encourage our customers to post photos and hash
tag us.
Q : When is your peak hours?
A : Normally tea time after lunch,mostly 3 to 5pm.
Q : Do you have a special packaging for your food?
A : Our primary focus is on the food itself and it goes align with our concept.
Q : Your goals for the future?
A : Become an established cafe in Penang.
Q : What about the staff? 29

A : Currently we have about 8,we work well together because of our team is
efficient.
Q : What’s the thing you like in this cafe?
A : Its comfortable,simple and not only gives you tasty food but provide you a
memorable experience.
APPENDIX 2 :PHOTOS 30

Shop name : Bitter Sweet Café
1. Main entrance of Bitter Sweet Café
2. Interior of the café with a heart warming and simple design
31

3. Paper planes designs were seen on the walls as the owner used it to create childhood
memories to customers.
4. Hardworking and friendly staffs.
32

5. Advertising used by the owner through the culture of “ snap before eat” and
encouraging customer to hashtag them in the photos via Facebook and Instagram to
help them promote.
6. Their famous Earl Grey Caramel Waffles. Crispy on the outside and fluffy inside as told
by the owner and tasted by us.
33

Shop name : Coffee Ink
1. Main entrance of Coffee Ink. It is situated in front of Klang’s biggest shopping mall and
behind it is stayed by wealthy residents.
2. We were interviewing the owner , Zabadee Chiang.
34

3. The walls of the café are “inked” by the owner himself as he was a student in design
before. This was one of the walls that is still in the process of inking.
35

4. Professional workers making premium coffee and chocolate beverages.
5. Imported high quality ingredients.
36

6. One of the dishes that we ordered and it tasted very good.
37

APPENDIX 3 : MINUTES
MINUTES 1
25/11/2014 10am-3pm Taylor Lakeside Campus
DATE: 8/11/2014
TIME: 10am-3pm
VENUE: Taylors’ Lakeside Campus
NAMES OF GROUP MEMBERS TUTORIAL GROUP ROLE
Lynette Law Yong Yi Wednesday
Gary Yeow Jinn Sheng Friday
Hariish Kumar Wednesday
Chew Yu Jing Wednesday
Ng Kheng Soon Wednesday
Hyuh Minh Nhat Dinh Wednesday
NO. ACTIVITY ACTION
TAKEN BY
1. Discussion on the type of business we would like to
interview
All members
2. Research on the business which has been running for 10
years around Penang and Klang Valley
All members
3. Finalizing the interview to be on cafes in Penang and
Klang.
All members
38

MINUTES 2
DATE: 25/11/2014
TIME: 12pm-6pm
VENUE: Taylors Lakeside Campus
NAMES OF GROUP MEMBERS TUTORIAL GROUP ROLE
Lynette Law Yong Yi Wednesday
Gary Yeow Jinn Sheng Friday
Hariish Kumar Wednesday
Chew Yu Jing Wednesday
Ng Kheng Soon Wednesday
Hyuh Minh Nhat Dinh Wednesday
NO. ACTIVITY ACTION
TAKEN BY
1. Compilation of the interview questions asked in both
cafes at Penang and Klang.
All members
2. Sort, analyze and distribute jobs to members including
photos, videos and information.
All members
REFERENCE
39

Maciinis, H. (2010). Consumer Behavior (5th ed., p. 493). Ohio: South-Western.
Robbins, S. (2009). Managment (10th ed., p. 579). Pearson.
Barrow, C. (2007). Starting a Business for Dummies (2nd ed., p. 388). Wiley.
Zikmund, W. (2014). Marketing Research (3rd ed., p. 615). CENGAGE Learning.
Porter, M. (2004). Competitive Strategy (1st ed., p. 397). Free Press.
Personal Interview
Structure : Ashton Ang ( 10th November 2014). Personal Interview
Personal Interview
Structure: Zabadee Chiang ( 11th November 2014 ). Personal Interview
40

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