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Cover Story

We had been working very hard to achieve the What do you think needs to be improved in the local
results for both the Malaysia Barista Championship and the coffee industry and why?
most recent Malaysia Brewers Cup 2015. I'm really proud I think the industry needs to reduce on the talk and
to be working with the baristas on such a intimate basis. My start walking the walk. We need to get working on better
ultimate aim is to have the people and consumers taste our quality roasts and really amplify our standards here in
coffee and we want them to know that Malaysia is growing Malaysia. There is a common phrase, less talk more work.
rapidly in terms of specialty coffee. We managed to get to I also think that the local industry has to buy better coffee
the world stage with Jason, and unfortunately there's still and roast better coffee.
much for us to catch up but I'm sure we will get there one
day. Especially now that we have many awesome friends in What would you say is the greatest achievement Malaysia
the industry. It's not an individual effort. It can never be. I has made as developing coffee nation?
have a great team and they are fantastic in what they do. I think our biggest achievement as a nation is the
willingness to move forward. We have changed a lot since
Where do you think Malaysia stands as a coffee nation a couple of years ago when consumers and competitors
compared to the other developed nations out there. assumed that Brasil Santos are specialty coffee to 12 gei-
We are catching up well internationally and we shas featured in the competition this year. It's a big step
have good people in Malaysia who are willing to take the forward and it's good for the industry. I hope this continues
leap and move forward. Am truly glad to see that the na- and we are able to unite for the greater good of the local
tion is growing and moving towards the right direction. coffee scene.
In approximately 1 to 2 years, we will be there.

MARCUS FOO

Coffee Purveyor at Pulp by Papa Palheta

First opening it’s doors in Malaysia in March 2014, Papa Palheta’s expansion into Malaysia from Singapore
proved timely as the nation progresses. Marcus explains to us why he and his partners took this leap into the specialty
coffee market here in Malaysia.

Over the years, what became an interest in making my
own coffee at home became an obsession. I then started
to explore further, read up on books, spoke to coffee
enthusiasts and collected a spectrum of different brew-
ing equipment.
Come 2013. I left my 8-year job as a Project Manager
in an asset management company to set up Papa Palheta
Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur.
What made Papa Palheta venture into the Malaysian
market?
In our drive to promote and push for better coffee,
the team at Papa Palheta (Singapore) has been continu-
ously pushing boundaries and redefining the coffee retail
experience, and we wanted to extend this passion beyond
Singapore.
We were drawn to Malaysia due to their marked
increase in demand for superior coffee and brewing
equipment in recent years, which is very much in line
with our love for better coffee. The team thus went in
search of a suitable location in Malaysia to service this
Tell us a little bit about your journey in coffee and how growing specialty coffee industry.
it all began. After months of groundwork and seeking an ideal
My first encounter with coffee was in 2008, when I location in Malaysia, we met the people behind Art Print-
inherited an espresso machine and a grinder. Specifically, ing Works, which presented a suitable site that led us to
it was a La Scala Butterfly and a Mazzer Super Jolly. Both, open PULP in March 2014.
being (really) old, were in a bad shape.
Being an engineer, I started fiddling with them, How do you think the Malaysian market defers from
read up on the build and mechanics of it, sourced for parts Singapore and why?
and started getting my hands dirty repairing it. That is I would say “third wave” specialty coffee culture
when I knew a good machine is important to make good started earlier in Singapore before Malaysia caught on.
coffee, or at least part of it; the other is to find good qual- However, I believe the recent growth in the specialty cof-
ity freshly roasted coffee. fee market in Malaysia exceeds that of Singapore. What
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