From exploring the different types of coffee to learning about business, Zul Ali and his wife Atiqah Leong started their business journey together to share the wonders of coffee beans.
The 38- and 34-year-olds chose to create the part-time endeavor, Coldpresso Kitchen by selling espresso-infused beverages, Kek Mata Kucing and juices.
Their story began when the married couple was still dating. With Atiqah being a huge coffee lover, the couple would spend most of their outings just visiting cafes and enjoying a different variety of cakes and cuppas.
After changing their status to married, the coffee outings became more frequent and which cost them so much. This pushed them to invest in a coffee machine and discover their ways of making their own cup of joe.
“My passion does not just stop there but I also went to take a Barista course in Jakarta to learn in depth the basics and correct technique of different types of coffee brewing,” said Zul.
Learning more about coffee and pulling out a few shots for their friends and family, the couple gained the confidence to share it with more people and open up their business.
The business officially started in 2016 with the name ‘Caffeine’ but then rebranded in 2018 to Coldpresso Kitchen symbolising their three main products: cold press juice, espresso-infused beverages and Kek Mata Kucing.
Zul and Atiqah began the business with coffee in mind but they thought that, in order to enjoy coffee more, it should come with a nice sweet cake to complement the bitter taste of coffee whilst enhancing the next sip of coffee with the saltiness of the cake.
“Iqah has been a big fan of Kek Mata Kucing and she especially loves the one that my mom makes. So we started to learn to make it ourselves and fast forward to today, it has been a staple cake for Coldpresso Kitchen,” said the entrepreneur.
As for the juicy part of the café, juicing comes from the healthy side of their lifestyles and they enjoy making green juices because they are so easy to prepare and make and when the juices are chilled, they taste even better.
With feedback from their friends and family, they also like the idea and taste of the juices, so they decided to put it as part of their menu.
Most of the products that the app developer and education officer created together in the kitchen are the ones that they enjoy making and consuming, so they know that the products they put out are of their quality.
Currently, their main operation is based in the house in Lugu where the pair set up a café-like takeaway station for their coffee and cakes.
For coffee, the types that Coldpresso currently offers are the basics such as espresso, americano or long black, café latte or flat white.
They also offer special flavoured coffees such as Mocha, Nutella Latte as well as their best-selling coffee, the Gulanau Latte and crowd pleasers, Honeycomb Latte and Red Velvet latte.
At the moment, the duo is also experimenting with new flavours of coffee and hoping to one day share them with others as seasonal flavours.
As for the juices, they are currently offering Green Juice, Watermelon Beet and Orange Strawberry and more.
However, for cakes, the business is currently selling Kek Mata Kucing for now which they have mastered the cake recipe for 7 years.
“Our business is not profit-driven. Our passion for good food (and drinks) led to sharing what we love the most; Coffee and kek mata kucing,” said Atiqah.
Coldpresso Kitchen has recently joined hands with other local businesses, GuapoBakes and Nourish by ShefShaz and through the On The Go café at Peak Club, they are able to reach a wider audience.
Customers can also find Coldpresso Kitchen online through Instagram @coldpresso.kitchen and physically at their takeaway station in Lugu as well as at the On The Go café located at the Peak Club, RBRC.
The way that the pair sees the business is a start-up for when they are ready to build a steady business foundation in preparation for their retirement days.
So Zul and his wife are not seeing this café as a business but as a hobby where they can do the things they like and share their passion with others.
Not only that, the husband and wife also wish one day to venture into other fields outside of food and beverage but for now, they are content with the pace that is going through with their business and is not in a rush to start something new.
The entrepreneur has shared that he also wishes that more people would start a business with their passion, start small and do what they like to do and see it as an escape from reality and enjoy.
Have a taste of Colpresso’s cup of coffee with a side of Kek Mata Kucing and support their passion by visiting them at On The Go café or order at @coldpresso.kitchen on Instagram.
THE BRUNEIAN | BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
