There’s nothing like a cup of freshly brewed coffee first thing in the morning. Whether you prefer iced or hot, caffeine is one of the things that helps keep us get through the day. Who would say No to coffee and a nicely prepared breakfast before work? We certainly wouldn’t.
OldTown White Coffee is a popular brand and cafe chain where many choose to dine in for breakfast, lunch and also dinner. It’s a good place to meet up with friends and it’s also comfortable enough to get some assignments done there as well. Let us learn more about our very own OldTown White Coffee and its achievements over the years.
The company was founded and established in Ipoh, Perak by two friends, Mr. Goh Ching Mun and Mr. Tan Say Yap back in 1999 but did you know that the recipe for the coffee was actually first formulated in 1958? Goh Ching Mun first worked at Nam Heong Coffee Shop in Ipoh since the age of 12 while Tan Say Yap has 20 years of experience in the coffee-manufacturing business under his belt. The two friends had the idea of providing quality white coffee to Malaysian households and the food services industry and thus OldTown White Coffee was born.
With their combined experiences and expertise in the food & beverage industry as well as Goh Ching Mun’s grandfather’s original coffee recipe, it obviously didn’t take them long to formulate their own blend of 3-in-1 instant white coffee. They started to commence manufacturing in 1999 after perfecting their recipe. After some time, the two directors were able to successfully commercialised their instant 3-in-1 coffee mix under the ‘OldTown’ brand name for retailing.
Like any other business, after gaining success in their home country, it was time for world domination; the coffee brand was ready to expand their business. Goh Ching Mun and Tan Say Yap recruited Lee Siew Yee, who at the time was working with a garment manufacturing and trading company. Siew Yee was the one who helped the founders to rebrand the OldTown business and expand it internationally.
With the help of their new recruit, OldTown manage to export its instant coffee mix brand to Singapore in 2000. Then it was time to spice things up and add something new to the table. In the following year of 2001, the business owners came up with different variations of their instant coffee mix and expanded their business even further by exporting their product to Hong Kong.
The company showed absolutely no signs of slowing down as it continued to reach new milestones and by 2002, OldTown successfully expanded its nationwide retail distribution to cover both East and West Malaysia through major hypermarkets and supermarkets.
Once again, Ching Mun and Say Yap decided to try something different. In 2003, they also successfully commercialised their own formulated blend of 3-in-1 instant milk tea for the retail market under the company brand. After so many milestones over the years, the company didn’t forget its roots as the first ever OldTown White Coffee cafe outlet was opened in Ipoh, Perak in 2005.
By 2007, OldTown managed to export its brand and products in other countries such as the UK, the US, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines. Since then, the company has opened over 200 cafe outlets nationwide as well as in other countries.
Since its inception, the brand has become a favourite among coffee lovers not just in Malaysia but across the Asian region as well, and even inspired other established instant coffee producers to expand their range to include white coffee products.
Sources: OldTown, SparrowsPH, UKessays, OldTownKinrara, Essays24, TheFranchiseTalk
