Everyone makes mistakes but when you’re a well-known company with more resources than the average Malaysian, it can be difficult for people to look past your faults. Recently, many Malaysians have noticed one mistake by ZUS Coffee and they want it to be corrected.
The coffee chain is currently holding a promotion in celebration of the Merdeka Day and Malaysia Day. As part of the promotion, ZUS is giving out sticker packs with designs featuring iconic Malaysian symbols like the PETRONAS Twin Towers and Mount Kinabalu. However, some customers noticed that the coffee company had made a mistake when it came to their Sarawak sticker. As pointed out by a Twitter user, ZUS had mistakenly used a toucan in the design instead of using the actual state bird, the rhinoceros hornbill.
The hornbill, also known locally as the burung kenyalang Sarawak, is also Malaysia’s national bird and is characterised by the large casque on top of its large bill. On the other hand, toucans don’t have casques and aren’t native to Southeast Asia. While there have been many instances of Malaysians mistaking a toucan for our national bird, most assumed that a company like ZUS would’ve done better research, especially for their sticker pack.
Many Malaysians have since reacted to this mistake, expressing disappointment towards ZUS Coffee. Some also lament that this is another instance of a local company lacking awareness when it comes to Sarawak’s culture and history. Others have also pointed out issues with the rest of the stickers. However, there are comments that many netizens have already brought this issue to ZUS’ attention but it seems that no recall has been done to correct the mistake. In case you’re wondering, the sticker packs were released earlier this month and are still available at ZUS stores.
This isn’t the first time Zus Coffee has gotten flak this year because in May, the coffee chain received major backlash for collaborating with lifestyle brand Adidas amidst an ongoing boycott. It’s unsure whether the company will take action for their mistake but we do hope they’ll do something to right their wrong.
