PONTIAN, March 7 — Kedai Kopi Tenggek, located about 25 kilometres (km) from the town centre here, looks like just any other coffee shop, with the place always full of coffee lovers, not only among the people of Johor, but people from out of the state as well.
Its owner, Ghazaliey Ayiub, 55, said on average, he received 300 customers on a working day and 600 during weekends.
“Alhamdulillah (praise be to God), I did not expect such a response, where even people from outside the state also come to try ‘Kopi Tenggek’,” he said when met by Bernama at his shop , which is about five km from the Tanjung Piai National Park, near here.
‘Tenggek” means sitting on a high place and is the way the drink coffee is served. The coffee powder, of about 10 grammes (gms), is placed in a filter at the top of a glass and then hot water at 97 degrees Celsius is poured into the filter when served to the customer.
He said it was the way the coffee is served, which people find unique, that attracts customers to his shops.
“People like something creative or ‘out of the box’,” he added.
He said in most coffee shops, the coffee powder us placed at the bottom of the glass and is stirred when water is poured.
“At Kopi Tenggek, the coffee is at the top, in a filter, and the customer can see the mixture dripping into the glass when water is poured.
“This is what attracts customers, and viralled in the social media, ” said Ghazaliey, who holds a diploma in mechanical engineering.
Ghazaliey said he came up with the idea after visiting Vietnam several years back where coffee is sold by motorcyclists who made the drinks that way.
The former assistant manager of an electronics company said he conducted some research and development (R&D) for six months and came up with a marketing strategy plan before opening his business in 2018.
On plans to expand Kopi Tenggek, Ghazaliey said he hoped to open branches in other states.
Meanwhile, one of Ghazaliey’s customers, Nurul Farah Rahman, 28, said as a coffee lover, she enjoys the difference Kopi Tenggek brings as one cannot find it anywhere else.
“I came to visit my cousin in Johor Bahru, so had the opportunity to taste ‘Kopi Tenggek’. I learned about it via social media. It is really worth it and it tastes nice,” said Nurul Farah, who hails from Ipoh, Perak.
At Kopi Tenggek, customers can also order other drinks and it also serves a variety of food such as fried rice, Nasi Arab, “keropok lekor” and “roti kukus” (steamed bread) which are crowd favourites.
Kopi Tenggek operates from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm daily except on Tuesday.
Sources: BERNAMA