Gen Z woman starts coffee joint in her own home

[ToonBlue]

Got rich parents ...

 

[DragonFire]

Going down later to try. This just a few houses away. NParks is opening a PCN down the main road soon. Got opportunity to add a weekend lemonade stand liao.

 

[FireEmblem]

I don’t have money to buy high end coffee machines but i can cook maggie mees n prep frozen food. I got full stack skill some more can do online order with me. But U ok to sit outside lift lobby moi house too small.

Lmao Maggie mee and frozen food people can cook themselves, why buy from you?

Is not just coffee machine, is must have good skills to choose good beans to get good coffee out, else also no one will buy from her. All her neighbours you think cannot afford Expresso machine?

 

[Pearce]

Moi ish want to help zeh zeh with her business and after become the son in law, inherit her hause!

If she got brother, usually won't have chance. Cause girl marry out.

If she marry you, she won't be working 9 to 5 job, and you need to work and take care of her

 

[articland05]

Typical EDMW mentality. People must set up biz and work 12 hrs a day to sell you guys food at below cost price.

If they earn any money from their biz, means they are evil, greedy, unscrupulous, earn so much money for what die also cannot take away etc

of course .. sour grape comments is a must here

 

[Kunkka]

If my family have a GCB, I will open a pool side cafe and bar. I also can't work 9-5 job.

Ridout should have open house like istana

 

[DragonFire]

Only over here, got so much governmental red tape to pass through before u can start home based biz.

Not much leh. Pass a food handling course mainly.

 

[DragonFire]

Lmao Maggie mee and frozen food people can cook themselves, why but from you?

Is not just coffee machine, is must have good skills to choose good beans to get good coffee out, else also no one will buy from her. All her neighbours you think cannot afford Expresso machine?

Yeah I see some pro baristas tuning machine in the morning with every new batch of roasts. It is not a simple job if you want to serve a superlative cup. Need golden tongue too.

 

[Tsoukalos]

'I don't see myself in a 9-to-5 job': Gen Z woman starts coffee joint in her own home​

Coffee Near Me is not exactly your average cafe.

Founder Sonia Lim runs it within her family's landed home in Upper Thomson.

Opened in February, this home-based business provides a cafe experience for its customers.


You walk through the entrance (or front gate, in this case), place your order and head to the seats and tables available at the front yard to enjoy your coffee.

Initially, they served coffee to the surrounding community only.

"There aren't any cafes nearby so it's not very convenient if you don't have a car," the 21-year-old said during a chat with AsiaOne.

At the time, all you had to do was drop her a text, come by and pick up your cup of coffee.

This had been going on for a few months until Coffee Near Me started going viral on social media.

Thanks to a few TikTok clips, what was once a coffee business for a neighbourhood became a home-based cafe open to the public.

"I felt there was potential and I wanted people to know more about this space," Sonia said before cheekily noting that the decision to open to a wider customer base might make her a few extra bucks too.

But this transition brought with it more challenges.

While the number of customers grew, there was no change to the operational processes.

Sonia recalled: "It became more stressful because I was [still] the only one that's preparing the drinks."

The first two weeks after Coffee Near Me opened to the public, her cousin came over to offer a helping hand.

Apart from churning out orders, there was also the issue of crowd control.

Having neighbours over for a cuppa is one thing but welcoming a bunch of strangers into your home is a whole new ball game.

"The tricky part is that I have very limited tables and chairs," Sonia said.

Coffee Near Me was not fully prepared for the influx of customers so, at times, they would hang around, queuing or waiting for an empty seat.

People wanted to experience what they saw in those social media videos — a place to chill with friends over drinks and small bites.

The business was allowed to continue, though Sonia had to make minor adjustments, one of which was to remove the Coffee Near Me signage at the premises.

URA's home-based business scheme prohibits such businesses from putting up advertisements, signages or posters at residential premises.

This entire episode was a bittersweet experience for Sonia.

While she admitted to feeling annoyed initially, she has since seen the incident in a different light.

"Oh wow, it's like 'I made it'!" she giggled.

Caffeine lovers have options aplenty, whether it is an Americano ($3.50), Cafe Latte ($4.50) or Spanish Latte ($5).

According to Sonia, a favourite among her customers is the Matcha Latte ($5).

Given the scorching weather during my visit, I opted for an Iced Cafe Latte ($5) and was pleased with my pick.

When asked what makes a good cup of coffee, she excitedly replied: "Well balanced, not too milky but not too acidic either."

Fans of Coffee Near Me would also be aware of its secret menu, visible only on its socials, with drinks like Hojicha Einspanner and Cream Top Latte.

If you're feeling peckish, there are bakes available too. Prepared in-house, the menu changes weekly and customers can expect menu items from Tomato Focaccia to Earl Grey Madeline.

Unconventional route​

Sonia mentioned how tricky and unpredictable customer footfall can be.

And as if right on cue during our interview, she had to step away to attend to a customer’s order.

“You see what I mean when I say there might be nobody but suddenly I'll have [customers]!” she said.

Sonia was energetic in the kitchen, whether it's brewing beans, preparing milk, or whisking matcha powder.

As I observed from the side, it did look like she was (for the lack of a better phrase) right at home.

Having a desk-bound job wasn't appealing to her.

"I don't see myself in a 9-to-5 job," she explained.

Given Coffee Near Me's positive start, Sonia may not need to consider office jobs at all.

She is open to the idea of barista-entrepreneur being her full-time profession.

Sonia added: "I would want to [eventually] have my own space. But I'm looking more towards [a stall in a] kopitiam."

High rental cost and the competitiveness of Singapore's cafe scene were reasons why she is less keen on running a standalone cafe.

Coffee Near Me's competitive pricing vis-a-vis its cafe counterparts is something she took into consideration too.

And according to Sonia, moving into a kopitiam would likely allow for prices to be kept low.

After the chat about the business's future, she noted that there isn't a specific timeline for it to move out of her home.

For now, Coffee Near Me is set to stay put at Casuarina Walk.

https://www.asiaone.com/lifestyle/i...-home?utm_medium=Hardwarezone&utm_source=EDMW

Bla bla bla bla bla LANDED

 

[Cmonster]

This is no big deal. No one posted the landed house at marine parade selling pizza yet?

https://rubbisheatrubbishgrow.com/2024/04/10/the-long-weekend-pizza/

this one i dunno why govt allow. Got smell, smoke, fire risk

 

[FireEmblem]

Yeah I see some pro baristas tuning machine in the morning with every new batch of roasts. It is not a simple job if you want to serve a superlative cup. Need golden tongue too.

The pro roast their own coffee too and make their own blend from different coffee beans. All these make it very difficult for you to get the good unique tasting coffee they offer thus people will keep going back.

I hope she is not the kind think just buy a Expresso machine set up cafe and expect people to come with her limited input and skills. Business not going to be good if her coffee not up to notch.

 

[Medicated Oil]

And why did the press featured this cafe ?
What so special about a ASK cafe ?

 

[articland05]

This is no big deal. No one posted the landed house at marine parade selling pizza yet?

https://rubbisheatrubbishgrow.com/2024/04/10/the-long-weekend-pizza/

this one i dunno why govt allow. Got smell, smoke, fire risk

wow...that 2 chao tar patch still can eat meh

 

[FireEmblem]

wow...that 2 chao tar patch still can eat meh

You know, you dun have to eat that portion?

 

[heroking]

why my thread tio merged sia?

 

[FireEmblem]

And why did the press featured this cafe ?
What so special about a ASK cafe ?

Hidden advertisment loh.

Sure she paid for the article

 

[oddbasket]

So she stole the idea from the guy's success story of selling from his hdb?

 

[tatsit]

Really loophole, no licence required from NEA

 

[DragonFire]

DF open lemonade stand next time. Sarpork hor. Pressed using 20 ton custom built hydraulic press.

 

[randomph]

Buying landed property to do coffeeshop biz nao!!