Malaysian brand to cash in on Pinoy’s coffee craze

Filipinos love a good cup of coffee, evident in the numerous cafes that sprouted in every nook and cranny of the metropolis and key cities across the country. For them, sipping a Western coffee brand is a unique beverage experience, as if saying their taste has finally come of age.

Coffee-loving Pinoys will soon discover that enjoying a satisfying cup of gourmet coffee need not be pricey with the recent launch in the Philippine market of the popular Malaysian 3-in-1 brand Old Town White Coffee

According to Annabelle Chua, exclusive distributor of the coffee, the new brand hopes to cash in on the Pinoy’s new-found craze.

She and her husband Peter came across the brand a few years back when they went to a grocery in Hong Kong, sampled it and was captivated by its gourmet and bold taste she has never experienced in any other coffee before. They bought cartons of coffee to Manila, thus starting a love affair with the brand.

When they went to Malaysia years later to watch an equestrian event, they sought out the manufacturers to forge a distributorship venture.

“Old Town has a unique taste which the Pinoys’ adventurous and discerning taste buds will surely enjoy because of the special blend of arabica, robusta and liberica coffee beans, mixed with caramel and roasted to perfection,” enthuses Chua.

It is available in 3-in-1 coffee sachet boxes in SM Hypermarkets, SM Super Value stores, Robinson’s Supermarkets, The Landmark Makati and Trinoma, and Shopwise branches.

“For just about the price of a 12-ounce softdrink bottle, you can enjoy an instant blend of gourmet coffee in the comfort of your home,” adds Chua who also owns the Beijing Tong Ren Tang traditional Chinese pharmacy in Ortigas Center.

The coffee firm started the unique “white coffee” blend in 1958 in the Malaysian town of Ipoh when the owner put up a “kopitiam” or coffee shop. It is produced by roasting the beans with just 10% and roasted to a lighter degree, resulting in a lighter blend.

To meet increasing demands, the coffee company came up with pre-packed instant and freeze-dried sachets to make them available anytime, anywhere.

To give its customers more choices, it introduced new variants—the classic, mild, hazelnut, flavors, the “teh tarik” or milk tea and its newest product, the healthful sugar cane flavor.

For coffee lovers who favor a stronger darker palette, the Nan Yang series is the authentic brew. Packed in basic filter bags, it is easy to serve up a strong cup of coffee to wake the senses up.

Old Town is also certified “halal” or fit for consumption by Muslims because it has passed rigid health standards.

For more information on Old Town White Coffee, log on to www.oldtownwhitecafe.com.