Coffee today is no longer just about caffeine or café aesthetics. Across Southeast Asia, the specialty coffee industry is evolving into something more thoughtful, more inclusive, and deeply community-led. As consumers become curious about origin, flavour, and craft, the conversation around coffee is shifting from exclusivity to accessibility. It is within this changing landscape that new-age roasters and cafés are redefining what good coffee really means.
One such brand is KiS Coffee Co., short for Keep It Simple Coffee Community. Founded in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, KiS Coffee Co. represents a grounded, experience-first approach to specialty coffee. Rooted in years of industry knowledge and built on the belief that great coffee should be easy to enjoy, the brand is quietly shaping a new narrative for how coffee can bring people together.
From Industry Experience To A Clear Philosophy
KiS Coffee Co. was founded by three partners, including Michael, together with Kenneth and Ballon. All three come from strong coffee backgrounds in Malaysia, with Michael himself spending 18 years in the local coffee industry and working extensively as a coffee trainer. Their shared experience exposed them to excellent coffee, skilled baristas, and quality roasters, but also highlighted a gap that often goes unnoticed: the lack of a strong, inclusive coffee community.
Launched in 2025, KiS Coffee Co. began with a clear intention. Rather than focusing solely on café culture, the brand positioned itself as a roaster and community builder. While the café serves as a physical touchpoint, the heart of the business lies in supplying roasted coffee beans across Malaysia and the ASEAN region. Today, KiS Coffee Co. exports to Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, and Australia, proving that a simple philosophy can travel far when executed with clarity and purpose.
Keeping Coffee Simple, Accessible, And Honest
The philosophy behind KiS Coffee Co. is embedded in its name. Keep it simple is not a slogan but a working principle that guides every decision, from brewing methods to pricing. At the roastery, all black coffee is served using batch brew machines. This allows for consistency, faster service, and more meaningful interaction between baristas and guests, shifting the focus from complex techniques to shared experiences.
Accessibility is another cornerstone of the brand. In a market where specialty coffee often comes at a premium, KiS Coffee Co. deliberately prices its latte at RM9 and batch-brewed black coffee at RM8. This pricing is part of an ongoing social experiment to understand whether removing cost barriers encourages people to explore better coffee. Since opening the roastery, KiS Coffee Co. has served 4,000 cups of black coffee over a six-month period, within a strong coffee culture where latte and cappuccino drinkers make up the majority of consumers.
Building Community And Looking Ahead.
While KiS Coffee Co. operates a single café in Kuala Lumpur, its primary focus remains wholesale and partnership-driven growth. The brand supports café owners with consultation, equipment sourcing, bar setup, training, and after-sales support. What truly sets KiS Coffee Co. apart is its hands-on involvement. Michael personally travels across Malaysia to host tastings, cupping sessions, and community events with partner cafés, ensuring that education and engagement remain central to the brand’s expansion.
From 1st June to 31st December 2025, a total of 220,000 cups of eight-ounce coffee brewed using KiS Coffee Co. beans were enjoyed by coffee lovers throughout the year. Looking ahead, the team aims to reach more communities across the region, with plans to expand café locations within Kuala Lumpur and launch a dedicated after-sales support program for coffee equipment. Through it all, the vision remains unchanged: to make specialty coffee safe, flavourful, affordable, and welcoming, while building a community that grows together, one simple cup at a time.
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