Malaysian Coffee Leaders To Debut Trade Show, Specialty Association

Directors of the new Specialty Coffee Association of Malaysia introduce Cafe Malaysia 2015.

With both growing production and domestic consumption, coffee industry leaders in Malaysia are taking a big step in announcing the inaugural Café Malaysia 2015 trade show, as well as the development of the Malaysia Specialty Coffee Association.

Conference and Exhibitions Management Services (CEMS) is organizing the Café Malaysia 2015 show, scheduled to open May 7 in Kuala Lumpur, and the group is anticipating some 150 exhibitors from 15 countries and some 11,000 attendees, which would make the show one of the largest coffee events in Southeast Asia. The event will also host the Malaysian Brewers Cup Championship and Latte Art Championship.

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At a press conference held at Feeka Coffee Roasters in Kuala Lumpur, Victor Leong also announced his role as president of the newly formed Malaysia Specialty Coffee Association.

“The main mission of the formation of the association is to unite, develop and enhance the specialty coffee industry in Malaysia,” said Leong. “This would mean, working hand-in-hand with the industry to promote activities and competitions that will benefit not only the industry, but also the cultural and economic factors of the Specialty Coffee Industry.”

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The group says a trend of increased domestic demand for quality coffee at retail cafes is a driving force for industry organization:

Today Malaysia grows about 25,000 hectares of coffee mainly in the provinces of Kelantan, Kedah, Trengganu, Selangor and Malacca. Coffee is also cultivated in the Sabah region at the northernmost tip of the island of Borneo. The number of cafes in Malaysia has been increasing rapidly, supporting the idea that Malaysia’s coffee crop in coming years will likely struggle just to meet the country’s own internal demands.