KOTA KINABALU, March 7 — Interestingly, Janice Leong, the owner of Sabah’s first specialty coffee café, did not grow up with a passion for the beverage.
Instead, she stumbled upon the world of coffee while looking for a retirement plan. However, Janice has charged forward ever since and blazed a trail for other coffee aficionados in the city.
Pregio by Barista Caffe was the first to offer specialty coffee in the state, and though KK has a good coffee community, the journey hasn’t always been so easy.
In a city where Starbucks and Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf are the coffee hangouts of choice, Leong had to convince customers that a cup of her specialty roast blend was comparable to that of the popular chain.
“It wasn’t easy coming here and introducing a new product. I didn’t have the option of hiring baristas so I had to train people from scratch. I had to explain to customers why a cup of our coffee was the same price or more than what they paid in Starbucks,” said Leong.
The Seremban-born, Sabah-raised Leong had been living and working in Hong Kong — she worked in publishing for many years — and came back to her hometown armed with certificates from the many coffee courses she attended, and a determination to pursue her newfound passion.
Pregio is frequented by those who appreciate good coffee as well as those who want a comfortable place to meet up with friends for a bite.
Pregio by Barista Caffe is a franchise owned by her coffee mentor — coffee instructor Chester Tam —and is a product of her own labour of love, combined with his expertise.
“All around the world, the coffee trend is changing. People no longer drink coffee just to wake up. It’s a lifestyle now, people take time to enjoy it, and the entire experience.
“I wanted to be part of bringing awareness about that culture to Kota Kinabalu. I knew it would be an uphill task, educating the community to appreciate something new. After two and a half years of running this café, I can see a lot of people know what specialty coffee is now, from the way they order and their eagerness to try something new,” she said.
The cosy café, located in the Metrotown township, enjoys a steady stream of customers, perhaps first attracted to the inviting wood décor with its assortment of seating options from solo corner, wall bench to long wooden communal tables. Unlike many other cafés, it does not come across as “hipster.”
Their house espresso blend changes according to their roasters and flagship in Hong Kong; freshly roasted beans are flown in every two weeks from Hong Kong and tasted to ensure the highest standards are maintained.
Pregio has a number of filters and brewing methods and their staff are happy to tell you about each and every single one.
It is clear that the staff here know how to make a good cup of coffee as they are trained by Leong herself, and will be able to tell you the origins of their beans and talk to you about the different single origins on offer.
Pregio prides themselves on their single origin filtered coffee, offering a selection of about five types any given time, and you can choose different methods such as V60, syphon filter, French press, Aeropress, Chemex and more.
As much as their coffee is their focal point, Leong says the regulars come in for their food as well, their all-day breakfasts being among the most popular orders.
The egg chicken ham pizza is also a favourite and it is easy to understand why – it tastes of breakfast on a thin crust, with a sunny side up egg that oozes delightfully as you peel a slice of the pizza off the board.
You can also try one of the many pastas on offer, or waffles, which always seem to go down well with your coffee.
Unlike many other cafés, Pregio does not come across as 'hipster'.
Leong’s Pregio enjoyed a brief monopoly of a few months as the only specialty café in KK but does not see the other coffee cafés as competition and welcomes more players.
“As much as it was nice to be the only one in town, it is better for the community and industry to have more cafés so we can expose more people to the world of coffee. Taste is so subjective anyway so the more people know about good coffee, the more they can appreciate it and judge for themselves,” she said.
“We offered a lot of food to appeal to a broader base of customers, but the ratio of customers who come in for food rather than our coffee is slowly changing. And that is our goal.”
Pregio by Barista Caffe
Metro Town, Block J-0-1, Ground Floor Corner Unit, Jalan Bunga Ulam Raja, Kota Kinabalu
Open: 9.30am to 6pm. Closed on Wednesdays
Tel: 088-382 579
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