KOTA BARU, Feb 14 — Adopting the Australian street coffee concept, a former airline sales officer recently ventured into selling the beverage along Jalan Bayam, here, from his classic van to earn a livelihood.
Wan Mohd Naim Wan Mohd Ghazi, 35, said the idea of selling cups of coffee on the street from his modified van came about after he was laid off work in June last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“After I was offered the voluntary separation scheme (VSS) following my six years of service, I began to look for ideas to generate income.
“The idea to sell coffee on the street was inspired during my vacation in Australia in 2013 where such a concept was popular,” he said when met by Bernama at his Van’s Street Coffee in Jalan Bayam, here.
Around November last year, the father of a five-year-old child began to attend a two-month workshop on preparing various types of coffee.
Initially, he tested it out on his close friends and family members and once he got their thumbs-up, he decided to seriously go into the business.
“I invested about RM20,000 to start the business including purchasing a coffee-making machine and other equipment, and also bought the van from my aunt, Siti Haliman Bux@Jasmin Shaikh Rahman Bux, 65, for RM10,000 and modified it into a cafe-like coffee counter,” he said.
Sharing his experience, he said he only managed to sell about 15 cups of coffee when he first started one month ago, but his business steadily grew once he promoted it on social media.
“Now my customers have several options to choose from such as Latte, Cappucino, Americano, Hazelnut, Caramel, Mocha and others for as low as RM5 and up to RM8 a mug.
“I even created my own seasonal coffee where last week, I introduced ‘Coffee Orange’s Street’ and ‘Oranged Street’ in conjunction with the Chinese New Year celebration where the promotion will last until February 28,” said Wan Mohd Naim who also employs two assistants.
Except for Sundays, Wan Mohd Naim conducts his business from the back portion of his van from 3pm to 9pm along Jalan Bayam.
“Besides generating income, my main aim is to let ordinary folks sample and enjoy ‘fancy coffees’ at affordable prices,” said Wan Mohd Naim, who is able to earn RM8,000 a month from this venture.
A regular customer, Mohd Nizarmuddin Mohamad Nor, 33, said he would come every day to get his coffee fix as it tasted good yet affordable.
“For coffee lovers, this Van’s Street coffee is the best choice to enjoy high-quality coffee that is on par with those sold at cafes. Given the current challenging times, everyone can afford a cuppa,” he said. — Bernama
