IO – In the past five years, the growth of coffee shops in Indonesia has continued to surge. Coffee shops are scattered, ranging from the conventional ones that offer various types of espresso-based coffee to contemporary coffee shops, which sell milk coffee combined with palm sugar. Kopi Nawan, which has a branch in Pancoran, South Jakarta, is a combination of the two.
Nawan is taken from the word “Menawan” which means artistic, beautiful, and warmful. The first branch was established in September 2019 at Pasar Rebo. Gigih, one of the founders, explained that his shop carries the concept of coffee-to-go, to accommodate the needs of the community, especially in busy office areas.
Gigih offers a slightly different selection of milk coffee. Tigamas Coffee is a combination of coffee, milk, and palm sugar, with a creamy coffee character, while Kopi Susu Nawan is stronger. Besides coffee, there are also various non-coffee items on the menu, such as Pandan Ciao, Oreo Regal Ice Milk, Chocolate Banana Ice, and tea menus such as Milk tea, Lychee Tea, Black Tea, Watermelon Tea, and Lemon Tea, complete with pastry choices. Pandan Ciao is a favorite of non-coffee aficionados, a blend of fresh milk, pandan syrup, and grass jelly.
One item that is unique in Kopi Nawan is Cookies and Cream. When in another shop a sweet drink with oreo biscuit crumbs, here is served with an additional espresso shot so it has a refreshing touch of a bitter taste.
Go by the health protocol
Unlike the first outlet, Kopi Nawan in Pancoran has a fairly large seating area. Here the health protocol applies: visitors are required to keep their distance and must wear a mask. The store manager also provides hand sanitizers at several points.
The store, which opens every Monday to Saturday from 07.00 to 22.00, has two prime times: office workers from 07.00 to 15.00, and it starts to be crowded with students from 17:00 to 22:00. Even amid a pandemic, demand for Kopi Susu here continues to increase.
In the future, Gigih still envisions Kopi Nawan as a coffee shop with a coffee-to-go concept. Gigih decleared that in the next few months there will be new outlets in Cibubur. He believes that brand growth will be much faster by adding sales points. (A. Mayasaphira)