Prices continue to rise, but nothing seems to fall except rainwater.

According to a report by Sin Chew, kopitiams in Malaysia are expected to increase their coffee beverage prices due to the global rise in coffee bean prices.

Wong, the President of the Malaysia-Singapore Coffee & Tea Association, mentioned that Malaysian kopitiams might raise their coffee prices by up to 20 sen in July 2024.

Wong considers a 20 sen increase to be reasonable.

"It's still a fair price; otherwise, it would be tough for the kopitiams to survive."

Wong emphasized that the 20 sen increase is an estimate, and prices may vary by location based on each store's costs.

"Even with the increase, coffee prices will remain between RM2 and RM3, which is reasonable," Wong added.

He also noted that the association has not participated in any discussions about price adjustments, leaving the decisions to individual store owners.

Why not use local coffee beans to reduce costs?

Wong explained that local coffee beans haven't been popular with many customers, so imported beans are preferred. However, the supply of imported coffee beans is limited or unavailable.

"With the depreciation of the Ringgit Malaysia, the price of imported coffee beans has risen to over RM10 per kilogram."

Wong stressed that both kopitiams and cafes must increase their prices to survive.

"As for the coffee in cafes, it will be even more expensive."