Antipodean, a New Zealand foundered cafe concept with outlets through Southeast Asia, opened its glittering new South Malaysian store in Johor Bahru today. The company, founded in 2009, has garnered multiple awards including Asia top 80 recognition over the last two years. The cafe chain started by New Zealander Alun Evans, sources and roasts its own coffee in Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and Manila.
"We fully expect very strong interest in Johor Bahru, both by Johoreans and Singaporeans" Evans said. "The concept has performed remarkably strongly in Malaysia since the launch here in 2011. Pre-pandemic we had 7 operating cafes. We expect to grow the business to 10 over the next 3 years- with an increasing focus on licensee operators"
The newest cafe is owned and operated by husband and wife team, Sachin and Vaishali Kulkarni. The first cafe outside metro Kuala Lumpur is the third Antipodean inside an IGB property- joining sister cafes in MidValley and Menara Tan and Tan.
"The Antipodean concept continues to evolve", says Evans "we have worked hard through our cafe in Manila to morph Antipodean Coffee from a purely breakfast and Brunch concept, to a model that offers a great night alternative for the more sophisticated customers looking for interesting cocktails and drinks".