But first... coffee!
Tour has been held at Taylor’s University, explains Lee, as we wade our way between the heaving mass that has suddenly materialised in the hall. GCR had been appointed by the University to be its “coffee partner”. Elaborates Lee: “We’ve been “assigned” to train the lecturers and also students, to equip them with the latest knowledge about coffee trends as well as skills so that by the time they complete their course, they’re ready for the market.”
As we move from station to station, Lee offers an insight into his company. Voice laced with pride, he shares that GCR specialises in significant processes, from coffee farming, sourcing, processing, and roasting high quality Arabica beans.
“Ours is literally from farm to cup,” continues Lee, adding: “As a group, we own a coffee plantation in Gayo Highland, Central Aceh, a high altitude farm approximately 1,500 metres above sea level. It’s approximately 40 hectares and we also have the neighbouring farms which span thousands of hectares. Almost 90 per cent of the crops from this place are coffee. People eat, drink and sleep coffee — literally! We work very closely with our farmers there. In fact, the plantation has contributed to the cultural value of the area as we use traditional methods in order to be able to maintain and sustain the local farmers’ culture.”
There’s a processing farm in Gayo where the processing of the beans are done before being transferred to Malaysia, where the company has a plant in Shah Alam, and eventually, to the customers in the form of the brand, Degayo Coffee.
From independent cafes to convention centres, from chain outlets like Krispy