Journey of a space : Forest Cloud On Penang Street
Photos by Daeng S, text by Foci Collective
The idea to move came about when we realized that we needed a bigger space to operate from as the place we were in, which was on Jalan Delima, was getting too cramped. The move also coincided with the expansion of our company, in terms of bringing in more raw materials and machinery.
Together with the guys at Foci Collective, a creative studio specializing in branding, strategy, and creative works, we were bouncing to get the new journey started. After scouting the location together, we finally decided on a location dubbed as the ‘heart of Georgetown’ - a spot blessed with soothing sunlight, high traffic exposure and wandering tourists. With Foci working closely alongside the creative minds of Empt Studio, an interior design company that we’ve always adored, our ideas of the space were finally brought to life and officially launched on the 9th of October 2020.
Flow of the space
The space begins with the Experience Store, an area envisioned for the ease of our customer, where one can choose anything from the retail shelf that piques their interest and have it further elaborated by our Product Experts. This flow then continues into the Demo Bar, an island bar curated with pieces of equipment for folks who enjoy the process of brewing, be it home users or even cafe owners.
The Coffee Bar is where we bring together the best of what we do as a Beverage Company, showcasing everything from raw materials like our Coffee, Cocoa, Matcha, and Hojicha to machinery like the Faema E61 and SlingShot S64. From filter coffee to specially curated drinks (the likes of Matcha Kombucha, Hojicha Usucha & Dirty Latte), our intention is to educate fellow consumers the flexibility of our raw materials and the creativity we injected into each and every offering on the menu.
For us, it's important to push the boundaries of the capabilities of ingredients. About 95% of the items on the menu incorporates our raw materials, from drinks to small bites. Collaborations are something we like to nurture at the space as well - take a glance at our Cake Chiller and you'll find selections from notable cafes like 15 Grams, The Alley, Matcho, and Constant Gardener, just to name a few, incorporating and showcasing the best out of our raw materials.
Coffee doesn't become "coffee" until it's roasted
Equipped with a Froco FR15-I, our Roastery is where all the magic happens, where we turn green coffee beans into roasted coffee beans. At the Roastery, we strive to bring the best out of the various seasonal coffee, sometimes having up to 10 coffee from different regions. Connected to the Roastery is our Production Room where we packed our in-house Matcha, Hojicha and Cocoa flown directly in from Japan and Sabah (cocoa) respectively.
Every coffee machine needs a good loving and care as any other machinery. At the Machine Clinic, our technicians put all the care into the machines, from fixing to overhauling, to refurbishing, it's where machines come out feeling fresh.
There's a room in the space where we have fun experimenting, pushing the potential of our raw materials. This room is what we like to call our R&D Lab, everything from our in-house made tiramisu, various cookies, and kombuchas were tried and tested here. Some new and yet-to-be-revealed materials are also being tested here. It also acts as a space where our product experts curate menus for cafes.
Education plays an important role in building the coffee industry. Here at the Academy, we conduct classes to empower the future generations of brewers. This space also functions as an Event Space where workshops and meetings are conducted.
When it's all said and done, we know there's a business to be run. In our Office, this is where the crucial work gets done. Led by our accounts manager and admin, they are the engine that powers the business consistently.
There's a lot more we want to do in the space and we hope to share this journey with you lovely people real soon!
