Malaysia’s café and beverage market is booming, but it’s also becoming one of the most competitive consumer sectors in the country.

With over 5,000 cafés nationwide, rising coffee consumption, and aggressive expansion from regional and Chinese brands, café operators are navigating tighter margins, higher expectations, and a more tech-driven customer base. Gen Z demand is accelerating growth, home brewing remains strong, and loyalty apps are becoming as important as latte art.

Alun Jones, Project Director of Montgomery Asia and organiser of the International Coffee & Beverage Show 2026 (ICBS), alongside Koh Wei Yang, General Manager of Barista Guild Asia, joins BFM Enterprise Explores to explore how the industry is restructuring, the role of events like ICBS, and why running a cafe is no longer just about coffee.

Learn about:

• The Competitive Reset: Why Malaysia’s buoyant coffee market is also forcing operators to rethink efficiency, pricing and scale.

• The Gen Z Effect: How younger consumers are driving consumption growth and shifting expectations.

• Technology as a Survival Tool: Why loyalty apps, POS systems and data-driven engagement are no longer optional.

• Beyond Coffee: The rapid rise of tea, kombucha and alternative beverages as differentiation strategies.

• The Hard Truth for New Entrants: Why romanticising café ownership is risky and what aspiring operators need to understand before investing.

Produced by: Kishan Sivaswamy

Presented by: Roshan Kanesan

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Categories:  markets,  managing,  food

Tags:  icbs 2026,  loyalty apps,  f&b technology,  coffee chains,  cafe competition,