THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Coffee entrepreneur doubling his Thai branch network, eyes Asean expansion

Coffee entrepreneur doubling his Thai branch network, eyes Asean expansion

MISTER COFFEE & Service, the producer of roasted beans sold under the Mister Coffee brand and a distributor of coffee machines, plans to open two new branches in the provinces in a move which its founder expects will double annual sales following the open

“We opened the second shop in Udon Thani with an investment of Bt1 million, and the outlet targets both domestic and foreign buyers, and especially customers from Vientiane. This is part of our goal of expanding our customer base overseas, especially within Asean countries in light of the Asean Economic Community coming into effect at the end of this year,” managing director Pornphop Samakthai told The Nation during an interview this week.
Pornphop, 31, established Mister Coffee & Service in 2010 with registered capital of Bt1 million after previously working at a coffee-equipment firm and witnessing demand from many customers who wanted services beyond simply repairing their coffee machines.
“I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Bangkok University and started work at a company that sold and serviced coffee machines used in coffee shops. But I noticed that many customers wanted services beyond what the company offered, and I saw this as an opportunity to do business by myself.
“As a result, I decided to resign and start my own business, using savings of Bt20,000 to do so,” he said.
In the initial stage, Pornphop concentrated on repairing customers’ coffee machines and related equipment, before starting to import and distribute coffee machines and ancillary equipment for clients opening their own cafes.
Then, from being an importer and distributor of equipment, he expanded further to become a supplier of coffee beans, investing up to Bt1 million in opening the first Mister Coffee shop, selling machines, other equipment and coffee beans.
At the same time, the entrepreneur opened a coffee-bean roasting plant in Rangsit, in Pathum Thani province, which has the capacity to produce 30,000 tonnes of roasted beans a month.
Mister Coffee & Service now supplies its Mister Coffee-branded roasted beans to around 100 customers nationwide.
The company also distributes and repairs coffee machines and related equipment to coffee shops around the country.
The business generates an average income of Bt3 million a month, split equally between the sale of its roasted beans and the distribution and repair of equipment.
The company has set aside Bt2 million to open its next two new shops in the provinces this year, with half of the budget coming in the form a bank loan, he said.
Mister Coffee & Service has secured a loan contract with the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Bank of Thailand, having been granted a loan guarantee from Thai Credit Guarantee Corp.
“We target that our overall revenue will double when these two branches open,” said Pornphop.
 

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