What started as a humble hole-in-the-wall espresso bar in Emerald Backyard has grown into certainly one of Singapore’s most recognisable specialty espresso spots.
As soon as nestled at 6 Ann Siang Hill, Maxi Espresso Bar has constructed a loyal following that outlasts its bodily areas—due to founders Pleasure Cheng and Denise Lum’s ardour for espresso, hospitality, and neighborhood.
The 2 have been associates since secondary college. Denise, a former lawyer, first opened Maxi Espresso Bar in 2018 as a tiny espresso counter. In 2020, Pleasure—as soon as an aspiring tutorial who determined she didn’t need a life behind a desk and was working as a barista at numerous cafés for years—joined her to launch an even bigger iteration at Ann Siang Hill.
In June, the espresso bar was allegedly given two days discover to vacate its premises, sparking hypothesis amongst netizens and regulars concerning the sudden closure.
Nonetheless, it looks as if the founders aren’t dropping out simply but.
We spoke with Pleasure to study to learn the way Maxi Espresso Bar has navigated Singapore’s aggressive F&B market whereas staying true to their craft.
An area for heat and connection
From day one, the Pleasure and Denise envisioned Maxi Espresso Bar as greater than only a caffeine cease. They needed it to be a heat, inviting area the place folks might loosen up and really feel at dwelling.
Whereas ‘bar’ in Italian means “espresso store,” Pleasure and Denise selected the phrase intentionally to set themselves aside from the ocean of cafés in Singapore. For them, Maxi Espresso Bar is a “sacred area” that displays their id within the espresso scene — one they’re dedicated to defending with out compromise.
“Customers generally have very mounted expectations after they hear the phrase ‘café’—scrambled eggs on toast, that type of factor,” Pleasure defined. “We needed folks to think about one thing totally different.”
The time period “bar” additionally nods to Maxi’s origins in a compact area, the place intimacy and connection are key.
Espresso for everybody
Regardless of its humble area, Maxi Espresso Bar has been serving two varieties of prospects: those that pop in for a fast espresso, and people who linger for hours. Whichever camp you’re in, the workers make it a degree to speak with you—asking about your day, your work, or your life.
“I discover nice which means in speaking to prospects about what’s happening of their lives,” Pleasure mentioned. “From prospects, they’ve turn into associates. That’s how we retain them.”
Their dream is a twin service mannequin of their new area: fast-paced on the entrance for busy patrons, and gradual, relaxed service inside for many who wish to savour their espresso and the environment.
Whereas their former place at Ann Siang Hill was small, it was nonetheless a comfy spot that was bustling with espresso lovers.
From bean to cup
For the primary two years, Maxi Espresso Bar sourced beans from worldwide artisanal roasters whose values aligned with theirs. Finally, Pleasure and Denise determined to specific their very own espresso imaginative and prescient. Drawing on years of expertise, they started sourcing inexperienced espresso straight from smallholder farmers in nations like Panama and Ethiopia—beans which can be ethically grown and supply distinctive flavour profiles.
For the previous 4 years, Maxi Espresso has been roasting these beans in-house at co-roasting areas like Group Espresso and Tai Seng, importing them by trusted companions resembling Nordic Method and Glyph Provide. Every inexperienced espresso is chosen by rigorous tasting earlier than committing to a gradual provide.
Their desire is for gentle roasts that spotlight espresso’s pure fruity notes, reflecting its origins because the seed of a fruit. Espresso, in any case, is the seed of a fruit—and elements like soil, local weather, and altitude in its rising area affect its aroma, acidity, and sweetness.
Since 2023, roasting their very own beans has given them full management over flavour and high quality, in addition to the prospect to supply roles past barista work—in sourcing and roasting.
The meals menu is designed to enrich their drinks, from artisanal bakes by small native bakers to their house-made sandwiches, which have been a fan-favourite through the years.
Staying true with out chasing traits
Maxi Espresso Bar’s advertising is sort of solely natural, with the group sharing genuine snippets of their day quite than chasing fads.
“We don’t take pleasure in chasing traits for the sake of it,” Pleasure mentioned. “We’d quite deal with what we imagine in.”
In addition they preserve strict hiring requirements, in search of workers who share their ardour for each espresso and other people. This strategy has paid off, with a persistently excessive workers retention price.
Their coffees have turn into so well-known that they’ve launched a line of canned filter espresso for purchasers to take pleasure in anyplace. Maxi’s canned espresso continues to be accessible for buy, along with their house-roasted retail espresso baggage on their web site.
Studying past borders
The duo’s dedication to their craft extends far past Singapore. They journey to espresso origins—most lately Colombia—to style, examine, and produce again flavour inspiration.
Pleasure can also be lively in espresso competitions, not simply to win awards however to study from different baristas and methods. They host visitor brewers from overseas, like Switzerland’s Rose Espresso Roasters, and run occasional pop-ups with native F&B resembling UgliSabi to maintain their meals menu recent for purchasers.
To them, they wish to make the expertise of going to their bar as rewarding as consuming the intricacies of specialty espresso that they serve, pure and experiential.
Weathering storms
As a small bootstrapped enterprise, Maxi Espresso Bar has weathered its share of challenges—from its early days in a condominium nook to surviving the COVID-19 pandemic. For Pleasure and Denise, making it by these troublesome years stays certainly one of their proudest achievements, they usually take coronary heart in how far the enterprise has come.
In Singapore’s aggressive F&B scene, conserving specialty espresso each accessible and high-quality is an ongoing balancing act. They’re grateful to have managed prices with out compromising on moral sourcing, flavour requirements, or the enjoyment of the expertise.
The sudden closure of their Ann Siang Hill outlet sparked curiosity amongst loyal prospects. Pleasure shared that Maxi Espresso Bar turned collateral harm in a dispute between their foremost tenant and the owner, regardless of paying their hire on time.
As sub-tenants, their lease settlement was solely with the principle tenant. When the latter defaulted on hire and broke their lease, the owner—in response—required the Maxi Espresso group to vacate the premises.
Regardless of the sudden closure, Maxi Espresso isn’t giving up but. They’re set to open their new espresso bar in September. For now, prospects can catch them at Wildcard, a bar run by Denise, on weekends in the identical neighbourhood serving Maxi’s espresso.
Maxi Espresso Bar continues to look forward
In a café scene usually full of cookie-cutter ideas, Maxi Espresso Bar continues to face out by conserving espresso on the centre and neighborhood at its coronary heart. Whether or not for a fast takeaway or a lingering afternoon chat, Maxi has proven it’s right here to remain—wherever it units up subsequent.
Pleasure’s recommendation to aspiring entrepreneurs is straightforward however sobering: one must be able to pay the worth for his or her goals.
“It’s a must to be completely satisfied by your ‘why’. As a result of the journey is so onerous, any rational individual would surrender. Those that don’t, do it as a result of they adore it.”
Wanting ahead, the duo hopes to maintain serving distinctive espresso with single-minded focus, deepen their craft, and broaden their product vary to share nice espresso with much more folks.
- Discover out extra about Maxi Espresso Bar right here.
- Learn different articles we’ve written on Singaporean companies right here.
Featured Picture Credit score: Maxi Espresso Bar
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