Report: Price of coffee, tea at kopitiams to increase as much as 60 sen from Jan 2022
“Recently, many things have become more expensive — from condensed milk and evaporated milk needed to make coffee or tea, to the salaries of employees, rent and cooking gas”
(MMO) – Kopitiams, as the traditional coffeeshops are colloquially called nationwide, are expected to increase the price of their beverages by as much as 60 sen in the new year.
Citing rising operating costs, Malaysia Singapore Coffee Shop Proprietors General Association president Wong Teu Hoon said the average price hike will be between 20 to 60 sen, depending on the location of the shop, The Malaysian Insight reported today.
“The price will increase 20-30 sen in rural areas and 40-60 sen in urban areas.
“The rent is higher in certain areas so the prices will also higher,” he was quoted saying.
Wong explained that the new prices were to help coffeeshop owners to manage their rising operation costs and claimed they would not profit much from the price adjustment.
“Recently, many things have become more expensive — from condensed milk and evaporated milk needed to make coffee or tea, to the salaries of employees, rent and cooking gas,” he was quoted saying.
According to Wong, coffeeshop owners only made RM20 if they sold 100 cups of coffee a day, even if the price per cup went up by 20 sen.
“That amount is not enough to pay the salaries of foreign workers. At most, it is only a subsidy,” he told the news portal.
He said the salary of a foreign worker has risen from RM1,200 to RM1,650 and the annual agency fee has shot up to RM9,500 from RM6,000, resulting in coffeeshops being understaffed.
