Oriental Kopi: How a Kopitiam Became a RM2.8 Billion Listed Company in 5 Years

[This episode is conducted in Mandarin Chinese to allow for a more natural and authentic conversation]In this episode, I interviewed with Dato’ Calvin Chan, founder of Oriental Kopi, for an honest, unfiltered conversation about building a business the hard way. This is not a “success story” in the usual sense. Dato’ Calvin shares the uncomfortable realities behind scaling a Malaysian F&B brand from trusting the wrong people, being taken advantage of by suppliers, and learning painful leadership lessons, to building systems, teams, and discipline that can actually last. We talk about:1. Why most businesses fail when they scale2. The true cost of trusting the wrong partners3. How growing up poor shaped his work ethic and decision-making4. Why systems matter more than passionChapters: 00:00 – Intro01:07 – Disclaimer01:50 – How Oriental Kopi Achieved Wok Hei at Scale02:32 – 1 Year of R&D Before Opening a Single Shop03:16 – From One Small Shop to a Public Company04:03 - Have you think of giving up on F&B in the first year05:20 – The Brutal Reality of Long Operating Hours in F&B07:42 – The First Rule of Success: Self-Discipline12:27 – Growing Up Poor: No Safety Net22:30 - The Importance of SOPs & Systems in F&B Scaling30:30 - The Biggest Scaling Killers: Cash Flow & Supplier Trust38:30 - What’s Harder: Systems, Cash Flow, or Building a Team?49:21 - Managing People Is the Hardest Part of Growth01:02:28 - How to Get Out of a Low Point as a Founder01:08:32 - Money Mindset: From Survival to Giving Back01:20:20 - The 5–10 Year VisionStay updated on money, markets & big shifts like this, straight to your inbox daily.👉 Come say Hi to us at, 🌐 Website: 📘 Facebook: / mrmoneytv​ 🐦Twitter: / Instagram: ​ 🖊️ LinkedIn: / mr-money-tv 🤳 TikTok: @mrmoneytvchannel 🎙️Podcast: business & job enquiries, do contact us at,✉️ collabs@finlitmedia.co#orientalkopi

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Oriental Kopi: How a Kopitiam Became a RM2.8 Billion Listed Company in 5 Years is an episode from The Real Money Show by Mr Money TV by Mr Money TV.

This episode is 01:22:37 long.

This episode was published on Feb 10, 2026.

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