BFM 89.9

HIGHLIGHTS 
Podcast  >  Enterprise  >  Open For Business  >  From 1 Cafe to 12 Co’s: JWC’s Coffee Ecosystem Play

From 1 Cafe to 12 Co’s: JWC’s Coffee Ecosystem Play

Nelson Lai, Founder & CEO, JWC Global | Michael Tan, Wholesale Director, JWC Roastery

19-May-25 10:00

From 1 Cafe to 12 Co’s: JWC’s Coffee Ecosystem Play

In 2009, JWC started as a small café in Johor with just 16 seats. Today, it has grown into an eight-figure, multi-company coffee group with retail outlets, a coffee academy, a roastery, and a fast-growing wholesale business. In this episode, we speak with Nelson Lai, Founder & CEO of JWC Global, and Michael Tan, Wholesale Director of JWC Roastery, about this company's journey from bootstrapped beginnings to building an integrated coffee ecosystem.

We dive into:

  • How JWC grew from a café into an 8-figure, multi-vertical business.

  • The surprising profitability of their coffee academy.

  • Their wholesale growth strategy, from five to seven figures.

  • How JWC tackles supply chain risks through direct sourcing.

  • Expansion ambitions, including exports, regional markets, and future fundraising.

Discover how JWC balances coffee craft, business scale, and people development to grow Malaysia’s homegrown coffee presence at home and abroad.

Produced by: Roshan Kanesan

Presented by: Roshan Kanesan


This and more than 60,000 other podcasts in your hand. Download the all new BFM mobile app.

Categories:  marketseconomymanagingentrepreneurs

Tags:  coffee businessspecialty coffeewholesaleentrepreneurshipmade in malaysia





Play / Pause

Listen now : BFM 89.9 -- The Business Station

Today’s Shows



11:00 AM

Best of Enterprise

(REPEAT)

12:00 PM

Just For Kicks

(REPEAT)

1:00 PM

A Bit of Culture

(REPEAT)

2:00 PM

Ringgit & Sense

(REPEAT)

2:30 PM

The Property Show

(REPEAT)

3:00 PM

Best of The Bigger Picture

(REPEAT)

4:00 PM

Best of Evening Edition

(REPEAT)

5:00 PM

BBC World Service

BFM presents the BBC World Service, which provides in-depth coverage of issues from around the world.