BFM 89.9
The Business Station
Spilling the Beans on Scaling a Wholesale Roastery
27 mins·10:00, 22 Sept 2026
Spilling the Beans on Scaling a Wholesale Roastery
27 mins
·
10:00, 22 Sept 2026
·
Recommended
Guest: Thomas Ooi, Founder & Managing Director, Ghostbird Coffee Co, Tiong Hsien Qing, Co-Founder & Operations Director, Ghostbird Coffee Co
Ghostbird Coffee started in 2015 out of operational frustration. After transitioning from the IT industry to help found The Owls Café, Thomas Ooi and Tiong Hsien Qing realised they wanted absolute control over their most critical supply chain element: their coffee. What began as a small Seputeh roastery built to supply their own shops has scaled into a massive nationwide B2B operation. Growing from roughly RM1.5 million in 2020 to RM7.07 million in 2024, the fully bootstrapped business currently generates between RM600,000 and RM800,000 monthly, with a clear operational target to consistently clear a million a month.
The business now executes across seven distinct revenue streams—spanning roasting, B2B wholesale, e-commerce, a retail coffee bar, co-roasting, roastery consultation, and running major events like the Malaysia AeroPress Championship. Beyond their operational footprint, the founders are making a massive strategic bet on Malaysian Liberica. Traditionally dismissed as a cheap, sea-level filler crop grown in Johor, Ghostbird is working to elevate the bean into a distinct, high-quality Malaysian coffee identity that can command global respect.
Thomas and Tiong talk to us about the realities of building a multi-million ringgit F&B supply company from the ground up. We discuss why being former café operators serves as their greatest strategic advantage in wholesale, and the difficult process of digitising B2B sales in an industry traditionally run entirely on handshakes and salespeople.
Presenter: Audrey Raj
Producer: Audrey Raj, Carol Wong
ghostbird coffeespecialty coffeemalaysia libericacoffee roasterybootstrapped businesswholesale coffee
Share:
Recommended
Sep 25
·
29 minsClimate Risk: The Hidden Business Opportunity
Sep 25
·
45 minsMSP376. Who Asked You? Initiate Annihilation
Sep 25
·
22 minsMaking Dough by Teaching Dough
Recent episodes
0
Latest stories
Podcasts · Sept 25 · 4:00AM
Climate Risk: The Hidden Business Opportunity
29 mins
Podcasts · Sept 25 · 29 mins
Climate Risk: The Hidden Business Opportunity
Podcasts · Sept 25 · 3:00AM
MSP376. Who Asked You? Initiate Annihilation
45 mins
Podcasts · Sept 25 · 45 mins
MSP376. Who Asked You? Initiate Annihilation
Podcasts · Sept 25 · 2:00AM
Making Dough by Teaching Dough
22 mins
Podcasts · Sept 25 · 22 mins
Making Dough by Teaching Dough