In this episode we sat down with Zenda Ng, CEO of HWC Coffee. She started HWC Coffee three and a half years ago, and the company now has 80 outlets across Malaysia and two international outlets at Brunei.
Zenda shares her extensive 18-year journey in the F&B industry, detailing how she started as a reseller of cookies at age 11, then began producing her own, and later ran her first halal restaurant.
This entrepreneurial journey led to her co-founding HWC Coffee in 2022, opening 15 outlets within the first nine months.
Chapters
1:33 - Welcome to Cari Makan Podcast
1:56 - Introducing Zenda, CEO of HWC Coffee
2:48 - Background Before HWC: 18+ Years in the Halal F&B Industry
4:14 - Starting as a Reseller of Cookies at Age 11
4:50 - Producing and Selling Cookies at the Pasar by Age 13
6:57 - Academic Journey: Diploma in Business in Singapore
7:58 - Working Full-Time (New Zealand Milk) and Studying Part-Time in Singapore
8:36 - F&B Roles in Singapore: Five-Star Hotel and Food Courts (Western, Japanese Food)
10:17 - Deciding to Start Own Business in Malaysia Before Age 30
10:35 - Giving Up High-Paying Corporate Job
11:50 - The Two-Year Deadline and Singapore Backup Plan
12:17 - First Restaurant Concept: Halal-Certified Malaysian Local Food
14:18 - Opening the Second Outlet: The Toughest Challenge
17:21 - Surviving the Second Outlet Challenge Leads to Growth (Third, Fourth Outlets)
17:41 - MCO Hits the Business
19:30 - Diversifying Revenue with Catering Business
21:03 - MCO Impact
22:50 - Closing Outlets and Relying on the Central Kitchen
23:23 - Emotional Sharing: The Challenge of the Journey
24:31 - Leadership: Accepting Staff Strengths, Weaknesses, and Mistakes
25:14 - The Pivot During MCO: Starting Nasi Lemak Distribution (RM 1.30 per packet)
26:28 - HWC Founder Approaches Zenda to Start the Coffee Business (2021)
27:52 - HWC Coffee's Launch: First Outlet in 1 Utama (April 2022)
29:20 - Fast Growth: 15 Outlets in 9 Months, Plus 35 Outlets in the Second Year
29:38 - Success Factor: Post-MCO Consumer Desire for Quality Products (Specialty Coffee)
30:54 - Subscription Model Explained: Becoming a "Coffee Hunter" through the App
32:15 - Market Change: The Impact of AI in F&B (Design, Location Finding, Customer Analysis)
33:41 - Biggest Challenge in F&B: Competition
35:07 - Future Plans for HWC: Opening More Outlets to Improve Accessibility for Subscribers
37:34 - Future of Catering Business: Expanding to Other States Beyond Klang Valley
39:06 - Entrepreneurial Tips: People, Product (Important, but Not Everything), and Business Model
39:29 - Business Model Differentiates You from Competitors
39:49 - Good Food is Not Enough for Business Success
40:10 - Speaking at Food Print Expo: Sharing Motivation and Realities of F&B Journey
41:52 - Mantra: If There's a Will, There's a Way
42:16 - Appreciation for the Candid Sharing and Journey
42:41 - Zenda is a Speaker at the FoodPreneur Expo
43:09 - FoodPreneur Expo Details
43:39 - Outro and Call to Action
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Kisah sebenar disebalik industri F&B dan bagaimana mereka "Cari Makan" bersama Rhys William (Mat Salleh Cari Makan), Founder MSCM Studios 🎙️🍛 Available in Bahasa Melayu and English
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HWC MALAYSIA
https://www.hwccoffee.my/
https://www.instagram.com/hwc_malaysia/
https://www.tiktok.com/@hwccoffeemy
https://www.facebook.com/HWCmalaysia/
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FoodPreneur Expo 2025
https://foodicious.com.my/foodpreneur
https://www.instagram.com/foodpreneur.expo
https://www.tiktok.com/@foodpreneur.expo
https://www.facebook.com/foodpreneurexpo
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Cari Makan Podcast
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/carimakanpodcast
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@carimakanpodcast
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