ZUS Coffee has been quietly opening stores in the Philippines, particularly in Metro Manila, since the fourth quarter of last year. Fast forward to April, the tech-driven coffee chain in Malaysia formally announced its presence in the country with the launch of a kiosk in SM Makati.
This brings their total number of stores to 12, and ZUS Coffee chief operating officer Venon Tian looks to keep the momentum going as he announced plans to expand to the rest of the Philippines, with 150 branches by the end of the year.
"We have a partner which is the Lao family. Without them, we wouldn't be able to come to the Philippines," Tian said of the family of entrepreneurs that owns well-loved restaurants such as Gloria Maris and Choi Garden.
"We'd like to do here what we have done in Malaysia, and bring in the culture from there to here," he added.
In Malaysia, ZUS Coffee has expanded to over 400 stores in just five years. The chain is known for using the tagline "necessity, not a luxury," promising affordable yet quality beverages and snacks that can be ordered in-store and through its very own app.
Zian said nearly half of customers in the Philippines have been using the ZUS app to customize their coffee experience, from taste and temperature and order time, giving him and his team insights on their preferences.
"We had our app even before the store," he shared. "The whole idea during that time was how we can bring e-commerce into the scene... Coffee is more of a product, but e-commerce is really how we are able to make sure that the ordering experience is easy, seamless, and convenient."
Just like in Malaysia, ZUS Coffee's current bestseller in the country is the Spanish Latte (P95). Their version combines espresso and ice with three kinds of milk -- sweetened milk, textured milk, and a third milk of choice, whether it's dairy or an alternative like oat or soy.
Customers can also choose from two beans (Boss, which has smoky and dark chocolate notes; and the lighter, fruity Lydia) for each of their coffee beverages. ZUS Coffee's offerings range from the classic Americano (P65) and Cafe Latte (P85) to more playful options like Buttercreme Latte (P105), Sea Salt Brown Sugar (P120), and ZUS Gula Melaka (P95), which is inspired by Malaysian flavors.
ZUS Coffee's aggressive expansion is consistent with what the brand stands for, as well as their young and energetic team, said Tian. "ZUS actually stands for zealous. We're very passionate and motivated."
"We're a little bit more mischievous, we're a little bit more naughty, we're a little more adventurous. It shows in how we work, how we come up with new flavors, and how we run things," he ended.