During the pandemic, many started home-based businesses to earn extra income. Despite the return to normal post-pandemic life, it’s clear that the trend of starting such ventures is here to stay.
You’ll find one such recently opened home business in the heart of Joo Chiat, an area historically known for its Eurasian and Peranakan influences. Kopi Khoo is a home-based coffee takeaway kiosk that operates from richly detailed Peranakan-style wooden windows that lead straight into the family kitchen. In every sense of the phrase, it’s literally a hole-in-the-wall along an alleyway in Tembeling Road, just in front of Haig Girls’ School. You might miss the kiosk if not for its distinctive wooden shutters protruding from an otherwise plain wall – that, and the huge green directional banner hanging a couple of metres away.
Though we’re there on a weekday morning, we’re surprised to see steady streams of customers continuously flocking to the kiosk. From the crowd of families and office workers patronising the small store, it’s clear that its virality on social media has helped with business. While we queue, we see a grey-headed bespectacled lady taking orders and chatting amicably with customers. Kopi Khoo is family-run and was initially started by a mother-son duo. On the weekends, more family members come down just to help with business.
Kopi Khoo’s menu is tidy and no-frills, serving only eight options. You can expect coffee staples like iced Americanos ($3.50), hot cappuccinos ($3.50), and iced caramel lattes ($4.50). The babycinno ($3) is a smart addition, likely to appeal to the students just across the street. The shots are expertly pulled from a Gemilai espresso machine by the mother-son duo. We don’t have to wait long before our names are called and our drinks are served in a standard coffee cup bearing a Kopi Khoo printed sticker. The iced latte ($4) is smooth without much bitterness – having it with ice makes it especially refreshing on a hot day.
Pairing the coffee with some light bites would make it the perfect rest stop, and as it stands, Kopi Khoo’s founders do intend to introduce food once the business is more established. The novelty of ordering drinks straight out of a stranger’s kitchen aside, it’s clear that much care is put into elevating the home-based set-up beyond just being a casual or informal experience. Kopi Khoo’s charm is a breath of fresh air in Singapore’s crowded food scene, so be sure to show your support for such local businesses if you’re in this heritage area.