Total coffee consumption in Malaysia 2013-2022
Coffee drinking culture
For most Malaysians, drinking warm beverages such as tea and coffee has been a part of their daily lives for decades. However, as of October 2019, Milo, a combination of chocolate and malt powder normally mixed with milk or hot water to make a drink, was recorded as the most popular brand in coffee and tea brand category on YouTube. This signified that coffee was less preferred by Malaysians. Traditionally, coffee was enjoyed by older Malaysians in the local kopitiam, which is a local coffee shop. However, Malaysians who had lived abroad and adopted coffee drinking culture started to popularize café culture. Furthermore, the expansion of international retail café businesses such as Starbucks and The Coffee Bean & The Tea Leaf, as well as local coffee shop brands such as OldTown White Coffee also contributed to its popularity among the younger generation.
Coffee production
The main coffee bean types that are grown in Malaysia are Liberica, which makes up the most of its planted coffee beans, and Robusta. In 2018, Malaysia recorded coffee production of 2.1 million 60 kg bags. To keep up with the demand from both domestic and global market, Malaysia imports coffee from its neighboring country, Indonesia.