The role of R&D in Fore Coffee’s product excellence

Fore Coffee, an F&B (Food and Beverage) company specializing in affordable premium coffee, continues to demonstrate its commitment to innovation in developing a sustainable business. The goal is to strengthen the company and enhance its competitiveness, particularly in leading dynamic market trends.

Amid speculation about going public, this coffee chain has experienced rapid growth, expanding to 217 branches across 43 cities in Indonesia and Singapore as of September 2024. This growth has been reinforced by the opening of 61 new branches in 2024, making it the year with the highest annual Year-on-Year outlet expansion.

Fore Coffee achieved this by relying on the deep understanding of its Research and Development (R&D) team, which has consistently developed a variety of products to align with customer needs in the affordable premium market segment.

“Every product innovative decision is always made based on a deep understanding of the market through comprehensive analysis and disciplined performance monitoring,” said Vico Lomar, CEO of Fore Coffee.

Fore’s in-depth market research is typically re-evaluated and tested against a series of trials using high-quality coffee beans from various regions in Indonesia, such as Aceh Gayo, Toraja, and West Java. Following this process, the team then develops various innovations to its menu to attract new customers while maintaining existing customers’ loyalty.

The results of these efforts are combined through consistency in presenting a unique taste that goes with the consumers’ palate. One of Fore Coffee’s fan-favorites is the Butterscotch Sea Salt Latte, which has sold over 10 million cups since Fore Coffee first introduced it in 2022 as a flagship product.

At the end of 2024, Fore launched “The Tani Series” as part of its commitment to delivering quality coffee across Indonesia. 

However, its focus on providing a variety of high-quality coffee products, such as “Fore Classic Coffee”, “Fore Signature Coffee”, and “Fore Seasonal & Collaboration”, remains unwavering.

Vico believes that 2025 marks the right moment for Fore Coffee to become more aggressive when it comes to business growth, as the coffee industry continues to grow exponentially, driven by the evolving coffee culture and a lifestyle that supports business expansion.

This remains in line with the mission of delivering a personal, premium, and affordable coffee-drinking experience since the company was founded based on the vision of Willson Cuaca,  Co-Founder and Managing Partner at East Ventures, together with Otten Coffee, one of East Ventures’ portfolio companies.

The original article was published on Fortune Indonesia, on 23 January 2025.