Fore Coffee: Reshaping Indonesia’s new coffee culture

The food and beverage (F&B) coffee industry in Indonesia has experienced significant growth in the last decade. This is apparent as more coffee shops and brands are emerging amidst intense competition, supported by the skyrocketing coffee consumption by Indonesians of various ages—which is projected to increase this year, reaching nearly five million bags from 3.5 million in 2018.

Intense competition and rising consumption rates have created a vibrant and dynamic playground for local coffee champions. 

A strong player in this landscape is Fore Coffee, an Indonesian F&B brand garnering significant attention from the locals, and brewing a successful story in the industry.

The brand offers a variety of beverages—coffee and non-coffee—created through extensive research and innovation by professionals, using only high-quality and authentic ingredients sourced locally. 

Through this, Fore Coffee is generating end-to-end positive impacts and creating value for multiple stakeholders, from farmers to customers, which has been the key to the company’s growth to this day.

Behind Fore Coffee’s success story, lies a long and challenging journey many people might not know, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic that struck the world in early 2020.

The beginning of the Fore Coffee’s journey

The entire story of Fore Coffee began in 2018 when Willson Cuaca, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at East Ventures, together with Robin Boe and Jhoni Kusno, Co-Founders of Otten Coffee, came up with the grand idea of establishing a coffee shop to revitalize the glory of Indonesia’s coffee industry, especially Arabica beans for specialty coffee.

That idea materialized on 8 August 2018, when Fore Coffee opened its first store in the Senopati area of South Jakarta. At the same time, Robin Boe was appointed the CEO and Co-Founder, while Jhoni Kusno took on the role of Co-Founder.

Fore Coffee became Indonesia’s leading ‘premium affordable’ coffee shop chain, seamlessly blending operational excellence with innovative seasonal products to enhance the coffee culture. 

The name “Fore” is an abbreviation for “Forest”, symbolizing the hope that the brand will grow tall, fast, and strong while also providing life to its surroundings, just like a forest.

In this context, providing life not only refers to creating job opportunities but also to serving the finest specialty coffee that Indonesians deserve, as Indonesia is one of the world’s largest coffee producers. 

Ultimately, this entire process contributes to the well-being of Indonesian coffee farmers, who are at the very foundation of the supply chain.

A year later, Fore Coffee strengthened its position in Indonesia’s F&B coffee market by expanding outside Jakarta and opening stores in Medan, Bandung, and Surabaya. 

At that time, Fore had successfully established 118 coffee shops across several major cities in Indonesia. This step reinforced Fore Coffee’s go-to-market strategy, prioritizing a sustainable ecosystem.

What does not kill you makes you stronger

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, almost every industry experienced significant turmoil, including the F&B coffee industry. This pressured Fore Coffee to reorganize and adapt to the situation.

The company formed a transition team aimed to redefine brand aspirations, reorganize financial structures, and develop sustainable business strategies in the F&B industry. 

Additionally, Willson Cuaca and his team appointed Elisa Suteja from East Ventures as the new CEO, taking over from Robin Boe’s leadership.

One of Fore Coffee’s strategies in adapting to the pandemic was launching a one-liter bottled coffee product called “FOREveryone” to catch shifting consumer behavior due to COVID-19.

To survive, Fore Coffee’s management had to make difficult decisions. The company resorted to closing more than half of its outlets, from 133 to only 66, across several major cities in Indonesia. 

This was not an easy choice, but the company faced internal challenges that required large-scale efficiency measures to sustain business operations.

Nevertheless, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Fore Coffee’s management had to implement several initiatives to adapt to the changing business landscape, including optimizing offline store services, enhancing systems to improve online sales operations, closing another six outlets to 60, and appointing Vico Lomar as Co-CEO in September 2020.

Through adversity to the stars

Following a challenging period in 2020, Fore Coffee pressed on and entered 2021 with greater optimism. In April 2021, Vico Lomar was appointed as the new CEO of Fore Coffee, bringing his extensive experience in the F&B industry of more than 20 years. 

An expert particularly on operations, Vico focused on enhancing operational efficiency to ensure that all Fore Coffee outlets across Indonesia maintained consistent quality and excellence.

One of Fore Coffee’s key innovations was opening its first flagship store in Yogyakarta, which is its biggest store at that time. This outlet combined traditional and futuristic concepts in interior design and collaborated with a local artist. The flagship store performed exceptionally well, achieving above-average sales in the year 2021.

Later on, Fore Coffee started expanding with total of 96 branches and introduced Fore Deli, which offers a variety of sandwiches, paninis, and other pastries.

Under Vico Lomar’s leadership, Fore Coffee achieved a significant milestone in Q3 2021, recording positive Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA) at store level. A key factor in this success was a 50% reduction in promotional expenses in 2021.

This positive momentum continued into the following year, with achieved EBITDA positive on company level and 122 outlets operating across Indonesia. In 2022, the company introduced one of its most popular signature drinks, the Butterscotch Sea Salt Latte.

In addition to the Butterscotch Sea Salt Latte, Fore Coffee also launched Fore Junior, a non-coffee product line aimed at younger customers. The drinks were specially crafted for children aged 5-13 years old, offering refreshing flavors tailored to their preferences.

Fore Coffee’s bold moves to expansion

The 2023 marked a monumental milestone for Fore Coffee, as the brand successfully operated 172 outlets and opened its first international branch at Bugis Junction, Singapore. 

“Fore Coffee’s first international store carries the same mission: not only to serve our signature coffee menu, which is beloved by Indonesians, but also to provide deeper insights into Indonesian coffee and culture,” said Vico Lomar, on the opening day.

“Fore Coffee’s journey has only just begun. We uphold the principle of sustainability in our expansion and international store operations,” he added.

By the end of the year, Fore Coffee achieved another significant milestone by obtaining a halal certification from the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) for all registered products. This certification is a testament to the brand’s commitment to meeting customer needs, especially Indonesians. 

This also aligns with the government regulations, enhancing the credibility of its halal-certified products.

Venturing into 2024, Fore Coffee hosted a special event titled “Women in Coffee” to commemorate Kartini Day. This event was led by two inspiring women, Sabrina Mayang and Marchieta Almathea, who are in the Top 6 Finalists of Fore Grind Master 2023.

This event aimed to celebrate the role of women in the coffee industry while providing a platform for participants to deepen their knowledge about coffee, which has evolved beyond just a beverage and has become an integral part of modern lifestyles.

Taking innovation to the next level, Fore Coffee partnered with an Indonesian fragrance brand, HMNS Perfume, to create a groundbreaking aromatic beverage collection that fuses the sensory experience of taste and scent through coffee and perfume. 

This collaboration marks the first-ever innovation of its kind in Indonesia, introducing three unique beverages: Aromatic Pandan Jasmine Latte, Aromatic Creamy Rose, and Aromatic Golden Jasmine Tea.

Fore Coffee has also significantly expanded its presence, doubling its number of outlets compared to 2022. As of 2024, the brand has successfully established 232 branches across 40 cities in Indonesia, further cementing its position as one of the country’s leading coffee shops and brands.

A continuous burst of growth in the future

By upholding operational excellence, maintaining high-quality product management, and fostering innovation in its business model, Fore Coffee experienced increasing EBITDA surpassing all competitors in the F&B sector.

As the leading premium affordable F&B coffee chain in Indonesia, Fore Coffee remains committed to continuous innovation and sustainable business growth. 

This ensures strong company development and competitiveness, particularly in leading dynamic market trends and fulfilling customer needs through high-quality, affordable premium products.

For nearly seven years, Fore Coffee has played a vital role in shaping Indonesia’s new coffee culture, achieving rapid expansion across 43 cities in Indonesia and Singapore, and still maintaining affordable prices without compromising product quality in every stores. 

This success is driven by the expertise of its research and development (R&D) team, which consistently crafts innovative products tailored to customer preferences within the premium yet affordable market segment.

As a leading venture capital firm operating across multiple sectors in Southeast Asia, East Ventures recognizes the crucial role of the F&B industry—especially coffee—in driving regional economic growth. 

With rising coffee consumption rates, we believe that Fore Coffee is well-positioned to lead and further expand this industry.

East Ventures is fully committed to supporting F&B startups in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, including, ISMAYA Group, SaladStop! Group, Runchise, UENA, and Har Har Chicken!.

We firmly believe that this sector holds immense potential for rapid expansion and economic growth across Southeast Asia.