Traditional Kopitiams or Contemporary Coffee Shops

Traditional kopitiams or contemporary coffee shops? An exploration of coffee culture in a city-state, Singapore

Abstract

The transformation in global coffee consumption practices over the last thirty years is often portrayed as the outcome of an unequal struggle between transnational chains such as Starbucks and traditional local operators.

This paper analyses these issues in the context of the historical development of the coffee business in Singapore, drawing upon oral history interviews conducted with operators of a variety of coffee businesses - including traditional kopitiams (coffee outlets), local coffee chains, western style coffee shops, and the Singapore Coffee Association.

The paper analyses three main areas in which these actors perceive inequalities between traditional and transnational operators - preparation time, consumer perception, and operating costs. It takes longer to prepare a traditional style Nanyang coffee than an espresso beverage, but consumers perceive the experience offered in international coffee shops as of better quality, so will pay a higher price for coffee than in a kopitiam. A further inequality is found in the structure of the rental market and the coffee chains' ability to manoeuvre within this.

The major limitation of this paper lies in its relatively small sample size: further research is required to substantiate these preliminary conclusions.