Collective Coffee Roasters

With the opening of Block E @ The Five just around the corner, we decided to catch up with Barrie Nasim, one of the founders of Collectíve Coffee Roasters, to get an idea of what we can expect in his new roasting location.

Barrie has over a decade of experience in the coffee industry, 7 of which was spent building and establishing Collectíve.

His love for specialty coffee started during his early working days in a small coffee shop called Notes Coffee Roasters in Canary Wharf, London. At that time specialty coffee was a novelty and when he had his first sip (it was a Costa Rica, La Patricia) his mind was blown. Barrie says, “I never thought that coffee can actually taste so fruity.” For the uninitiated, this is true - many of us have been taught that coffee has to be harsh and bitter because we associate coffee with being a drink to jolt us awake, and not really as a beverage for enjoyment.

Barrie became a man about town as he worked his way through many specialty cafes around London until he finally enrolled himself in the London School of Coffee where he learnt more about roasting and all the other behind-the-scenes processes.

Specialty coffee has only become a rising trend in recent years. Barrie tells us that during the inception of Collectíve, it was quite a struggle because specialty coffee was still a novelty in Malaysia and most people didn’t know about it. In its early years, Collectíve went through a phase of educating and increasing awareness of specialty coffee.

But now, the scene in Malaysia has seen rapid growth with more cafes becoming adventurous in their flavour profiles, breaking away from the usual chocolate and nutty flavour notes. Today you can easily find fruity and floral notes as well as beans with caramel undertones. To Barrie this is an excellent development.

Being a coffee roaster, Collectíve doesn't consider itself as pure sellers. They also collaborate with cafes by providing training as well as consultation for menu development coffee equipment and servicing.

Beyond being a coffee roaster and supporting Malaysian cafes that are looking to refresh their bar’s repertoire, Collectíve also serves coffee! For those only just dipping their toes into specialty coffee, Collectíve serves their house blends, The Bold or The Sweet, and for the more adventurous, Collectíve serves a variety of fruity and sweet coffees which are changed every 2 to 3 months.

As Collectíve prepares to move into The Five, Barrie shares that Collectíve wants to provide a unique ambience for their customers, creating a minimalist and comfortable experience for people to enjoy their coffee. They are also planning to get a bigger roaster so that they can support the coffee industry in Malaysia. For coffee aficionados, Collectíve is definitely something to look forward to.

In the meantime, join us on a quick tour of Collectíve with Barrie.

Stay tuned as we unveil more secrets of The Five.