Fore Coffee to add 1,000 locations in Indonesia through Airy tie-up

Indonesian tech-enabled coffee brand Fore Coffee announced a strategic partnership with local hospitality chain Airy to add 1,000 new locations in the country.

Fore Coffee co-founder and chief operating officer Elisa Suteja (left) and Airy CEO Danny Handoko / Photo credit: Fore Coffee

Currently, the first Fore Coffee store at an Airy location is located in South Jakarta. Fore Coffee will soon open in several more Airy properties spread across 100 cities in Indonesia, according to a statement. The startup said it will start with 50 locations for the first phase.

The expansion would make Fore Coffee the largest coffee chain in the country, as the current biggest brand, Starbucks, has between 400 and 500 stores in the archipelago, according to East Ventures co-founder and managing partner Willson Cuaca as quoted by local media.

“Airy is committed to providing travel solutions with the best service to travelers while supporting the government in improving Indonesia’s tourism and creative economy industry. This collaboration with Fore Coffee is a manifestation of our commitment,” said the company’s CEO Danny Handoko.

Since launching in August 2018, Fore Coffee said it has opened over 100 outlets in various cities in Indonesia within its first year.

Before it entered the market, there were already established international chains operating in the country, including Starbucks and The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. However, Fore Coffee’s operation is more comparable to the likes of Chinese coffee chain Luckin Coffee, as its “new retail” model combines physical stores with online ordering and on-demand delivery.

It also competes against homegrown brands such as Kopi Kenangan, which recently raised US$20 million from Sequoia India in a series A round. Kopi Kenangan said it plans to use the funds to open 150 outlets in Indonesia by the end of the year and expand to 1,000 by 2021. At that time, it had around 80 stores in eight cities in the archipelago.