East Ventures wants to bring on-demand coffee to Jakarta with latest venture

Photo credit: East Ventures

Indonesia’s East Ventures is partnering with a coffee entrepreneur to bring a headline-grabbing business model from China to the archipelago.

Fore Coffee will make high-quality brews and deliver them on-demand to caffeine cravers in the Indonesian capital.

Initially operating out of an Otten Coffee branch in south Jakarta’s Senopati, Fore will soon open its own outlets in the city’s Plaza Indonesia and Pacific Place malls.

The startup’s CEO is Robin Boe, a co-founder at Otten. Fore will leverage the “network and expertise” from Otten, while deploying “high-tech tools and machine to deliver the finest quality coffee to our customers,” said Boe.

Fore’s “new retail” model combines physical stores with automation, online ordering, and on-demand delivery. It echoes that of Chinese startups such as Luckin Coffee and Ratio.

See: He’s challenging Starbucks with a robot-powered cafe chain across China

Luckin joined the unicorn club in July when it raised US$200 million in venture funding, sending its valuation above US$1 billion. Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC was among the investors to back that round.

Fore is the third internal incubation project launched by East Ventures, following its co-working provider EV Hive and “smart” convenience store Warung Pintar.