Getting to know Wei Kiat – Director of Coffee at Alchemist.
What's the story behind Alchemist and how did it all start?
Alchemist started in May 2016, serving coffee to the community around International Plaza. As a small hole-in-the-wall coffee shop located in the bustling Central Business District, our journey began with a commitment to delivering great coffee in a simple, no-frills approach. These values have since become the foundation of Alchemist, and as a small local business, we take great pride in them.
Over the years, Alchemist has gained significant traction, attracting a loyal customer base both locally and internationally, and establishing itself as a Singaporean brand known for crafting quality coffee. For the past 8 years, our core business activities and products have focused solely on coffee, people and spaces.
Can you share more about your approach to sourcing and roasting coffee?
We focus on a tight supply chain to procure quality coffee from producers whose values align with ours. These producers exercise great care at every stage of harvesting and processing their coffee, similar to how we focus on roasting and brewing each coffee to highlight its inherent cup quality. We tailor roast profiles specifically for each coffee we source, ensuring that the final expression of each will achieve attributes of high sweetness, flavour clarity, and amazing texture.
What motivated Alchemist to explore the capsule coffee format?
We believe that coffee can be enjoyed by anyone and everyone. To improve the accessibility of great-tasting coffee, we found coffee capsules to be a product that can encapsulate and preserve quality coffee. This allows more people to enjoy consistent quality coffee in a simple and no-frills approach.
We all have our morning routines, and coffee is often a crucial part of it. What is your morning ritual like?
Freshly ground coffee beans, mindfully brewed over a filter dripper as you pause to take in all the beautiful aromatics. Nothing gets more calming and peaceful than this in the morning.
What are you most excited about right now and for the future of Alchemist as a brand/business?
We’re excited about expanding Alchemist internationally, while staying true to our founding values. Our current mission is to establish Alchemist as a coffee-only Singaporean brand abroad, through unorthodox space design and high-quality coffee products.
