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By Mihar Dias November 2025
There’s a café within walking distance of where I used to live. It’s called Richiamo Coffee — a name that sounds suspiciously like an Italian opera singer rather than a Kedahan start-up.
It promises “European sophistication” but delivers “canteen chic.” https://focusmalaysia.my/tall-order-for-bumi-owned-richiamo-coffee-to-expect-malay-patronage-if-its-product-quality-sucks/
You half expect a barista in a beret; what you get is a reheated lasagna in a cracked bowl.
Ordinarily, I’d let a mediocre latte die a quiet death. But thanks to our patriotic caffeine crusaders at MYNEWSHUB, Richiamo has been elevated from mere café to cultural battlefield. https://focusmalaysia.my/tall-order-for-bumi-owned-richiamo-coffee-to-expect-malay-patronage-if-its-product-quality-sucks/
Their rallying cry on X was as earnest as it was misguided: “Buy Malay First.”
Apparently, the fate of the Malay race now depends on whether Malaysians drink their coffee from a Bumiputera-owned cup.
“Why aren’t Muslims supporting our own brand?” the post complained, as though loyalty could be demanded, not earned. https://focusmalaysia.my/tall-order-for-bumi-owned-richiamo-coffee-to-expect-malay-patronage-if-its-product-quality-sucks/
Here’s a radical idea: maybe it’s because good coffee isn’t about skin colour, it’s about skill.
The replies to that post came faster than a barista’s glare at someone ordering a decaf frappuccino. “Support local,” they said — until locals began supporting honesty.
One user lamented that their “hot chocolate was lukewarm and served in a cracked cup.” https://focusmalaysia.my/tall-order-for-bumi-owned-richiamo-coffee-to-expect-malay-patronage-if-its-product-quality-sucks/
Another described “microwaved meals sold at freshly-cooked prices.” Someone else noted that “Muslim ownership doesn’t guarantee quality — just excuses.” https://focusmalaysia.my/tall-order-for-bumi-owned-richiamo-coffee-to-expect-malay-patronage-if-its-product-quality-sucks/
The comments were brutal but fair. After all, when the food is bad, the coffee weak, and the service slower than repentance, customers don’t owe you nationalism.
https://share.google/JlVFgaS1AytDj1NyY
Meanwhile, across town at the new KLGCC Mall, there’s a café called BaD Scones. It’s owned by an ethnic Chinese entrepreneur who, unlike some, makes no apologies for her success. The name sounds cheeky — and it is — but BaD actually stands for Buy and Donate.
The scones aren’t bad at all, nor is the coffee, which happens to be properly Italian and consistently excellent.
Here’s the punchline: BaD Scones is doing roaring business. No racial overtones, no hashtags about cultural duty — just great coffee, good food, and a small act of charity in every cup.
It’s living proof that Malaysians are not racists — we’re realists. We don’t drink according to ethnicity; we drink according to excellence.
Ironically, while Chinese cafés like BaD Scones are quietly making Malaysia proud, some Malay-owned ones are stuck in a performance of self-pity.
One can’t help but notice that “while Chinese-owned cafés are giving themselves Malay-sounding names to appeal to everyone, Malay-owned cafés are going foreign.” https://focusmalaysia.my/tall-order-for-bumi-owned-richiamo-coffee-to-expect-malay-patronage-if-its-product-quality-sucks/
The Chinese cafés are full; the Malay ones, empty.
It’s not because Malays don’t support Malays. It’s because “mediocrity has no race.” https://focusmalaysia.my/tall-order-for-bumi-owned-richiamo-coffee-to-expect-malay-patronage-if-its-product-quality-sucks/
A commenter nailed it: “If your coffee’s bad, no amount of ‘support Malay business’ can make it taste better.”https://focusmalaysia.my/tall-order-for-bumi-owned-richiamo-coffee-to-expect-malay-patronage-if-its-product-quality-sucks/
Exactly. Patriotism isn’t a condiment. You can’t sprinkle semangat kebangsaan over bland pasta and expect customers to cheer.
Even X’s AI @grok — in its algorithmic wisdom — concluded that “good food and service build loyalty; race does not.” https://focusmalaysia.my/tall-order-for-bumi-owned-richiamo-coffee-to-expect-malay-patronage-if-its-product-quality-sucks/
When artificial intelligence shows more taste than our local marketing, you know where the problem lies.
So yes, let’s “support local.” But let’s support worthy local. Let’s cheer for cafés that stand on their craft, not on crutches. Because “Buy Malay First” will only work if “Malay First” also means “good first.” https://focusmalaysia.my/tall-order-for-bumi-owned-richiamo-coffee-to-expect-malay-patronage-if-its-product-quality-sucks/
Until then, I’ll still walk past Richiamo — past the slogans, past the guilt trips — to where the aroma of espresso at BaD Scones reminds me what coffee should taste like: effort, care, and pride, not ethnicity.
Because in the end, “a good cup of coffee doesn’t care who owns the mug — only that it’s worth drinking.”
Mihar Dias (mihardias@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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