Old Town White Coffee
A Malaysian halal-certified coffeehouse and packaged-beverage brand rooted in Ipoh white coffee culture.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Old Town White Coffee is a Malaysian coffeehouse and packaged-beverage brand associated with the white coffee tradition of Ipoh, Perak. The business began in Ipoh in 1999 and later developed into OldTown Berhad, combining a chain of dine-in cafés with the manufacture and sale of instant coffee, other beverages, and beverage mixes. Its cafés are designed around a contemporary interpretation of the traditional Ipoh coffee-shop environment, while its packaged products make the brand available beyond its restaurant network. The café concept was launched in 2005, marking the company’s expansion from its origins in coffee products into food service. Old Town White Coffee subsequently built a large domestic network and reached its 200th Malaysian outlet in 2013, seven years after the café-chain expansion began. The group became known as Malaysia’s largest halal-certified coffee restaurant chain, a positioning that supported its presence among Muslim consumers and facilitated regional expansion. Outside Malaysia, the brand established outlets in Singapore, Indonesia, China, and the Philippines. Its Singapore cafés received halal certification from the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, while Indonesian outlets were reported in markets including Java and Bali. The company also explored Australia as an expansion market: its first Australian outlet opened in Melbourne in 2015, but that location later closed in 2017. In the Philippines, the first branch opened in Caloocan City in 2023, followed by a location in Makati in 2024. OldTown Berhad was publicly listed on the main board of Bursa Malaysia before being acquired in 2017 by Jacobs Douwe Egberts Holdings Asia NL BV, a Dutch beverage company. The transaction was reported at an offer value of RM1.47 billion. Following the acquisition, Old Town White Coffee remained an operating consumer brand under the JDE ownership structure rather than continuing as an independently listed Malaysian company. The brand’s business scope spans café dining, instant white coffee, coffee products, and prepared beverage mixes. Its core identity is built around Malaysian coffee heritage, particularly Ipoh white coffee, but its retail format broadens that heritage into a standardized regional café experience. Available reference material describes operations across Malaysia and several Asian markets, with additional expansion plans previously discussed for Vietnam, South Korea, and Bangladesh. Current outlet numbers and the status of those prospective markets are not established by the supplied sources.
History
Old Town White Coffee traces its origins to Ipoh, Perak, a Malaysian city strongly associated with white coffee. The business was established in 1999 and initially developed around coffee and beverage products. Its later growth was based on combining packaged products with a branded café format that presented local coffee-shop traditions in a standardized commercial setting. A major turning point came in 2005, when the company entered the food-service sector and began opening cafés under the OldTown White Coffee name. The outlets were designed with an ambience inspired by traditional Ipoh coffee shops, allowing the brand to sell white coffee and related drinks alongside food in a dedicated restaurant environment. This created a second distribution channel beyond retail beverage products and helped turn OldTown into a recognizable consumer-facing chain. The domestic network expanded rapidly. By 2013, the group had reached its 200th outlet in Malaysia, achieving that milestone within seven years of launching the café format. The company was described as Malaysia’s largest halal-certified coffee restaurant chain. Halal certification and the combination of familiar Malaysian flavors with a modern chain format were important elements of its domestic positioning. OldTown also pursued regional expansion. By 2015, it was reported to have ten outlets in Singapore, with those cafés certified halal by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore. In Indonesia, the chain developed outlets in locations including Java and Bali, while China had four reported cafés in the same period. Australia was identified as a potential growth market, with an earlier plan to open 40 outlets over ten years. The first Australian branch opened on Elizabeth Street in Melbourne in August 2015, although it later closed in 2017. The company continued to build a presence in the Philippines. The first reported Philippine branch opened at SM Grand Central in Caloocan City in 2023, and another opened at Circuit Makati in 2024. Reference material also mentions expansion plans involving Vietnam, South Korea, and Bangladesh, but it does not establish that these plans were completed. OldTown Berhad became a public company listed on the main board of Bursa Malaysia. Its corporate ownership changed substantially in 2017, when Jacobs Douwe Egberts Holdings Asia NL BV acquired the business following an offer valued at RM1.47 billion. The transaction placed the Old Town White Coffee brand within the JDE ownership structure and ended its status as an independently listed company. The brand’s operating activities include cafés as well as the manufacture and sale of instant beverages and mixes. Its continuing identity rests on the commercial use of Ipoh white coffee heritage across restaurant and packaged-goods channels.
- 2024
Second reported Philippines branch
[1]A further branch opened at Circuit Makati.
- 2023
Philippines market entry
[1]The first reported Philippine branch opened at SM Grand Central in Caloocan City.
- 2017
Acquisition by Jacobs Douwe Egberts
[1]Jacobs Douwe Egberts Holdings Asia NL BV acquired OldTown Berhad in an offer reported at RM1.47 billion.
- 2015
First Australian outlet opens
[1]The brand opened its first Australian café on Elizabeth Street in Melbourne.
- 2013
200th Malaysian outlet
[1]OldTown reached its 200th outlet in Malaysia after seven years of café-chain expansion.
- 2005
Entry into the café sector
[1]The company expanded into food service by opening cafés modeled on the traditional Ipoh coffee-shop setting.
- 1999
Business established in Ipoh
[1]The company was established in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia, forming the foundation for the later OldTown White Coffee brand.
Products and positioning
A Malaysian heritage-inspired, halal-certified café and packaged-coffee brand combining Ipoh white coffee culture with accessible regional food-service retail.
Café beverage and packaged coffee
Old Town White Coffee
The brand’s signature offering is white coffee associated with the Ipoh tradition. It is served in OldTown cafés and also sold in packaged and instant forms, allowing the company to connect its restaurant identity with retail consumption at home and in other markets.
Packaged beverages
Instant coffee and beverage mixes
OldTown manufactures and sells instant beverage products and mixes, including instant coffee formats. These products extend the brand beyond its café network and support distribution through consumer retail channels.
Food service · 2005
OldTown café meals and drinks
The café format combines white coffee and other prepared beverages with food and light meals in an environment inspired by traditional Ipoh coffee shops. The format is intended to provide a consistent chain-restaurant interpretation of Malaysian coffee-shop culture.
Brand decisions
2017
Sale to Jacobs Douwe EgbertsM&ABackground
OldTown Berhad was a publicly listed Malaysian company operating cafés and packaged beverage businesses.
Action taken
Jacobs Douwe Egberts Holdings Asia NL BV acquired the company following an offer valued at RM1.47 billion.
Aftermath
OldTown moved into JDE ownership and ceased to operate as an independently listed business.
Offer value. RM1.47 billion (2017)
2005
Diversification into branded cafésStrategyBackground
The company moved beyond beverage manufacturing and retail products into food service.
Action taken
It opened a chain of cafés under the OldTown White Coffee name, using an Ipoh coffee-shop-inspired setting.
Aftermath
The café model became the basis for rapid domestic outlet growth and subsequent regional expansion.
Recent events
- 2024
OldTown opens a second reported Philippines location[1]
Other
A further Philippine outlet opened at Circuit Makati in 2024.
- 2023
OldTown opens its first Philippines branch[1]
Other
The first Philippine branch opened at SM Grand Central in Caloocan City, extending the brand’s Southeast Asian café presence.
- 2017
OldTown Berhad is acquired by Jacobs Douwe Egberts[1]
M&A
Jacobs Douwe Egberts Holdings Asia NL BV acquired OldTown Berhad in a transaction reported at an offer value of RM1.47 billion, ending the company’s period as an independently listed Bursa Malaysia business.
- 2015
OldTown opens its first Australian outlet[1]
Other
The brand opened its first Australian café on Elizabeth Street in Melbourne. The outlet subsequently closed in 2017.
- 2013
OldTown reaches 200 Malaysian outlets[1]
Other
The group reached its 200th café outlet in Malaysia after seven years of expansion in the food-service format.
Sources1 sources
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