Cocoa has been through a litany of turning points in Malaysia – documenting a dramatic rise and fall and now – a comeback story of sorts.
Cocoa was introduced to Malaysia in the 18th century, with the first known cocoa plantation thought to have been started in Melaka in 1778. Cocoa plantations started gaining traction in the country in the 1950s and by the 1980s and early 1990s, Malaysia had become the fourth largest producer of cocoa in the world.
At that point, total annual production clocked in at around 230,000 tonnes. The subsequent decades marked the decline of cocoa production nationally – with global price declines and a widespread pest infestation wiping out many plantations and simultaneously resulting in a cavalcade of smallholder farmers turning their backs on cocoa in favour of the financial promise of oil palm plantations.
These days, Malaysia produces only about 500 tonnes of cocoa beans annually, although paradoxically the country has become a major player in the cocoa bean grinding industry.
But things are slowly changing yet again. In fact, the past decade or so has been marked by a cocoa revival of sorts reflected in artisanal Malaysian bean-to-bar producers, like the award-winning Chocolate Concierge which owns and works with a network of cocoa farms in Pahang, Perak, Johor and Sabah.
Other producers include Jaws & Claws, an East Malaysian chocolate producer that has also raked in awards for its chocolate. Both brands produce chocolate truffles, bars and other chocolate products.
And yet until a few years ago, no one had capitalised on the market for Malaysian chocolate-based beverages in the format of an experiential drinks bar.
Then, Kakao Origin entered the picture – first in 2023 in Kuala Lumpur’s Central Market and now in Dayabumi Complex building, where its flagship drinks bar is located.
The Malaysian single-origin chocolate drinks bar is the first of its kind in the country and is the brainchild of co-owners Sasya Ahmad Sebi and Karen Khoo, who also run a series of restaurants in KL.
“We thought about this idea a few years ago when we were travelling, because we saw that there was a new concept of chocolate bars mostly for beverages. Then it kind of dawned on me, like ‘Why don’t we have this here because we also enjoy chocolate drinks like Milo Dinosaur?’”
“So we spent some time researching it and we discovered a whole new world of single-origin Malaysian chocolate,” says Sasya.
At Kakao Origin, the chocolate beverages are designed using Malaysian-made chocolate that Sasya and Khoo custom-make with local cocoa growers based on their specifications.
“We work with chocolatiers because they roast the cocoa beans and obviously, they have the facilities. And in East Malaysia, we work directly with the farmer. And we tell them exactly what we want, so for example, the farmer or chocolatier may produce a 65% Chemor, Perak single-origin chocolate but we may decide we want an 80% variant. So they will work on that for us,” says Sasya.
Guests can opt to indulge in pure single-origin chocolate drinks with only water added or with the option of milk – drunk either hot or cold. Highlights from the dark chocolate family (priced from RM16 to RM20) include the 80% Kota Marudu, Sabah which has a medium-high roast, a burst of floral notes and lush, luxurious dark chocolate underpinnings.
The 71% Chemor, Perak medium-high roast chocolate meanwhile is deliciously, intensely fruity, with a rustic edge and slight astringency undulating throughout in waves.
There is also a wellness aspect to the drinks bar as guests can opt to enhance their beverages with healthy, restorative options like turmeric, ginger and cinnamon or healing agents like collagen or even shiitake mushrooms!
Sasya says this is by design as part of the idea behind Kakao Origin is to promote the health and wellness benefits of dark chocolate, which has been shown to boost brain health, heart health and fight cell damage.
Simultaneously, the duo says they have also noticed that many Malaysians are actually actively looking for healthier drink options.
“When we started three years ago, a lot of people ordered milk chocolate. And now we’re seeing less people taking milk chocolate and more people ordering dark chocolate.
“So we find that people are a bit more health-conscious, so there are people that want to reduce their caffeine intake or want alternatives that are vegan or diabetic-friendly so that’s why we offer non-dairy options like coconut milk and almond milk.
“So we’re seeing that there is more demand for this and nobody’s really filling the gap,” says Sasya.
Given the potential in further developing Malaysian single-origin chocolate drinks bars, Sasya and Khoo say they are already thinking about expanding in the future, with the aim of introducing local chocolate drinks to more Malaysians and tourists.
“The idea is to pop up in unique locations so we’ll definitely look at expanding perhaps next year,” says Sasya.
