You’ve heard of cafés with attention-grabbing ideas. You’ve possible additionally seen some fairly distinctive speakeasies or cocktail bars pop up over time.

However have you ever encountered a mix of each?

LeJiu is a brand new “café” in Petaling Jaya the place “cocktails turn out to be your informal”. In brief, as an alternative of your traditional coffees and teas, this spot serves them spiked, in addition to different alcoholic concoctions.

In keeping with its Instagram, the model is by Le Wine Group, which runs Le Wine, a gifting enterprise centred round wines.  

However earlier than the times of promoting wine reward bins, the group was a advertising company. Edison, Zenn, Jia Jia, and Max labored with purchasers throughout various industries reminiscent of F&B, retail, property, manufacturing, and extra.

“The sudden flip in direction of wines unfolded throughout the quietude of the MCO,” the group shared with Vulcan Publish.

Round this time, a co-partner launched a novel idea—personalised wines carrying heartfelt messages.

Seeing the potential in this concept, Le Wine was fashioned in 2021.

To take the enterprise a step additional, the group considered making a bodily offline retailer to showcase their customised merchandise to clients.

As they delved into this concept, additionally they recognized a major hole in the beverage trade, which was dominated by drinks like bubble tea and occasional, with few choices for a lot else.

Greedy onto the idea of “cocktails on the go”, LeJiu was created.

A recent take for the Malaysian crowd

Impressed by the extra informal strategy to ingesting discovered overseas, LeJiu’s opening hours could be shocking to some—8AM to 7PM.    

With this, the group straight challenges the stereotype that ingesting is one thing reserved for the nighttime.

“LeJiu is just not about getting individuals drunk; it’s extra about creating an area to unwind and luxuriate in a drink to get a little bit tipsy,” they reasoned. “Impressed by the extra laid-back ingesting tradition noticed in Western nations, the place an off-the-cuff morning wine is embraced, we sought to carry the same vibe to our model.”

The café is located in an office-heavy space as nicely, so it made sense to not open until late, a minimum of for now. As they proceed to realize recognition, they may take into account extending their hours.

On high of that, the group seen these sorts of ideas are an enormous hit in locations like China, the place Luckin and Moutai created a buzz with espresso and alcohol mixes.

“Even earlier than this collaboration, we sensed a shift taking place in the drinks scene due to the saturation of tea and occasional,” the group identified.

Nonetheless, as pioneers in the scene in Malaysia, it looks as if there’s numerous danger in venturing into this enterprise.

To that, they shared, “We consider in taking daring steps, in doing issues others may hesitate to strive. In any case, it’s the fun of exploring the uncharted that makes the journey really thrilling. Why not enterprise into the unknown and see the place our braveness takes us?”

Choose your poison

If you happen to’re not into the idea of day ingesting however assume LeJiu’s drinks and ideas are intriguing, you’ll be joyful to know that the menu isn’t just about alcoholic drinks.  

Whereas there are coffees and lattes with a particular contact of alcohol, LeJiu additionally provides common espresso, chocolate, and different drinks you’d discover in a café.

To create the cocktails on their menu, LeJiu partnered with skilled mixologists.

Desirous to craft a menu that’ll attraction to the plenty, they really requested the mixologists to skip the heavy-duty cocktails and give attention to creating drinks which can be simple to take pleasure in, refreshing, and simply sufficient to get you a little bit tipsy.

“We wish to break the stereotype that alcoholic drinks are at all times too sturdy,” they stated.

With that, they shared that many shoppers who don’t sometimes drink alcohol find yourself having fun with their creations.

Drinks apart, LeJiu additionally provides a choice of gentle meals gadgets. Presently, a key meals merchandise they’re specializing in is freshly baked bagels, that are outsourced from a “trusted pastry supply”.

Nevertheless, the fillings are crafted in-house by the LeJiu group to make sure that the flavours complement the drinks completely.

LeJiu’s drinks begin at RM7.90 (specifically, the espresso drinks), and might go up for RM22.90 for his or her combined concoctions.

A brand new tackle drinks

Though it looks as if LeJiu is cautious to not serve heavy-hitting drinks that may get patrons drunk, the very fact of the matter is that the drinks nonetheless have alcoholic content material.

Particularly given the timing the shop is open, we had been involved that the shop may give rise to behavior reminiscent of ingesting and driving.    

That concern is one thing that LeJiu recognises. They defined that since they’re centred round workplace buildings, although, there’s much less danger of that as clients can simply drop by in the afternoon and stroll again to their workplaces.

“No want to cover your drink in a pitcher anymore,” they shared. “It’s about giving individuals the choice to take pleasure in a high quality drink with out the chance of getting drunk at work.”

Nonetheless being very new to the scene, reception for LeJiu is a bit sluggish for now. Nevertheless, the suggestions they’ve obtained about their concepts and drinks has been actually constructive, the group shared.

“In lower than a month since we opened, some clients have been coming again two or 3 times a day, which is fairly superior,” they stated.  

With the model providing a model new idea, a sluggish begin could be given. That stated, the group thinks that the grab-and-go idea for alcoholic drinks is one thing that’ll acquire much more reputation in the longer term.

“Given the pricing of espresso and bubble tea, individuals are in search of higher and extra various drink choices,” they shared.

If that’s really the case, LeJiu being the primary mover in such a market can be a bonus. However recognising that being first doesn’t assure all the eye, the group goals to persistently craft distinctive alcoholic drinks.

For now, their focus is on making certain clean operational movement and optimising group roles, whereas additionally introducing a wider vary of drink varieties.

Within the greater image, enlargement into different areas can also be in the plans.

Whereas LeJiu stemmed from the need to be an extension of Le Wine, we see the potential of it rising into one thing greater. Might grab-and-go cocktails be the subsequent large development?  

• Be taught extra about LeJiu right here.
• Learn different articles we’ve written about F&B companies right here.

Featured Picture Credit score: LeJiu