Before lattes went viral.
Before cafés became Instagram sets.
There was real Malaysian coffee, dark, smoky, bold, and unforgettable.
And in Negeri Sembilan, one family has been protecting that flavor for 70 years.
Meet Billy, the third-generation keeper of New Southern Coffee & Bakery, a kopitiam-born brand quietly carrying one of Malaysia’s most powerful coffee legacies.
This isn’t just coffee.
This is heritage in a cup.
A 70-Year Story That Refuses to Die
New Southern started where most great Malaysian stories begin in a humble kopitiam.
Billy’s grandparents served coffee to everyday people in the 1950s.
His father took it further in the 70s and 80s, selling freshly roasted coffee powder to families who brewed it at home.
No shortcuts.
No gimmicks.
Just flavor and trust.
Now Billy holds the torch and he knows the weight of it.
“Starting a business is one thing,” he says.
“Keeping a legacy alive is something else entirely.”
One wrong move, and 70 years disappears.
One right move, and history lives on.
Why This Coffee Hits Different
New Southern doesn’t use fancy machines.
They use fire, work, and time.
Their 100% robusta beans come from Lampung, Indonesia, grown in volcanic soil that gives the coffee its bold aroma without the bitterness.
Then comes the magic.
The beans are roasted over wood fire, stirred by hand in a wok the same way it was done decades ago.
“It’s like charcoal versus gas,” Billy says.
“The flavor is just… alive.”
No two batches taste exactly the same.
That’s not a flaw.
That’s the soul.
In a world of copy-paste cafés, this kind of raw authenticity is rare.
And powerful.
The Hardest Part? Convincing People It’s Worth More
Billy’s biggest challenge isn’t the beans.
It’s perception.
Traditional coffee in Malaysia is often seen as “cheap.”
Two or three ringgit.
Old people drink.
But Billy knows better.
This coffee carries stories.
Memories.
Entire generations.
So he took New Southern to where the young people are on social media.
Short videos.
Behind-the-scenes roasting.
Stories about the legacy.
Five seconds is all it takes to change a mind.
And it’s working.
Young customers are walking in.
Try it.
And staying.
When Almost Everything Fell Apart
During MCO, Billy nearly gave up.
Sales dropped.
Uncertainty grew.
Then the messages came.
Customers wrote to him.
Told him what the coffee meant to their families.
How it reminded them of their parents.
Their childhood.
Their home.
That was the moment.
This wasn’t just a business.
It was a responsibility.
A New Chapter for Negeri Sembilan Coffee
Billy isn’t trying to become the next Starbucks.
He’s trying to put Negeri Sembilan on Malaysia’s coffee map.
Ipoh has white coffee.
Penang has kopitiam blends.
But Negeri Sembilan?
Not yet.
That’s what he’s changing.
In Q2 2026, New Southern will reopen with a new focus serving freshly brewed coffee on-site, not just powder to take home.
Same recipes.
Same fire.
Same soul.
Just a new way to experience it.
Why This Story Matters
In a world obsessed with trends, Billy chose tradition.
In a market chasing Western cafés, he doubled down on Malaysian roots.
And that’s what makes New Southern Coffee & Bakery more than a shop.
It’s a reminder.
Our culture doesn’t have to disappear to be modern.
Our heritage doesn’t have to be forgotten to be cool.
Sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do…
is to protect what came before you.
So the next time you sip a cup of coffee, ask yourself:
Are you drinking a trend or a story that’s been brewing for 70 years?
