Supporting Kopi Kenangan’s Malaysia Entry Through Iterative Taste Testing

When expanding into a new market, especially in a category as competitive as coffee, product-market fit becomes critical.

For Kopi Kenangan, entering Malaysia meant stepping into a landscape with well-established international and local coffee chains, each with strong consumer preferences and expectations.

Rather than relying on internal assumptions, the brand took a structured approach to ensure their products resonated with Malaysian consumers from the outset.

A Research-Led Approach to Market Entry

To support their expansion, Central Force conducted a large-scale taste testing study focused on frequent consumers of barista-made coffee.

The study was designed to answer a clear question:

How do Kopi Kenangan’s products perform against established coffee brands in Malaysia, and how can they be refined to better match local preferences?

The approach was built around:

  • A sample of 1,000 respondents who regularly consume barista-prepared coffee
  • Benchmarking Kopi Kenangan’s beverage variants against leading chain coffee brands in Malaysia
  • Structured evaluation across key attributes such as taste profile, balance, and overall liking

This allowed the brand to understand not just absolute performance, but relative positioning within the market.

Benchmarking Against Real Market Expectations

One of the key strengths of the study was its comparative design.

Instead of evaluating products in isolation, Kopi Kenangan’s variants were tested alongside existing market offerings.

This provided clarity on:

  • Where each variant stood in terms of consumer preference
  • Which attributes were driving stronger or weaker performance
  • How close the products were to meeting local expectations

This benchmarking approach ensured that decisions were grounded in real market context, rather than internal benchmarks.

Iterative Improvement Through Multiple Waves

Rather than treating research as a one-off exercise, the study was conducted across three waves.

Each wave followed a structured cycle:

  • Initial testing and benchmarking of product variants
  • Identification of strengths and areas for improvement
  • Refinement of formulations based on findings
  • Re-testing against the same competitive set

This iterative approach allowed Kopi Kenangan to progressively improve its product offering.

With each wave:

  • Product performance became more aligned with local preferences
  • Rankings against competitors improved
  • Confidence in market readiness increased

By the final wave, the products were not only competitive, but significantly better positioned within the Malaysian market.

What This Approach Delivered

This research-led process provided several key advantages.

First, it reduced uncertainty.

Instead of launching and adjusting post-entry, Kopi Kenangan was able to refine its products before scaling, ensuring a stronger first impression with consumers.

Second, it provided clear direction for product development.

Rather than relying on subjective feedback, decisions were guided by structured consumer evaluation and direct benchmarking.

Third, it enabled measurable progress.

By maintaining consistency across waves, improvements could be tracked and validated, rather than assumed.

The Broader Impact

Beyond product refinement, the study also supported a more confident market entry strategy.

With validated insights, Kopi Kenangan was better positioned to:

  • Align its product offerings with Malaysian taste preferences
  • Compete effectively within an established coffee landscape
  • Deliver a customer experience that meets local expectations from day one

This reflects a broader principle.

When brands invest in understanding consumers early, they are better equipped to deliver products that resonate, rather than relying on trial and error after launch.

Closing Thoughts

Entering a new market is always a complex process.

For Kopi Kenangan, taking a research-driven approach ensured that product decisions were not left to assumption.

Through structured taste testing, competitive benchmarking, and iterative refinement, the brand was able to strengthen its offering before fully scaling in Malaysia.

This not only improved product performance, but also helped set the foundation for a more successful and confident expansion.

About Central Force International Sdn Bhd

Central Force International (CFI) is Malaysia’s leading homegrown market research agency, specialising in comprehensive data collection services since 1996. As a trusted partner and member to global organisations such as ESOMAR and WAPOR, we are dedicated to delivering high-quality, ethical, and impactful research insights. With in-house teams for data processing, quality control, and research, CFI ensures every project meets the highest standards of excellence. Guided by our core values—Ethics, Quality, Care—we empower clients with reliable data to drive informed decisions across diverse industries. Visit us at www.cforce-int.com to learn more.