Blue Bottle coffee to open first South-east Asia cafe in Singapore

San Francisco coffee chain Blue Bottle Coffee is finally in Singapore, but Singaporeans will get to enjoy only its gift shop — for now.
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The newly opened merch shop is located at Japanese fashion giant Lumine’s new 7,000 sqf global flagship store at Raffles City, which houses a retail section for the cafe.
There, you can buy items like the fan-favourite Blue Bottle Mug ($33), a Singapore-exclusive tote bag ($39) and Craft Instant Espresso ($24-$51) that you can brew yourself at home.
But for those who are wondering: why no cafe? Well, take heart that Singapore is getting its own direct Blue Bottle Coffee cafe outlet.
By next year, the brand’s retail corner at Lumine will be converted to a dine-in cafe.
“We started with a retail shop first as we are still finalising some details [for the cafe],” says Ernest Leung, director of operations for Blue Bottle Coffee, at a coffee workshop held for the media today (Aug 28). 
Prep work for the upcoming cafe includes water testing. “We sent some water samples for testing recently, and we will calibrate it [for the coffee],” he shares.
Other than coffee beverages, the cafe will also offer some light bites. Ernest adds “There will be some culinary, because people always want something to munch on.”
Following the first Singapore outlet, Blue Bottle Coffee plans to eventually open eight to 12 outlets here.
The mall location for Blue Bottle Coffee’s first Singapore outlet is considered unusual for its usual MO: it typically opens cafes in less populated areas for a quaint, exclusive feel.
“We have been looking at the real estate here for the past few weeks,” says Ernest, who adds that the brand is considering locations islandwide.
Blue Bottle Coffee’s first SEA retail store is now open at #01-01 Raffles City Shopping Centre, 252 North Bridge Rd, S179103. Open daily 10am-10pm. www.instagram.com/bluebottlesingapore
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