Cuppachoice 2007-2011

Some of you may have know, many may have not. Last Saturday was my last day with Cuppachoice. I guess I will share, especially to friends who have wrong ideas. Smses and FB messages that I received over the last few days, sparked my intention to write my thoughts down.

This move is no easy decision for me. No, it wasn't a spur of the moment and NO I didn't left in a lurch. I actually tendered awhile ago. Given some thoughts since December 2010 and officially given my notice right after SNBC 2011. In doing so, I gave up a comfortable position as Director of Coffee Ops & Training with Cuppachoice, returned the Company vehicle which I was so used to zipping around with, handed over my beloved roasting opportunities along with the "recipes" of coffee blends that I have developed over the years, halt my involvement with the Coffee Academy that I have almost single handedly built up and put together ( of course I have had great ex-trainers in Ian, Sham and then Fadhly who was there as my pillars of strength) and said my goodbye to co-colleagues who have since became a part of family to me. CuppaChoice have been great to me. This was a place that I developed so much as a Coffee individual. This was a place that I cultivated a trade which I thought I will never venture in; Business Development and I was actually having fun and this too was a place that given me my roasting opportunity, which paved and got me ready for my next coffee journey. Learning is flexible here and it depends too on how an individual see it as part of learning while on the job. Being a SME coffee company means I have to learn to be a well rounder. I have packed coffee, did deliveries, repair and maintain machine, installed hundreds of it too, tasted amazing coffees, did training overseas and locally, presentation to listed Companies, carried coffee jute bags and washed toilet as well as mop floors when Temple St opens. I enjoyed the flexibility and the randomness of my job. The flexibility also allows me to give back to the Coffee society and this same freedom too allow me to have some time to practice and participate in SNBC 2009,2010 and most recent of all, 2011. I spend 4 years here and have witness the dynamic growth of this Company and I am sure the only way for CuppaChoice in the future is the WAY UP; with or without me!

To many who have been imagining that I have left to set up my own coffee consultation business, allow me to get this straight, I am not and nope, nor am I opening a Cafe I can call my own. This two weeks of break, I will be a little busy helping out with some freelance coffee consulting works ( but for a friend) and I will be back employed by 1st July and hopefully see some coffee roasting actions by end of it. I will let the details out soon, perhaps in my next one or two blogs. For now though, my gratitude is to CuppaChoice who have helped shape and moulded me to be a better coffee person and I hoped my 4 years there have helped to inject much coffee passion and it be treated as a milestone to the future generation of management.

So long and keep in touch!

Yours Sincerely,

Suhaimi