Surely you’ve heard about the famous window coffee pick-up by now! ?It’s none other than Ground Floor Coffee in Singapore. Popularised by social media and word of mouth, this home-based business is still quite a mystery and many are still curious about what this concept is all about. The HHWT team speaks to the owner of this unique and one-of-a-kind coffee place to share with you what we learnt!
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Ground Floor Coffee is the new up and coming home-based business that sells specialty coffee! Located on the first floor of a HDB block, you never would have imagined that the back window of someone’s home would be the place you can get barista-style coffee. ? The mastermind behind this unique concept is Hasif, a friendly father of two who’s face you might be familiar with if you’ve followed Ground Floor Coffee’s Instagram closely!
Speaking to Hasif, we learnt that the idea of selling takeaway coffee from his window came to him when he noticed groups of friends gathering by their cars in the parking lot and lepaking (or chilling ?) every other day. “If I open my window, I could easily look out and talk to them if I wanted to,” Hasif explains, “They’ll just be sitting and hanging out until the evening, so I thought why not engage these people since they’re already here?”
After telling his wife about his initial idea of selling coffee from their window, he was met with her scepticism. “My wife told me that we can’t play around if we’re going to sell something; our stuff has to be good,” But selling coffee didn’t come to Hasif in the spur of the moment. He told us that he had grown an interest in brewing coffee earlier in the year, and guests visiting his home often asked for a cup of his handmade coffee! ?
Upon starting the business, Hasif took everything very seriously. So seriously, he went to a coffee convention to source for the best beans to use. ? Eventually, he settled on specialty beans sourced from Australia. Hasif explained that not just any coffee could receive the grand title of specialty coffee. To simply put it, specialty coffee is graded 80 points or above on a 100-point scale by a certified coffee taster (SCAA) or by a licensed Q Grader (CQI). Very technical, but all that means is that you’re definitely getting the good stuff from Ground Floor Coffee! ?
“I also took a food safety hygiene course to make the customers feel more comfortable buying from us,” Hasif says with a laugh. The jovial coffee lover shares that he took every precaution to be careful when preparing for this business. The window is actually part of Hasif’s home office, which has been transformed into a coffee room - he even sold his iMac which he uses for work to make more room for the coffee and equipment! ?
If you’re curious about what Hasif does for a living, a glimpse of Ground Floor Coffee’s Instagram will likely be quite telling (the photos are so pretty!). Working as a freelance photographer, Hasif says that his experience speaking to so many people on the job might have added to his inspiration to start the business. “I get to talk to the customers directly and ask them how their day is and everything. It’s a very nice experience,” He shares.
If you’ve tried to get a cup of coffee from here, you’ll know that there are limited time slots to purchase your coffee. But why is that? ? Hasif tells us that weekends are his only time off, and in between work, he’d sometimes open a pre-order and sell coffee before leaving home. When his wife is off work on the weekends, she helps him too! ?
Even with the overwhelming support, Ground Floor Coffee isn’t immune to hate. “Some haters even go as far as to take photos of the people queueing outside my window and reporting us to the authorities.” When asked how he manages to deal with negativity like this, Hasif tells us that he doesn’t really feel anything towards it. ? His friends, family, and the community have been providing relentless support, which he thinks is why he can keep going.
Speaking to Hasif, we found that he’s a very gentle and positive person with a deep passion for coffee. It was pleasant to speak with him, and we wish him and Ground Floor Coffee all the best! ??
P.S. If you’re thinking of getting a taste of Ground Floor Coffee, do note that they are only open for pre-orders on weekends with limited slots so be sure to keep an eye out for when they’re taking orders! All drinks are freshly brewed at every order, so don’t worry about watered-down coffee. ? And they even have a chocolate drink for non-coffee drinkers too!
Ground Floor Coffee
Halal status: Muslim-Owned
Address: 214 Pasir Ris Street 21, Block 214 Block 214, Singapore 510214
Opening hours:check their Instagram for updates