KUALA LUMPUR: Hamizah Hamzah could have built a coffee business focused solely on beans and brewing. Instead, she is using it to pursue a much bigger goal – creating opportunities for people with special needs.
The 35-year-old Sabah native is one of Malaysia’s few female coffee roasters, having entered the male-dominated industry in 2020. She is also a drummer, autism therapist and special-needs interventionist with a degree in cognitive science.
Today, she runs Let’s Coopi Roasters, a female-owned coffee roasting business that combines specialty coffee with a mission of empowerment and inclusion.
“I started drinking coffee when I was in Form 4 and, by 2017, was brewing it myself,” she told FMT Lifestyle.
Curious about where her coffee came from, she travelled to Takengon, Indonesia in 2019 to visit coffee farms and learn more about the industry.
When the pandemic disrupted her income as a special-needs educator, she began selling bottled iced lattes as a side hustle. This small venture eventually grew into Let’s Coopi Roasters, which she founded in 2021.
Her journey took her from making pour-over coffee in her mother’s pantry to becoming a certified coffee roaster. Operating on a micro-roasting scale, Hamizah has steadily expanded the business, largely funding its growth herself.
Today, Let’s Coopi Roasters supplies a range of custom espresso blends and single-origin beans roasted in-house. Among its offerings are beans from Indonesia, Ethiopia and Brazil, alongside locally sourced coffee from Batu Pahat.
The company also develops custom blends for cafés around the Klang Valley, including its signature Triple Threat blend featuring beans from Sumatra, Brazil and Colombia.
Yet coffee itself is only part of the story. While packing orders and building the business, Hamizah has been working towards a larger goal: creating vocational opportunities for neurodivergent individuals.
“For me, coffee is a means to contribute to society,” she said.
Her years working with autistic teenagers opened her eyes to a common challenge faced by many families: finding meaningful employment opportunities once these young people reach adulthood.
That inspired her to explore how the coffee industry could provide a pathway forward.
“For example, we can train them to brew coffee using machines and become baristas. They may not be involved in the roasting itself, but we can teach them how to pack coffee beans or grind coffee.”
Her ambition is clear: “My mission is not to become the best roaster in the country. I want Let’s Coopi Roasters to become one of the best vocational training centres for neurodivergent individuals, to give them better opportunities in life.”
Along the way, she is also helping challenge stereotypes in an industry where coffee roasting remains overwhelmingly male.
She credits local coffee roaster Jamie Chin, whom she met in 2017, with inspiring her to pursue the craft.
“I love breaking stereotypes,” she said with a laugh. “People don’t realise that women contribute a lot in the farming process, but roasting is still very male-dominated because it is quite technical.”
Earlier this year, Hamizah took another step forward with the opening of Let’s Coopi Lounge in Taman Kuchai, a cosy neighbourhood establishment serving specialty coffee in a relaxed setting.
Inspired by café concepts she encountered during frequent trips to Indonesia, the space features an open-bar concept that allows customers to watch their drinks being prepared and interact more closely with the brewing process.
The menu caters to both casual coffee drinkers and enthusiasts, offering everything from lattes and mochas to dirty chai, matcha and dark chocolate drinks.
Together with her assistant, Hamizah also provides coffee catering services for events.
For now, she is working with autism centres and NGOs to develop vocational training initiatives, which she hopes to fully implement as the business continues to grow.
Every cup served at Let’s Coopi Roasters and Lounge brings her a little closer to that goal.
Follow Let’s Coopi Roasters on Instagram.
Let’s Coopi Roasters
G-22, Tiara Mutiara 2 Condominium,
Taman Kuchai,
58200 Kuala Lumpur
