'Take Off Coffee' - pilots turn baristas after Covid-19 clips their wings
Since March 2020, the skies fell silent as Covid-19 grounded most airlines, and the situation was no different in this region.
Pilots like Dinesh Nadarajah, 34, (above, left) and Suren Kanna, 36, (above, right) were among those hardest hit...
Since March 2020, the skies fell silent as Covid-19 grounded most airlines, and the situation was no different in this region.
Pilots like Dinesh Nadarajah, 34, (above, left) and Suren Kanna, 36, (above, right) were among those hardest hit.
After being retrenched from Singapore Airlines and returning to Malaysia, Dinesh spent his two weeks in quarantine prowling the internet to research a new hobby – Cold Brew Coffee.
Suren, on the other hand, had been placed on unpaid leave at AirAsia X.
Speaking to Malaysiakini, Dinesh said his retrenchment did not come as a surprise as he knew that as a foreigner, his head would be the first on the chopping block as profits tumbled.
When flying, Dinesh said, he noticed how first-class passengers were served an assortment of gourmet coffee.
According to him, the cold brew coffee scene in Malaysia is limited in terms of options, and this presented Suren and him with a business opportunity.
The Take Off Coffee brand is inspired by their lives as pilots with different coffee brews named after aircraft models. On the front of the bottle are wings resembling a pilot's badge.
"As pilots, we try our best to give our passengers the smoothest landing.
"With this coffee, we do a smooth landing on your taste buds," Suren said, adding that when someone compliments them on the taste, it makes the hard work worthwhile.
Take Off Coffee, with the hashtag #JustTheWayYouLikeIt, also accepts orders via WhatsApp where customers can specify how they want their brew.
Check out Take Off Coffee on Instagram at @TakeOff.Coffee.
For the full interview, please watch the KiniTV video below:
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