Kampung spirit, no rent, good coffee: Why more Singaporeans are opening home cafes and doing well

CNA

3 days ago

In a post-pandemic economy riddled with inflation and skyrocketing rents, many aspiring cafe owners have found themselves opening up home cafes. Where once a corner coffee shop was a sustainable dream, the cost of renting has made the traditional cafe model feel unachievable.
In response, a curious reversal has taken shape: People are opening their homes, from The Noob Coffee in Boon Lay to Brew With Grace in Sengkang.
COFFEE BY THE PORCH IN YIO CHU KANG
Tucked in a quiet Yio Chu Kang neighbourhood, a cosy porch in front of a terrace house has been transformed into a vibrant home cafe. No neon signs or fancy baristas, just three friends serving coffee and homemade bakes to a growing community.
Coffee by the Porch was founded by a group of friends who met at Singapore Management University and are currently pursuing their bachelor's degrees.
Jasmine Lim, 24, a passionate baker, and Winson Loke, 24, a self-taught coffee enthusiast, had been pondering the idea when they noticed a rising trend in home cafes in November 2024. When they brought it to Kaydon Lim, 25, who offered the front porch of his family's terrace home, the plan clicked into place. They currently have dine-in and takeaway options.
'We thought about doing something we can manage, cost wise as well,' said Jasmine Lim. 'So that's why we decided to try home cafe first, and if it ever goes big, then maybe we'll transition to something bigger.'
But more than just a workaround for high rent, the trio sees home cafes as a growing cultural shift.
'Going to cafes in town or especially on weekends, it's super-duper crowded. Let's say I want to go somewhere that's more chill and laid back, I would want to go somewhere near my neighbourhood. And the issue with that is there's not a lot of options in neighbourhoods,' said Loke.
The idea came up in November 2024 but the trio only managed to start working on it in March this year. They forked out S$2,000 (US$1,556) on essentials like tables and chairs to furnish the cafe. They also managed to keep the costs low by reusing the coffee machinery that they had already owned previously.
'We went around Singapore to around five different roasters to try beans. We were very overly caffeinated the whole day,' said Loke, who manages the coffee aspect of the cafe.
To keep the menu fresh and trendy, they also introduced items like acai bowls and matcha drinks, which have been hits in their cafe.
Some items in their menu include, strawberry matcha (S$6.50), madelines (S$5 for three pieces), banana cake (S$5 for two pieces), cookie butter acai bowl (S$7).
Their signature coffee, the Einspanner coffee, is priced at S$6.
On the first day of launch, they were fully sold out. "We didn't expect so many people to come. All of the plastic cups and plates were gone even though we ordered around 500 pieces,' said Lim, with a laugh.
Since their launch in April, Coffee by the Porch has seen more than 100 customers a day.
The cafe is also pet-friendly which has naturally attracted a crowd of animal lovers and fur parents.
Dana Yang, 28, and her sister Edna Yang, 23, have been visiting home cafes in the last two weeks. They shared that the lower prices and close proximity of these cafes to their home have been major pull factors.
'It's interesting that in some home cafes the drinks might even be nicer than what you find in a legit cafe,' said the older Yang.
While opening up one's home to the public might seem awkward, the passion for serving others eventually outweighed the initial feeling.
'I have to admit that it was kind of awkward allowing people into my personal space. Eventually there was a change of mindset,' said Kaydon Lim.
The founders also see their venture as a way to foster community connection.
'I want to see more home-based cafes, because it's kind of bringing back the kampung spirit in a sense, you go into someone's house and say I want to eat this, which hasn't been the case for a while,' said Loke.
He added: 'People who are better at making coffee have the avenue to now start their business from home. So I think that will force a lot of local cafes to up their game."
Coffee by the Porch is located at 8 Jalan Jarak. More details here.
Home cafes have also been making waves at HBD flats. Brewprint Coffee in Tampines offers only pickup services and is open daily, sometimes as late as 10pm.
Founded by siblings, Khairul, in his late 20s, and Nur Qistina, 25, the cafe operates on a pre-order basis via Grab or their website. The day-to-day operation of the cafe is done by Khairul, while Qistina supports the business on certain days and manages its social media presence.
The idea took shape after Khairul spent three months working at a cafe last year. Unfortunately, as the cafe was not doing well, Khairul had to quit his job in July 2024. But the setback turned out to be a silver lining for him.
'My sister was like, since you like serving and making coffee, and you're always at home, why don't we just open a home cafe,' said Khairul.
The timing worked in his favour as his current job runs on night shifts, freeing up his daytime to run the home cafe.
Brewprint Coffee started in October 2024, but things didn't pick up immediately.
'Some days I'll be just sitting down, doing nothing and just waiting for customers to come,' he admitted. 'We didn't really push out marketing in the beginning especially around the neighbourhood.'
However, with Qistina's consistent efforts to push out more marketing content and as the trend began to gain traction, Brewprint Coffee picked up momentum in February 2025.
Today, the cafe sees up to 50 cups sold on weekends and around 20 sold on weekdays.
Some items in their menu include a matcha series featuring flavours such as mango, strawberry and salted caramel, each priced at S$6.80.
Despite running the business from home, Khairul emulates the style of an actual cafe. Customers are given the option to choose between two single-origin coffee beans: Brazilian and Ethiopia, allowing them to have a more personalised coffee experience.
'The Brazilian beans offer a rich, chocolatey flavour, while the Ethiopian beans give a fruity taste,' said Khairul. 'Most cafes offer blended beans, but we offer single origin to highlight the unique flavours.'
Their cups are also bigger in size to ensure that customers feel the experiences matches or even exceeds that of a commercial cafe.
From their coffee series, drinks like the caramel macchiato are available at S$5.80 (hot) and $6.30 (iced) while the black forest macchiato is offered only iced at S$6.90.
Khairul emphasised that for him and his sister, running Brewprint Coffee isn't about making big profits. 'I don't think it's really about earning money. We don't buy in wholesale or get our goods cheap, but we just love serving people coffee,' he explained.
He added the unique selling point about home cafes is about offering people an experience they can't get elsewhere which is the personal connection they offer.
'It's not just about people coming in and putting money in your pocket. It's really about, the conversations we have,' he said.
'I think one of my neighbours that came, I've recently started talking to her when I don't even know she lived here. Then she's like, 'I didn't know it was your business' and now she has started to buy every day.'
For Khairul the growing competition from other home cafes doesn't scare him. In fact, he welcomes it.
'I really love the idea that more people are opening up home cafes because we are helping people enjoy their cup of coffee at a comfort place of theirs, that's near them, and it's not so expensive,' he said.
Brewprint Coffee is located at Block 285, Tampines Street 22. More details here.
TOFU TOFU IN BEDOK
Located in Bedok, another home cafe that has jumped on the bandwagon is Tofu Tofu. What sets this cafe apart from other two is that it is dedicated entirely to matcha. From the drinks to the concept, everything revolves around the green tea.
Founded by Tris Su, 34, a full-time digital marketer, Tofu Tofu was born out of her frequent matcha cravings and passion for hosting. Currently, the cafe only offers pickup services and opens mostly on weekends.
'I always liked hosting my friends, so they will usually come to eat or drink together. My family is used to it – having people around coming over to the house,' said Su.
Talking about her motivations to open a home cafe instead of a commercial cafe, Su emphasised that the high rental was the biggest issue.
'When you run from home, there's this flexibility. You get to open when you are free and you still get to spend time with your family and friends,' she added.
'A good matcha to me should be well-balanced. You can taste some umami, and it shouldn't be too bitter with a sweet node to it,' she explained.
To elevate the quality of her drinks, Su focused on microfoaming – a technique essential for creating the smooth and creamy texture that defines a high-quality matcha drink.
She also had to experiment with different matcha powders and finally settled for ceremonial grade powder, Niko Neko, to achieve the flavour and texture she wanted.
Some of the items in their menu include strawberry matcha latte, salted caramel hojicha latte and kaya macha latte priced at S$5.90 each.
During Tofu Tofu's first launch, Su received a total of 20 orders over three days. However, by her next opening date in April, orders skyrocketed to over 100 orders, thanks to a viral TikTok video showcasing her home cafe.
'It was very overwhelming, because it was only me,' Su recalled.
'I only had one matcha bowl, and I provide hot whisk and cold whisk. So I had to wash the bowl and then do a hot whisk again and then a cold whisk, I was just running around in the kitchen non-stop.'
Now, Su handles about 40 cups per opening day, but she has made improvements to help manage the chaos. To give her time to prepare, her cafe now runs on a pre-order basis, where customers place their orders and pay through an application.
Jonathan Poh, 28, who lives two blocks away from Su, buys her drinks on every one of her opening days.
'It feels more personal and intentional because they have their own story,' said Poh.
Having a culinary background himself, Poh said Su's journey to start a food business with no prior knowledge has encouraged him to rethink about his hesitations.
For him, visiting her cafe has become more than just about the drinks, it's a way to connect with people he otherwise wouldn't have met.