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The Madre Apron Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Derived from the italian word “Madre” and named After long discussions with his mentor and his friends,
after a master-craftswoman, The Madre Apron was formed by he realized that he had the capabilities to produce aprons
a trio of young entreprenuers that began their journey in the together with his parent’s expertise in the fabric industry. “My
hospitality industry. The aprons are sewn and produced by mom knows how to sew professionally and has worked in a
one of the founder’s mother up north in Ipoh in the state Perak, factory for years producing shoes and such. She knew exactly
Malaysia. The team consists of Hoong Zhan, who currently where to source some of the fabric and materials required to
works as a barista at Yellow Brick Road Cafe in Kuala Lumpur, produce a great apron at affordable prices.” Hoong Zhan adds.
Howard who is currently still studying in Sunway University Every apron is handcrafted by my mother. She receives
purusing his Bachelor of Science in Culinary Management and very little assistance and rest-assured that every apron is made
the ever so humble Jessica that works as a HR personnel in with her love and passion for sewing. The aprons are made from
Sunway Hotel Resort & Spa. raw denim fabric and high quality PU leather for it’s straps.
Hoong Zhan, the founder of Madre Apron, recalls Our aim is to not only provide quality, but also to sell them at
his first involvement in the coffee industry back when he was affordable prices. The aprons are also personally delivered to
studying in college. He used to watch the craft of latte art on clients to help them build long-term relationships and also to
social media and learned the skills of the trade from his lecturer receive feedback so that they are able to understand some of the
when he was in college. He then took a leap of signing up for their expectations. Some of their clients include Ground Eatery,
an internship with Barista Guild Asia as a trainee to further his Fahrenheit 600, 46 by Project Gibraltar, Caffeinated Cabin and
skills and knowledge in coffee. As an intern, he worked together many other café’s out there. The team have also received orders
with the company to organize their first Malaysia Brewer’s Cup from Hong Kong.
and other competitions such as the first sanctioned Malaysia There are currently 3 types of aprons available,
Barista Championship in 2015. “Heaven, Darth Vader and Shades of Gray, which are inspired
It was through this time when he realized that there by different terms and movies. These aprons are seasonal and
was a market for aprons to be made and catered for the both the there will be more aprons produced in different styles and fabric
industry and also the competition scene here in Malaysia. “An to keep things interesting. If the demand is good for a specific
apron is an essential part of a barista’s uniform”, he added. He apron, it may stay in production. In future, the team plans to
also mentioned that back then, he wanted to acquire an apron start catering to other sectors of the industry as well such as
for himself when he participated as a competitor in a local chefs, barbers, florists and any other jobs that requires an apron.
competition but there were limited choices in Malaysia and to We would also like to customize our aprons when we expand, in
customize one on it’s own would be costly. order to suit each specification and requirements.

Teavana Stores’ Makeovers to Create Extraordinary Tea Experience

Two Teavana Stores, one in Westfield Southcenter in Tukwila and one at Bellevue Square in Bellevue, have been trans-
formed completely and reopened in November 2015, aiming to heighten the experience of tea connoisseurs in Seattle. The new
unique concept of these Teavana stores is the result of a tight partnership between tea, design and merchandise partners. In the
stores, color-corrected LED lights are used to spotlight their 75 tea varieties in bright and vivid pink, yellow and grey tones, allow-
ing passersby to know right away that these stores are absolutely all about tea. There are stations for tea demonstrations and testing
and visitors can also familiarize themselves with the stores through both a self-guided tour and Teavana’s tea experts. Last but not
least, the exclusive products that are available only at these 2 stores are the 14 microlot or small-batch teas which are considered to
be the best of the best hand-plucked teas from small farms.

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