Tonny Arifin is not the type of guy who likes publicity, and I was always met with refusals everytime I stated my intention to write about him, even though I’ve known him since mid 2009, at the time a Specialty Coffee Association of Kaskus (SCAK) community gathering was held and I was just starting this blog.  But in lieu with the opening of Toffin Product  showroom in Pluit, allow me to write about about the company that has remained consistent in its position in the Indonesian coffee industry – established seven years ago, Toffin is a distributor for several products such as the Vibiemme,Zeecaffe, and Has Granti machine, powder, and of course their latest baby, the Toffin Gourmet – the selections of syrup in all kinds of flavour with very attractive prices. So here’s a brief article about the man behind Toffin, a product which name is taken from its owner, Tonny Arifin Ng.

It was in a small seafood café at Pantai Indah Kapuk, early October 2011, an ideal place to spend our Friday nights hanging out with our friends, where Tonny Arifin (30) jokingly told us about his plan to open a new place in Pluit, North Jakarta. We were of course, quite excited with his decision, although the place that he resides in at Duta Harapan soho at Kapuk has been more than acommodating should he go along with his plan. But Tonny said – half jokingly of course, “It’s the Venetian city atmosphere here!”

So together with the opening of Probat’s showroom, I had the chance to visit his new place which is painted in beige and furnished with dark brown wooden furniture, and occupies a 5 x 15 m space and located at at Jalan Pluit Sakti Raya. In the middle is a coffee bar and of course a row of Vibiemme coffee machines in any kinds of types you can think of, as well as the syrup products, coffee and other paraphernalia. Of course, visitors who intend to buy an espresso machine can give the machine a go, or at least pet the shiny soon-to-be-their ‘toy’, just like what my fellow reader Andy Kho had done the other day.

For some of you who already know Tonny, Toffin  began from a café owned by Tonny’s colleague, also located in Pluit, in the beginning of 2000. As it didn’t reap as much profit, Tonny changed directions to selling ice-blenders at Mangga Dua Mall in a small booth, followed by selling an imported Italian coffee. Despite the lack of strong managerial support, slowly he began to pay more attention to the marketing field of  flavored powder which didn’t have many competitors, and he began selling coffee from his collaboration with a major coffee manufacturer in Jakarta.

Seeing that specialty coffee had started getting serious, this University of Tarumanegara graduate immediately brought in a Vibiemme espresso machine from Italy, which is very well-known these days. Christiano Chieri, one of the owners of Vibiemme from Italy said that Indonesia was their top three main market, next to Australia and Korea, due to the pioneered marketing done by Toffin . But his participation in the Food & Hotel Indonesia which was held at Kemayoran, Jakarta, in 2009 was the turning point of his business overall, up to this very moment.

Product diversification and creativity in positioning competitive prices are, quite possibly, the strengths of this company. Toffin Gourmet syrup in many variants is the example of the bold move they made in 2011.

Another surprise of course is that the Toffin Gourmet syrups which was launched mid 2011 have already been taken quite well by the target market due to the competitive prices that, unlike others, do not sacrifice the product’s quality, which is originally concocted in Seattle, USA. A business calculation that has been measured well and proven to be successful in penetrating the hotel, restaurant and café industry.

One might wonder what other surprises are in store, but in his relatively young age, a traditional “coffee pilgrimage” to Pontianak – his hometown, has long been planned by Tonny and he is hoping that I would tag along when the day comes. Until then…

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Toffin

Tonny Arifin bukan tipe orang yang senang dipublikasikan dan selalu menghindar bila saya mengutarakan niatan untuk membuat satu tulisan khusus tentang dirinya. Padahal saya sudah mengenalnya seumur blog ini saat ada pertemuan komunitas SCAK di pertengahan tahun 2009. Tapi kali ini berbarengan dengan dibukanya ruang pamer Toffin Product di bilangan Pluit, izinkan saya menuliskan sedikit tentang perusahaan yang terus memantapkan posisinya dalam kancah industri perkopian di Indonesia. Berdiri sejak hampir tujuh tahun lalu, Toffin merupakan distributor berbagai produk seperti mesin Vibiemme, Zeecaffe, Has Granti, powder, dan tentu saja gebrakan terbaru mereka Toffin Gourmet, sirup dengan berbagai macam varian dan harga yang sangat “menarik”. Sekilas tentang pendiri Toffin yang diambil nama dari pemiliknya sendiri Tonny Arifin Ng.

Di sebuah warung makanan laut Pantai Indah Kapuk bulan Oktober 2011, tempat kami bisa menghabiskan Jumat malam bersama rekan lain, sambil bergurau Tonny  Arifin (30) membicarakan rencananya membuka tempat baru di kawasan Pluit, Jakarta Utara. Kami yang hadir tentu turut senang  dengan keputusannya walau tempat yang selama ini ditempatinya di deretan ruko Duta Harapan, Kapuk yang menurut Willy dari Sidewalk Coffee berhadapan dengan “danau” sudah mencukupi. Sembari berseloroh, Tonny berkata “Inilah suasana kota Venesia!”.

Tonny Arifin and I at Roswell Coffee, Bandung, December 2011, with one of the products he introduced to the market – Has Garanti, a roasting machine from Turkey.

Maka bersamaan dengan pembukaan ruang pamer Probat, saya berkesempatan berkunjung ke tempat barunya di jalan Pluit Sakti Raya yang interiornya di cat dengan warna krem dan furniture kayu coklat tua dan luas sekita 5 x 15 meter. Di tengah terdapat bar kopi dan tentu saja sederet mesin espresso Vibiemme yang berjajar dari berbagai tipe dan produk sirup, kopi dan pernik dan aksesoris lainnya. Tentu saja, pengunjung yang berminat untuk membeli mesin espresso bisa mencoba dulu atau setidaknya mengelus “mainan” yang berkilap itu sebagaimana rekan pembaca Andy Kho yang kemarin bertemu di sini.

Bagi yang sudah lama mengenalnya, kisah Toffin diawali dari sebuah cafe milik rekannya, juga di daerah sekitar Pluit di awal tahun 2000an. Tak begitu sukses, Tonny banting setir menjajakan ice blended di Mangga Dua Mall dengan sebuah booth kecil, lalu disusul dengan memasarkan kopi import dari Italia. Juga belum menemukan titik terang karena ketiadaan dukungan manajemen yang kuat, tapi secara perlahan mulai merangkak dengan kejeliannya melihat pasar bubuk perasa (flavored powder) yang masih jarang pemainnya dan kembali lagi menjual kopi hasil  kerjasamanya dengan sebuah produsen kopi besar di Jakarta.

Melihat bahwa pasar kopi spesial atau specialty coffee mulai menggeliat di Indonesia, lulusan Universitas Tarumanegara Jakarta ini langsung mendatangkan mesin espresso Vibiemme yang sekarang namanya sudah banyak dikenal. Christiano Chieri, petinggi Vibiemme dari Italia menyebut pasar Indonesia merupakan tiga besar selain Australia dan Korea karena penetrasi pasar yang dilakukan oleh Toffin. Tapi keikutsertaannya di ajang Food & Hotel Indonesia yang diselenggarakan di Kamayoran Jakarta tahun 2009 seakan menjadi titik balik bisnisnya secara keseluruhan hingga saat ini.

Kejutan lain tentu saja sirup “Toffin Gourmet” yang diluncurkan petengahan tahun kemarin dan sudah banyak diserap oleh pasar karena banderol harga yang sangat bersaing tanpa harus mengorbankan kualitas produk yang ramuanya diracik langsung dari Seattle, Amerika. Sebuah kalkulasi bisnis yang sudah diperhitungan dengan matang dan  terbukti sukses menembus pasar hotel restaurant dan cafe.

Tonny Arifin: A hardworking man with an unsual hobby – playing water in the kitchen sink.

Entah kejutan apalagi yang sedang dipersiapkannya, tapi di usianya yang masih terbilang muda, suami dari Jenny Tan ini sudah lama berencana mengajak saya ke kampung halamannya di Pontianak untuk sebuah “ziarah kopi” tradisional di kota ini.

好运气 !

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Puro: Espresso machine and grinder cleaning agent from Puro Cleaning Products.