It is all about F&B for this foodie

Mention Austin Chase Coffee and you get a bunch of mixed reviews from “I went to Austin Chase a loooong time ago, it’s ok only la,” right down to “The place still exists!” Hmmm … we wonder whether is it the same Austin Chase we are now talking and seeing? The answer is yes and no, but they add a good twist to the story. It all started when Thesan Salva chanced upon this coffee house in the late 1990s and had a liking for it. At that time, the brand was under another local conglomerate. Realising the potential the brand had and learning the conglomerate’s interest to divest its coffee business in 2008, Thesan decided to have a go at it. With his passion for business and good food, Thesan, in his early 30s, decided to plunge into the coffee scene in the Klang Valley. Mind you, Thesan was already dabbling in the food industry with his company, Spice of India Sdn Bhd (which runs among others Spice of India and Bombay Spice in the capital city), so getting his hands wet in beverages is nothing new. Says Thesan, CEO of Chase Coffee Holdings (CCH) and master franchisee of Austin Chase: “I have consumed Austin Chase coffee before actually taking up this brand. But I thought the concept wasn’t right then. So, when I decided on this brand, I met the principal in the US and told him my vision for the brand.” This obviously worked and after a brief hiatus, Austin Chase made its comeback into Malaysia under Thesan’s Chase Coffee Holdings (CCH) in 2009. To date, the opening of Austin Chase Queensbay Mall in Penang marks its fourth outlet in Malaysia. The other three coffee outlets are in: Pavilion (first outlet opened in July 2009), Gardens Midvalley (second outlet opened in August 2009), and the third at Wangsa Walk (recently opened on February 2010). Four more outlets are in the pipeline, with two of them being at Sunway Giza (slated for a June opening) and the Doubletree by Hilton at The Intermark Kuala Lumpur. “I envisioned a brand with better offering (from what was) and update the outlets by giving it a face lift … that is the new Austin Chase Coffee. It is now friendly and vibrant,” says this young entrepreneur. So how did the entrepreneurial streak come about for Thesan? Well, Business Today shares a brunch cum interview with this affable personality over a cuppa yummy hazelnut hot chocolate (also a specialty there by the way) and had our way with him. The beginning Starting off by plainly stating he is not academically trained for the food & beverage (F&B) industry, his love for food took this Economy & Econometrics graduate from University of Nottingham, UK, to a world of culinary delight. But the road to success was not a straight one to Thesan, at first. This native of Negeri Sembilan embarked on his working life by joining the marketing department of the Northland Group upon finishing his studies in 1998. Though his family has a stake in the group, Thesan went into the business through the normal recruitment process and started from an exec level. There he was tasked to oversee trade shows and scout for new business. The dawn of the new millennium also spelt opportunities for Thesan when he decided to dabble in F&B. What Thesan lacks in training, he makes up with passion. His gastronomic love was enough for him to take the giant leap of faith in F&B with his maiden venture into Mediterranean food “Ocean Catch” in 2001, but it did not go on well. Yet his entrepreneurial flames weren’t abated with this slight derailment. You see, Thesan always knew he wasn’t a desk job person. “I don’t think I would have enjoyed it. I did get offers to work in the bank, but the marketing executive position I had was ideal. I liked travelling around and it was part of the job,” shares Thesan. The marketing position also laid the foundation for his people management skills since it required him to manage customers and personnel, from various ethnicity and cultures. His finance education background was also a boon. Ten years down the road from his first venture, Thesan proudly counts various foodie endeavours under his belt. For one, he takes great pride in talking about Spice of India, an undertaking he feels had all the right things going for it from the onset. “We (Northland) have some business in India and so I thought why not Indian food. So we started Spice of India. It had all the right formula and we moved forward with the idea and brought down Indian chefs for this. Under Spice of India, we now have 11 outlets,” he beams with approval. In fact, Thesan sees tremendous potential in the F&B business as evidenced with the opening of Austin Chase. Both ventures are proving fruitful as he shares turnovers of Spice of India (around RM15 mil) and Austin Chase (RM2-3 mil). He adds: “The F&B business is a cash business. It has a strong cash flow and the business can survive even during the recession.” Therefore, you can say Thesan is still in the market for other new projects, which he emphasises would be in the F&B industry. What’s more … Besides F&B, Thesan is also passionate about people, whether employees or customers, which explains his drive to be people-oriented in his business. Thesan understand for the business to succeed, he needed to adopt a management style that spells two-way communication. He offers: “You are in the service field and you constantly need feedback from your operations people. So two-way communications is essential, yet you have to draw the line because decisions need to be made, even though the decisions may not always be the best,” while he underlines the importance of feedback and understanding    problems from all quarters. At the end of the day, he says any decision he takes makes him accountable to his shareholders, which propels Thesan and his team to perform and deliver since they are all part of the company as well. So what motivates him and his staff is the strong connection they have for the brand and its products. “If you have the passion for something, you will be motivated to do it. I learnt that early on. You don’t tire easily, when you like what you are doing.” When he sees his people’s passion as well as the satisfied grins of his customers, Thesan believes that is enough motivation for him. However for a burst of inspiration, he either turns to his businessman dad or draws encouragement from other successful entrepreneurs. Aside from work, Thesan ideally likes to spend time with his family and friends, seeing as his vocation keeps him busy other times. If he is not found lounging by the pool or reading, Thesan is usually busy travelling and watching movies. Golf is an occasional interest.