In the Cambodian capital, low-cost mobile coffee stalls are becoming a new pathways that offer career mobility and financial independence.
Vy Chandra Rainsey, founder of local brand Alarm Clock Coffee, said this trend signals the emergence of a new young workforce shaping a fresh vocation.
“Coffee lovers are becoming owners of coffee shops. Many young people, especially Gen Z, are entering the business because it is relatively easy to start and does not require major infrastructure or capital. They learn how to run a business through social media,” Rainsey told Bernama.
Rainsey started his modest mobile cart business in 2017 with two partners and now owns nine outlets in the city. Nearly 70% of his staff are young women who mostly work as baristas.
Cambodia’s demographic tailwinds inspires optimism: at least 60% of the country’s 17 million population is under the age of 30, and close to 50% are female.
Women here are known for their industriousness and sound financial skills, and are envied as tough business negotiators. According to the United Nations Development Programme, the garment, textiles and footwear sector employed one million workers last year – 75% of whom were women.
And almost 61% of the country’s micro, small, and medium entrepreneurs are owned by women. In 2023, women’s workforce participation in Cambodia reached 78.9%, the highest level among Asean countries.
Indeed, young Cambodians are venturing into low-cost businesses such as barber shops, laundries, pedicure and manicure studios, and hair saloons – all of which require minimal investment.
In cosmopolitan Phnom Penh, mobile coffee kiosks are popping up in every nook and cranny – around malls, markets, universities, and residential areas.
Cheaper financing for new startups, lower operational costs, digital payment options, and affordable fancy mobile carts are fuelling the growth.
“More teenagers are drinking coffee even at midnight – it is becoming a trend, a new culture. So there is high demand for coffee outlets, and the supply is plenty, too. But profit margins are not so high,” Rainsey noted.
“The young generation enter this market with a new business model and it shapes a new work culture. They don’t rely on branding or marketing, one or two outlets are enough for them.”
These makeshift coffee kiosks are quietly rivalling well-established local and foreign brands for a share of the growing market.
“Many mobile kiosks are creating jobs for high-school leavers and offering an opportunity to earn an income. At night, they go to colleges to pursue their preferred career paths,” Rainsey added.
In the rugged terrains of Cambodia’s Mondulkiri and Ratanakiri provinces, weather-beaten farmers diligently produce Robusta coffee beans for the market.
And in the bustling capital, these young people are becoming skilled and passionate coffee artisans who brave the harsh monsoon rains to whip up aromatic cappuccinos, mochas, lattes, and espressos for neighbourhood consumers.