Gibran, who founded the brand with entrepreneur Kevin Susanto, wants Goola to be the market leader in Indonesia and to expand to other Southeast Asian countries in 2020.

The first Goola outlet having opened in August last year, five are now located in Jakarta shopping centers. The company wishes to add 15 more by the end of 2019 and establish a total of 100 outlets next year.

Jefrey Joe, managing partner of Alpha JWC Ventures, said that both parties wish to make local entrepreneurs and startups known internationally. “We’re very proud and excited to work together with Gibran and Kevin to introduce Indonesian culture to more people and, later, to different countries,” Jefrey said in an official statement.

Gibran said he is certain the brand has the opportunity to be the market leader because of the growing demand for and people’s positive acceptance of its products. “Our next challenge is presenting Goola and local beverages to culinary enthusiasts worldwide,” Gibran said.

Read also: Gibran Rakabuming launches new beverage brand

 

 

 

 

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God is Good. Grateful to announce that @goola.id has secured a Seed Funding round led by Alpha JWC with participation from strategic investors. Since its inception, Goola started with a simple mission; to globally introduce Indonesia’s multi-cultural diversity through drinks. Standing as the sole Indonesian pride amongst countless foreign competitions will never be easy — but this will not deter us. It won’t be an easy one - we do not expect it to be. But with awesome founders @benzbudiman , mas @chillipari & @arifsetyobudi leading the line, and the support from amazing people in @jefrey.joe @chandratjan @melinasubastian @erikadians @samanthatedjo @adeliargh ; we believe the sky indeed is the limit. Last but not the least, we also on Board @samuelgeoffrey as Goola's COO... “kami siap memaniskan dunia dengan citarasa Indonesia.” Local Pride, Global Ambition. To 100 stores & Beyond. #Goola #LocalPride #SemanisGoola #FromIndonesiaToTheWorld #Goolabal #PunIntended #Merdeka #17Agustus2019 #SiapManiskanIndonesia #SiapManiskanDunia

A post shared by Kevin Susanto (@kevinsusanto) on Aug 16, 2019 at 11:31pm PDT

Kevin added that they initially planned for Goola to be a conventional culinary business before realizing they could do something bigger. “We want Goola to become an icon of Indonesia in the world, just like Thailand’s Thai tea and Taiwan’s bubble tea,” he said.

The brand plans to also implement a word-of-mouth strategy to reach the international market and a “new-retail” system by using an app that is still under development. The app would enhance the customer experience of purchasing beverages, along with offering a loyalty program and online reservations.

With that in mind, Gibran said that their products would always be the main thing. “The app is one thing, but for me the most crucial factor is our recipe. Many have said that our drinks remind them of their childhood memories and forgotten traditions,” he said.

For now, Goola offers 22 items within different sections, namely Signature, Tea, Coffee and Refreshing. The brand puts a twist on the country's traditional beverages, such as by using pacar cina (sago pearl) to replace tapioca pearl and santan (coconut milk) topping foam to substitute for cheese foam. (wir/wng)

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