Sec School Pals Open Chic Coco Shake Shop, Aim To Be “Starbucks of Coconut Shakes”

Sleek and modern with concrete floors and a long curved counter that links the cashier to the blender station. The owners had originally planned for the latter to be done in the style of a show kitchen (where customers can watch their drinks being made), but a renovation hiccup has delayed the plan for now. The space can comfortably accommodate four to five people in the queue. You can also snap a pic of your drink in front of the accent wall emblazoned with the shop’s logo – which kinda reminded us of Shake Shack’s famous one.

With its clean, modern decor, the shop stands out from most of its competitors, which are largely fuss-free, over-the-counter kiosks. We look forward to visiting the shop again once the show kitchen is up and running for a more lifestyle-driven experience.

There are nine items on the menu, from the signature Coconut Shake to variations like Coconut Mango and Coconut Durian, as well as the caffeine-spiked Americano and Matcha-Americano. There are two sizes available, medium (500ml) and large (700ml). Jazz up your beverage with the selection of toppings, which include aloe vera, mango poppers and brown sugar konjac balls, available from $0.50 each. Customers will also get to choose their desired sugar levels, just like your favourite bubble tea joint. Prices start at $4.40 for a medium coconut shake.

Shake! Some Coco is the first F&B venture for its 29-year-old founders and long-time friends Caleb Chua (left in pic), Melville Ng (middle) and Joash Ng (right in pic). All three are still holding day jobs: Caleb is a project engineer for a natural gas company, Melville is a software development trainee at a tech firm and Joash is an account manager at a tech start-up.

“We’ve been talking about this [starting a biz] for the last couple of years but we haven’t had the chance to act on it because we’ve been working full-time. It wasn’t until recently, with the work-from-home situation, that we had more time to connect with each other and put the plan into action. All three of us really love coconut shakes, and we noticed that there is no one providing an upscale lifestyle approach, like a Starbucks cafe, in the coconut shake scene,” says Joash, who handles business development and branding.

Since they started developing the concept early this year, the trio noticed that more and more brands have been popping up. “In the beginning, the only established brand was Mr Coconut. Then more started opening. It’s good that it’s a competitive landscape because it shows that there is demand for coconut shakes and that drives us to achieve something here,” adds Caleb, who oversees project management and operations.

Melville jokingly calls his partners “sharks”. “They’re the go-getters, whereas I play the supportive role. I balance them out!” The soft-spoken co-owner is in charge of logistics, drawing experience from his four-year-old side gig of reselling limited-edition sneakers on Carousell and online marketplaces.

Caleb agrees: “Yeah he plays the angel role. Whenever there is a slight disagreement between us, he is the mediator.” He also adds that the three pals have an agreement when it comes to prioritising their friendship. “Before we started working on the concept, we sat down and laid down some ground rules. We agreed that at the end of the day, biz is biz. We want to make sure that money doesn’t get in the way of our relationship.”

Having spent most of the year preparing to launch Shake! Some Coco, the young owners appear to be ready for the challenges that come with starting a biz in the midst of a pandemic. “When we were conceptualising the brand, we recognised that with Covid restrictions, people are not dining in much these days. That’s why we didn’t want to open in the CBD, and we didn’t feel the need to have tables and chairs in our shop,” says Joash.

“We do have plans to open one or two more branches, or explore a franchise in the future. But for now, we are excited to be standing in the store after ten months of working two jobs [juggling full-time work and launching the biz]. It’s been rewarding to see our ideas come to life.”

The signature shake is a mix of fresh coconut water from Thai and Malaysian coconuts, coconut flesh, coconut milk, vanilla ice cream and “special” cream. While it’s not the most full-bodied and lemak shake (perhaps due to the fact that they use vanilla ice cream instead of coconut like at Co+Nut+Ink, which uses the same recipe bought from a famous ice cream vendor at Chatuchak Weekend Market) we’ve had, we enjoyed the fresh and creamy concoction. The texture is also smoother than some of the other shakes we’ve tried (this version does not contain bits of coconut flesh to munch on), and pairs well with the refreshing, chewy aloe vera pieces.

This tropical quencher wins us over with its strong mango flavour – thanks to the use of fresh fruit puree from a supplier – and delightful burst-in-your-mouth pearls containing mango-flavoured syrup. The poppers are pretty sweet, so we recommend capping the sugar level at 25 percent to prevent the drink from becoming too cloying.

The shop opted to use D24 puree for this shake as the popular Mao Shan Wang “left an overwhelming aftertaste” during the founders’ R&D sessions. The shake goes down smooth and easy – the durian is not too pungent, having been tempered by the richness of coconut, and the flavour combination reminds us of durian bubur cha cha.

Instead of throwing instant coffee powder into the blender, the staff brews a strong shot of Nescafe before mixing it into the coconut shake, which explains the robust Americano flavour of this satisfying shake. Reminiscent of a coffee ice cream milkshake.

What sounded like an unlikely combo turned out to be a surprisingly tasty pairing. The clean, citrus flavours from fresh lemonade cut through the creamier notes of the coconut shake nicely. A unique, invigorating drink for those who prefer something less sweet.

Shake! Some Coco's signature shake is similar to Mr Coconut’s in terms of pricing and taste – the former boasts a smoother mouthfeel for those who prefer a more luscious drink. Flavour-wise, it isn’t as pronounced as the more expensive shake from Co+Nut+Ink, which uses house-made coconut ice cream for added richness. The new store's funkier combos like Americano, Mango and Lemonade fared better in our books, with the infused flavours coming through really nicely in its creamy shakes. But we think there’s some way to go before the brand fulfils its mission of becoming the next Starbucks, especially with other newcomers like CocoBoss that are also opening hip, IG-friendly concept stores.

Shake! Some Coco opens Oct 29 at #B1-24 Hillion Mall, 17 Petir Rd, S678278. Open daily 10am to 10pm. Facebook. Instagram

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Photos: Kelvin Chia