owner of cafe – kisaku coffee, entrepreneur and purveyor of self love, cath halim sheds light on love, strength and coffee.
you’ve been a beacon of strength to yourself and others, what made you find courage?
knowing that I don’t have forever to live really brings me great courage to live my life the way i want to. i didn’t use to be like that until I developed my eating disorder, and grieved over a friend’s passing. it made me realize that life is very short and we are not guaranteed to live even till tomorrow.
what’s a morning routine that best represents your version of self love and appreciation
meditation, journaling and working out! i realized that with these 3 activities, i dedicate time to myself without any technology. it’s a time that i truly can focus on reflecting on myself!
what are your thoughts on acceptance vs self improvement
i think in order to have self improvement, you have to accept yourself for who you are first. it takes a great sense of self awareness to do that. it requires a lot of time to get to know yourself. in my culture, or at least the environment I grew up in, i was not taught to learn how to accept myself for who i truly want to be. there was a fundamental shift a few years ago when i started learning more about myself.
a (current) song that gets you through the day
these days, I love listening to studio ghibli’s soundtrack because they are so calming. it’s also a really good background music to play in the background while I’m working.
the aesthetics of kisaku – what inspired you?
the name kisaku represents a warm and welcoming character in japanese language. at the same time in bahasa indonesia, it means “my story”. these were in essence what we wanted to capture in our brand — a place where you can celebrate yourself while being feel welcomed!
how has the coffee culture evolved in Indonesia?
we’ve experienced a rocket growth in the last 6-7 years. i remembered when I first got back to jakarta, finding specialty coffee was extremely hard. if I ever found one, it was way too expensive to be enjoyed on a daily basis. indonesians are heavy coffee drinkers but in the last few years, their tastes have evolved. they are now curious to try new types of coffee, interested in studying the history of coffee and hence, we see a huge market for coffee! it’s truly remarkable how coffee is now a part of a modern indonesian’s daily life.
top 3 cafes in bali
blacklist coffee, seniman coffee and suka espresso for me!
