This S’porean ex-offender is giving others like him a restart in life through coffee & cats

It’s not every day that you meet someone who describes themselves as a failure, but for 54-year-old Matthew Poh, he comes clean in his introduction.

My name is Matthew, and I am a one-time bankrupt, two-time divorcee, three-time addict, and incarcerated four times; that is my background. Literally, a failure that failed most people who were around me. 

But the self-proclaimed failure has turned over a new leaf, and is one of the two masterminds behind The Caffeine Experience (TCE), a social enterprise cafe he founded in 2017 to help ex-convicts find re-employment as they reintegrate into society.

Still, the stigma remains a painful reminder for many ex-offenders, and for Matthew and his team, the road to redemption has been anything but a fairy tale.

From lavish parties to a life behind bars

Matthew was living the high life in the 1990s, as his interior design firm was prospering at the time.

Little did he expect that his life would spiral downwards at the mercy of many vices: from partying lavishly to being introduced to ecstasy pills by his then-girlfriend, who eventually became his first wife in 1994.

Things took an even darker turn in 2013, when Matthew not only lost his mother, but his second marriage was failing, and clients were filing lawsuits for unfulfilled contracts against his firm. It was then that his drug addiction worsened upon being introduced to methamphetamine, a.k.a “meth.”

At this point, he had been abusing drugs for approximately two decades and was declared bankrupt in 2015, leading him to turn to dealing to fund his addiction.

Though he left the drug syndicate months before they were busted by the police, Matthew decided to turn himself in that same year. He spent eight months in prison and four months in a halfway house.

Turns out, the harsh prison life gave him a much-needed wake-up call, as the forced solitude allowed him to reconnect with his faith and bond with other inmates—a culmination of stories that ultimately formed the mission of The Caffeine Experience.

“The Caffeine Experience started in prison, where most of my brothers inside say they find it hard to find a job when they leave prison. Hence, the idea of starting this business is to provide them with a helping hand by engaging them in a job without prejudice,” shared Matthew.

“No one would trust us”

But why coffee? Why didn’t he restart his interior design firm with the other inmates?

Matthew explained that, unlike baristas, licences or higher skill levels that are “difficult to pick up” are needed to become electricians, plumbers and interior designers.

This is not to say that F&B roles are easy, but they are more accessible by comparison. The required training gives them a chance to earn a living and hopefully guides them to a new life with a renewed mindset.

However, the first nine months before launching the social enterprise nearly had Matthew throwing in the towel. He shared that he had “zero credibility” due to his criminal record, and some potential investors would not even hear his proposal.

Fortunately, he received a S$60,000 investment from a friend to open his first outlet at Tanjong Pagar MRT in 2017. He subsequently received more investments from others around him, bringing the total investment amount to S$150,000.

Restarting is not easy

TCE works with the statutory board Yellow Ribbon and the Christian-based youth organisation Youth Guidance Outreach Services (YGOS), which recommends ex-convicts to the social enterprise and integrates them into the workforce.

As heartwarming as it is, Matthew put his struggle of balancing its social mission and ensuring the business stays afloat into perspective.

“TCE is run like an SME, and what happens is that when we want to welcome more ex-offenders under our wing, we do not have the financial capacity and resources to give them that chance.”

He also highlighted that the stigma placed on ex-convicts like him unfortunately still remains, and this has led many to fall back into destructive habits.

While it’s worth noting that Singapore’s overall recidivism rate for the 2022 release cohort was relatively low at 21.3%, it also reached its highest for drug abusers at 30.8%, according to the Singapore Prison Service.

“Many times, our brothers fall back. They will get caught and we will write e-letters to them in prison,” shared Matthew, adding that together with a pastor and counsellor, he is there for his employees who need a listening ear.

Ultimately, the decision lies with them. The most important thing is not to judge them for their choices.

We encourage them, and when they are out, we let them rejoin and help them restart their lives.

Working with more ex-offenders

Since it started, TCE has managed to open five outlets across Singapore; however, things took a drastic turn when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, leading the social enterprise to shutter all of its outlets except for one.

Even though that one remaining outlet was “close to closing,” it was able to pull through thanks to his employees.

Today, the business has improved its coffee and food offerings, even starting to roast its own beans in-house. These are now supplied to office pantries and cafes across Singapore, opening up a new revenue stream for the business.

Currently, TCE has three outlets, including at the URA Centre, the Home Team Science & Technology Agency, and The Star Vista, which is its flagship outlet. The latter occupies two units, one of which houses a cat cafe: The Cats Experience.

Matthew shared that he grew to love cats after leaving prison, and he and his wife first applied to open a cat cafe in January 2023. However, as they only had eight cats, their first attempt was unsuccessful as it was not enough to open a cat cafe.

But when his maine coon King Charles’s escapades lead 17 kittens to be born within 60 days, the couple finally got the license to operate the cat cafe in Novemember that same year.

“[As of now], King Charles has two in-laws, four wives, 17 kittens, two grandchildren, six eunuchs and two slaves. The slaves are both my partner and I,” said Matthew with a laugh.

Looking forward, Matthew expressed his ambition to start a roasting academy on top of the dine-ins and cat cafe in the near future, similar to the Redemption Roasters—an English cafe chain that aims to reduce re-offending in the city by equipping individuals with practical skills in coffee roasting, production and logistics.

He aims to continue being a safety net for those re-entering society to prepare them for better opportunities in the future and welcome a new batch of ex-offenders into the social enterprise.

At the moment, though, things remain challenging. Matthew revealed that both businesses were on the path to breaking even, but saw a downturn, which led to a deficit.

With a small team of 15 employees under his care and limited resources, he is open to receiving seed funding to continue his mission.

Featured Image Credit: The Caffeine Experience