With its stunning natural landscapes and diverse cultures, Sabah is an exotic place worth visiting. If you also happen to be a Malaysian coffee addict, here’s an additional reason to visit the Land Beneath the Wind. That reason? Yit Foh Coffee Park, the only place in Malaysia where you can enjoy, learn and sleep surrounded by coffee.
Tenom, Sabah’s coffee capital
Image Credit: Wafa on Google Review (Left), Emdee Haz on Google Review (Right)
For the uninitiated, this coffee park in Tenom, Sabah, is a go-to if you want to know more about the state’s coffee industry. Tenom coffee is generally regarded as one of the better grades of coffee produced in Sabah and in Malaysia. In fact, Tenom is sometimes called the “coffee capital” of Sabah.
The story of Yit Foh
Image Credit: HTJJP on Google Review
Yit Foh is purportedly the state’s oldest surviving roastery, established in 1960. Its founder, the late Yong Loong Vun, bought over a struggling Hainanese coffee business and turned its direction around. Fast forward to 2025, and the Yit Foh brand is a household name far and wide.
The Yit Foh Coffee Park is the place for you to discover where it all began. In addition to housing the roastery, the park also contains a cafe popular with tourists and locals alike. There are even cottages which act as guest accommodations!
Touring the factory
Image Credit: Emdee Haz on Google Review (Left), Civayvester Jino Sudin on Google Review (Right)
We should first talk about the factory, which is the reason why most tour groups stop by here. Tours are best arranged with the management before any visit. Showing up suddenly is probably not the best course of action here!
At the factory, you will learn just what is it that makes Yit Foh’s brand of coffee so popular. Apparently, Yit Foh roasts its beans over a fire fueled by rubber tree wood. When Yit Foh was first founded, Tenom had many rubber plantations, making sourcing the wood easy.
By using this specific firewood, Yit Foh’s coffee gets a strong, smoky and very recognisable aroma. What’s more, the coffee at Yit Foh is roasted using a traditional woodfire drum. The drum evenly heats and roasts the coffee beans, ensuring consistent flavours with each packet.
Yit Foh’s coffee products are shipped not just around Malaysia but also overseas. Of its large array of products, it’s Kopi “O” and Serbuk Kopi remain the most popular. However, there’s also a growing love for the unique Yit Foh Musang King Durian White Coffee.
Robusta Cafe
Image Credit: Yit Foh (Left), Dave Aquatics on Google Review (Right)
Once you are done touring the factory, settle down for a meal at the park’s Robusta Cafe, which serves Asian and Western food. The cafe is spacious and comfortable, with indoor and outdoor seating options. Portions are also just as reasonable as their prices here.
Staying the night here
Image Credit: Quilin QM on Google Review (Left), agoda.com (Right)
And if you just can’t get away from your coffee addiction, why not indulge it by staying here a night or two? The coffee park has several cottage-styled rooms available for rent, with prices ranging from RM180 to RM280 per night. In addition to being clean and comfy, these rooms unsurprisingly come with complimentary Yit Foh coffee products.
Worth your time?
Image Credit: Maksit Saidi on Google Review (Left), Amir Shaiful Zaini on Google Review (Right)
Whether you are a coffee addict or a curious explorer, Yit Foh Coffee Park is worth your time as you can learn, eat and stay in a single spot. With 4.3 stars over 1,000 reviews on Google, you can be assured that you will have a satisfying experience here.
Yit Foh Coffee Park
Address: 3 Km, Jalan Tenom-Sapong, Kampung Chinta Mata, 89908 Tenom, Sabah
Opening Hours: 8 am – 5 pm daily
Contact: 010-2635657
Halal Status: Halal
You should also check out: This Sabahan couple hires ex-convicts for a second chance & serves the best chicken chop in KL
Feature Image Credit: HTJJP on Google Review (Left), Quilin QM on Google Review (Right)
