ZUS Coffee Clarifies That Brand Name & Logo Are Not Associated With Greek God Zeus
This comes after a Facebook post asked consumers to boycott the brand, claiming that it was linked to the Greek god.
By Celine Low — 15 Nov 2023, 02:59 PM
On 10 October 2023, a post shared by a Facebook page called Berita Malaysia urged the public to boycott ZUS Coffee, claiming that the brand was linked to the Greek god, Zeus
The post claimed that the brand had derived its name and logo from the Greek god, Zeus, and the company's explanation for its origin is merely a cover story.
The post has so far garnered over 20,000 likes, 8,700 comments, and 24,000 shares since it was shared on 8 November 2023.
Many netizens were puzzled by the post. One user felt that boycotting a particular brand should be an individual choice, rather than be influenced by other people's opinions.
Meanwhile, a netizen said that they were already aware of the meaning behind the brand and its logo.
ZUS Coffee since has clarified that its brand name and logo are not related to the mythological Greek god
Tian Zhenhui, Chief Operating Officer of ZUS Coffee, said that the portrait of the elderly man is actually an Ethiopian shepard named Kaldi, Sin Chew Daily reported.
Tian said that Kaldi is believed to be the first to discover the effects of coffee beans, according to an Ethiopian legend. The story goes that Kaldi discovered coffee after he noticed his goats became energetic after eating berries from a certain tree.
Tian explained that the word "ZUS" is an abbreviation of "Zeal + US", which aims to convey the company's zealous efforts to deliver the best coffee to its customers.
Tian hopes the clarification will allow customers to buy ZUS Coffee with peace of mind
Tian further emphasised that the brand is halal-certified.
"We hope that Malaysians can be proud of local brands," he said.
