From casually enjoying coffee at an American Dunkin’ Donuts to building Indonesia’s largest coffee empire, Edward Tirtanata’s journey exemplifies entrepreneurial drive and strategic vision. Born and raised in Indonesia to business-minded parents, he displayed an early aptitude for commerce, selling Pokémon cards and running small ventures while still in middle school.
Tirtanata graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Finance and Accounting from the D’Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University, complementing his studies with a co-op at Ernst & Young’s Jakarta office to gain expertise in local tax and regulatory frameworks. After graduation, he entered commodities trading alongside his father, but the 2014 market crash provided a defining lesson in risk and resilience.
Shifting focus to consumer goods, Tirtanata co-founded Lewis & Carroll, a boutique chain of premium tea houses, before turning his attention to coffee. Observing a gap in the Southeast Asian market between high-end specialty cafes and affordable options, he envisioned a brand that could deliver quality coffee at everyday prices. In August 2017, he co-founded Kopi Kenangan (meaning “Memories Coffee” in Bahasa Indonesia) with James Prananto. The concept – a grab-and-go store with cleverly named drinks, including Kenangan Mantan (“Memories of Your Ex”) and Lupakan Dia (“Let Them Go”) resonated with consumers and rapidly expanded.
Under Tirtanata’s leadership, Kopi Kenangan reached Unicorn status by 2021 with a valuation of USD 1 billion and attracted backing from high-profile investors such as Serena Williams, Jay-Z, Sequoia Capital, and Eduardo Saverin. By the end of 2025, the company had 1,324 stores across six countries – Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Australia and India , with Indonesia remaining its core market (1,136 stores).
Driven by an ambition to scale globally, Tirtanata continues to expand Kopi Kenangan, with plans for a future US listing and a vision to redefine coffee culture worldwide.
