Malaysian coffee brand Zus coffee is fighting against boycott efforts after allegations that its logo and name were derived from the Greek god Zeus.

Hera-tics

Zus is a home grown Malaysian brand, which describes itself as "technologically driven".

It has a striking logo with the face of a bearded man in white, over a deep blue circle with the words ZUS COFFEE in a serif font beneath it.

The controversy stems from a debate over the origin of the logo. Detractors claim that it represents the father of the Greek pantheon, the sky god Zeus, as the pronunciation of the word Zus being similar to Zeus.

Because of this, some Malaysian commentators are saying that Malaysians should boycott Zus, as it depicts the visage and form of a pagan god.

This was articulated by, but not originated on, a Facebook message posted on a page called Berita Malaysia, which said that Muslims should not patronise an outlet that promoted other gods.

It also rejects the idea that the logo actually originates from the image of Kaldi, an Ethiopian goat herder who is said to have first discovered coffee.

Brand story

The Kaldi explanation was recently given by Venon Tian Zhenhui, Zus' Chief Operating Officer, in an interview with Sin Chew Daily.

He said that Kaldi was the inspiration for the brand, and further explained that the  brand name was a portmanteau of the words ZEAL and US, which he said showed "the brands pursuit of excellent coffee".

He added that the company has halal certification, and said that he hoped that Malaysians could be proud of local brands.

Local brands

The debate has spread to parliament, where Bersatu Member of Parliament Azahari Hasan was giving a speech advocating for support of local brands.

When asked if this would include Zus Coffee as a local brand, Sin Chew Daily reported him as agreeing, saying that as long as a brand was Malaysian, it should receive government support.

The calls for further boycott have naturally led to heated debate on social media.

While some social media accounts did agree with calls for boycott, many others questioned whether simply showing the face of a mythological deity with very little connection to Malaysia should warrant a boycott.

Media outlets such as Weird Kaya, Latest Malaysia and Says show numerous examples of social media users saying that the calls for boycott were unwarranted, and questioning the motives of those calling for it.

And other conspiracies

However, the Reddit post from which many outlets trace the original outpouring of controversy, suggests a third, less spoken about origin story for the brand.

There a user claims to have known one of the brand's initial founders, and explains why there are so many similarities in early branding to the Greek God.

He credits this to one of the founders being a fan of online MOBA game DOTA II, particularly of the character Zeus, who looks similar common portrayals of the god Zeus, with white hair and lightning bolts.

Perhaps the most modern explanation available.

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Top image via ZUS Coffee/Facebook