Good Morning

With nearly 15 years in the coffee industry, Morning's co-founder Leon Foo knows more than a thing or two about crafting the perfect cup of Joe. And, it all started with a simple dream, a spark of curiosity, and, of course, a great cup of coffee

- Amanda Goh

From being the first thing we reach for in the morning to the pick-me-up we crave during a mid-day slump, coffee is something many can’t live without. Like us, Morning’s co-founder Leon Foo appreciates a good cup of Joe—so much so that he created a career out of it.

While the coffee veteran has been in the industry for almost 15 years, he didn’t grow up strongly attached to coffee. Foo began his career as an audit associate and private equity analyst at KPMG Singapore, after graduating in 2006 from Nanyang Technological University Singapore with a Bachelor’s in Accountancy.

His interest in coffee was sparked in 2009 by a curiosity to understand why so many people were obsessed with it. He adds: “I fell in love with the industry because it connected people from different backgrounds. Coffee isn’t just a commodity or beverage, it’s something that brings communities together, socially and emotionally as well.”

This invigorated passion for a simple cup of coffee led him to establish PPP Coffee (formerly known as Papa Palheta), which has since grown into a string of cafes. In addition to his dedication to crafting exceptional coffee, he built relationships with coffee farms over the years, which eventually led to the conceptualisation of Morning.

SMART BREWING

After the Nespresso capsule patent expired in the 2010s, he identified a market gap. “While there were amazing roasters creating excellent coffee pods, the brewing machines available were not doing justice to those coffees,” he says. It was also difficult to purchase a variety of coffees from a single place.