Raising S$250,000 (US$180,000) in two funding rounds, Hook Coffee subscription delivery service plans to expand in three markets overseas and double its team size over the next two years.
In the 18 months since its founding, when it clinched a Spring Ace Startups grant of $50,000, the company has gained more than 10,000 subscribers and sold more than 500,000 cups of coffee, growing by 20 per cent month on month.
It sources coffee beans that are sustainably grown and ethically produced, roasting them in Singapore and delivering them to customers’ mailboxes.
Co-founders Faye Sit and Ernest Ting finished Masters degrees at the London School of Economics before earning coffee and roasting barista diplomas at the London School of Coffee
When Sit flew to Latin America for fieldwork, she realised the impact a socially responsible startup could introduce to farming communities.
“Specialty coffee should be about more than just better coffee, but also about bettering the lives of farmers and the environment,” she says.