Morning People
One to Know Leon Foo explains what inspired him and his team to create the award-winning coffee maker, Morning Machine
Coffee lovers all over the world prize that extra pep a good brew gives, and consider it an essential way to start their day. To make this drink even better, two coffee entrepreneurs have teamed up to create the Morning Machine, a device that melds the convenience of coffee capsules with precision controls and customisable features; the machine’s winning formula earned it the Red Dot Design Award in 2021.
This product is the brainchild of Andre Chanco of Yardstick Coffee in the Philippines and
Leon Foo, founder of local company PPP Coffee, and designed in collaboration with Stuck. It comes with 10 default recipes, but also works in tandem with an app so users can access other recipes developed by partner roasters. The device can also be used with tea capsules and single-serve drip bags, making it a trusty companion for caffeine fiends everywhere.
“We aspire to make delicious coffees more accessible by allowing roasters around the world to share their coffees with a wider audience via capsules,” says Foo. “Coffees offer the same breadth of variety and f lavours as wines; we built the Morning Machine to help people discover that.”
How have your experiences as an entrepreneur enabled you to create this machine? Having been in the industry for over 10 years, my experiences helped me to understand coffee through the different roles in the supply chain—that of a farmer, roaster, cafe owner, and barista. The machine is made for different coffee drinkers, whether it’s the busy professional who needs a quick fix, or those who prefer to create their own brews. This can be done with the features that allow the users control over how they enjoy their coffees through temperature controls, a built-in scale, and pressure profiling. It is also a machine with built-in Wi-fi, enabling software updates for users to enjoy the latest features.
How do you drink your coffee?
My coffee cravings vary depending on my mood and the occasion. For example, in the morning I might crave a shorter, medium-roast coffee. Later in the day or after a bike ride, I might want something more refreshing like an iced, light-roast coffee.
What are your upcoming plans for the brand?
We’re taking what we have learned in Singapore and making it happen in other markets such as the UK and Australia. We see parallels across these three countries, in terms of consumer behaviour and the progressiveness of the local coffee industry.