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The coffee entrepreneur behind Papa Palheta on his daily grind, and making a difference

Coffee entrepreneur Leon Foo on his daily grind, and making a difference

Don’t call leon foo a coffee snob. The founder and CEO of coffee purveyor Papa Palheta, which first started as a roastery in 2009, is in fact “very forgiving” of brews that disagree with his discerning and well-trained palate. The exception: when it comes from Papa Palheta. “I know how hard it is to get every cup right”, says the 36-year-old Generation T 2018 honouree. “Whether someone’s brew is good or not is also subjective, so I don’t fuss if it’s bad. However, if it’s our own, it had better be good!” On the average, Leon drinks four cups of coffee a day, which include filtered types and espressos. Coffee cupping and reviewing his company’s recently launched range of capsules are also often part of his daily grind. He also makes it a point to keep in close contact with the overseas producers his company works with, visiting their farms about once every two years or inviting them to Singapore to host masterclasses. These days, Leon is also advancing his company’s offerings with a mobile-first approach for its e-retail business, and a new sensory-focused retail store that will open at the revamped Funan mall in 2019.