Every so often, a budding entrepreneur senses the gentle shifting of tectonic plates, those early tremors of a burgeoning cultural trend that can reap a windfall if they move early and fast. In 2014, that seismologist of the times was Kevin Chee, a then 27-year-old corporate rat who spotted an adjacent opportunity in the booming speciality coffee market. As we sat down to a fancy brew at his flagship Matchaya cafe in Tiong Bahru on a quiet weekday morning, Chee recalled looking into the mixed beverage market and zeroing in on matcha.
“At that time, people mainly bought matcha from Starbucks,” he said in his low, rapid-fire tone. “People thought of it more as a flavour. Like, matcha ice cream is Haagen-Dazs, and matcha chocolates are from Royce.”
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