Jennifer Liu

Once upon a time, Hong Kong was a city devoid of choice in the realm of speciality coffees. For Jennifer Liu, for whom coffee became an “important life necessity” in her years pulling all-nighters in architecture school, a Hong Kong homecoming post-graduation – “there were no boutique, niche coffeehouses in Hong Kong then,” she remembers – sparked an enduring entrepreneurial spirit. And the caffeinated seeds for what would become The Coffee Academïcs, which would start off as a side hobby for Liu, were thus sown. The rest? A roaring, pan-Asian success (The Coffee Academïcs now has 40-plus outlets in Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia). Beyond coffee-forward ambitions, Liu has always seen business and charity through an inextricable lens. Her philanthropic efforts have culminated in the launch of TCA CONNECT Foundation, the brand’s philanthropic arm, and her own JWF Charitable Foundation, which seeks to serve Hong Kong’s underprivileged children in arts and creativity. Most recently, The Academïcs Group saved Hong Kong’s notable Hoover Cake Shop from closure and will be relaunching the beloved bakery in 2023.