Meet Leon Foo, the Co-Founder of MORNING

Co-Founder: Leon Foo

Brand: MORNING, #B1-30A

 

How did the idea for the brand first come about?

 

We asked ourselves what the most important cup of coffee in the day was. To us, it was always the morning coffee.

 

It wasn't just because it was the first coffee of the day. To me, mornings are a ritual. It's a chance to slow down before everything gets busy, reconnect with yourself and set the pace for the day ahead.

 

That was really where the name came from. MORNING is our love letter to mornings. We wanted to build something that celebrated that daily ritual, not just another coffee company.

Before creating MORNING, who were you?

 

I’ve always believed that great coffee should be experienced, not kept exclusive.

 

That belief first took shape when I founded PPP Coffee, with the intention of introducing more people to specialty coffee. I spent years sourcing coffees, working closely with producers and roasters, and helping people discover just how diverse and expressive coffee could be.

 

But as I continued that journey, I began to see a gap. Serving great coffee in a café was only part of the experience—many people still struggled to recreate that same quality and consistency at home.

 

That realisation naturally led to MORNING. It wasn’t a change in direction, but a continuation of the same mission: to make exceptional coffee more accessible and help people enjoy better coffee every day.

What's one habit that has made the biggest difference in your entrepreneurial journey?

 

I don't think there's just one habit. It's really a combination of a lot of small things.

 

If I had to choose two, the first is simply to keep showing up. Show up for your team, your customers, your partners and your mission, even on the days when things don't go your way.

 

The second is keeping a daily to-do list. I don't aim for perfection. If I can get 80% of it done consistently, that's progress. Entrepreneurship is really about doing the right things over and over again.

 

Co-founding comes with its own set of challenges. What are some challenges you faced and how did you navigate them together?

 

The toughest moments are usually when you don't see a big decision the same way.

 

We've learnt that disagreement isn't necessarily a bad thing. It usually means both people care deeply about the business.

 

For us, it comes down to three things: communicate openly, stay aligned on the bigger mission, and trust each other's intentions. When you have those three, you can usually work through even the difficult decisions.

If someone could only buy one thing from your brand, what would you recommend and why?

 

It would definitely be the MORNING Machine.

 

To me, it represents what MORNING is about. It makes specialty coffee more accessible, while still respecting the work that goes into every coffee. We want people to enjoy coffees from some of the best roasters in the world without needing to become experts themselves.

How has being part of Takashimaya shaped the way MORNING has grown, and what do you appreciate most about the community here?

 

Takashimaya has allowed us to be much more accessible.

 

Before this, many people only knew us online or had to make a special trip to visit us. Being on Orchard Road means more people can discover MORNING naturally as part of their day.

 

It's also special to be alongside so many established international brands. For a homegrown Singapore brand like ours, that's something we're proud of.

What can shoppers look forward to seeing at MORNING?

 

We're working on a few things that we're really excited about over the next couple of quarters.

 

I won't spoil the surprise just yet, but there are some new products and experiences that we've been working on for quite some time. Hopefully they'll make the daily coffee ritual even more enjoyable. Keep an eye out.