We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Natalie Ma a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Natalie, thanks for joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

This dates back to the time when I began my career in asset management. Our demanding schedules required us to be at the office before sunrise and we often had no lunch breaks due to intense trading hours. Because of that, coffee became an essential lifeline to power through the day. However, there was no quick and easy way to brew a delicious cup, leaving my coworkers and I with either subpar office coffee or costly visits to cafes.
During my travels in Asia in 2021, I stumbled upon single-serve coffee pouches and was instantly intrigued by their clever design. This sparked the idea of launching my first coffee business.
After dedicated research and development, we introduced the initial iteration of Pour Over Pouches at our San Francisco Coffee Festival in 2022, which gained quick popularity. This coincided with the rise of hybrid work and coffee drinkers’ growing desire to upgrade their home brewing ritual. There was also an increasing call for transparency and ethical sourcing, strengthening my conviction in the need for a coffee option that is both premium and accessible.
As the amount of positive feedback grew, my determination grew to take our venture to new heights. In 2023, we established Hooked Coffee — a brand committed to making incredibly delicious coffee accessible to coffee lovers.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Partnering with top specialty roasters across the country, Hooked Coffee simplifies the brewing process to make premium delicious coffee accessible to coffee lovers. Each single-serve coffee pouch makes it easy for you to brew a fresh cup of coffee with only a kettle. From grinding beans to dialing in your machine, Hooked cuts out all complexities and simplifies the entire process down to just 2 simple steps: hook the filter over a mug and let hot water drip through the filter 3 times into a mouthwatering cup.

A cup of coffee is an integral part of many people’s lives and we are honored to be part of your daily journey. As a trusted friend, Hooked fuels you through the day with the finest brews. At the heart of it all, we stand at the intersection between local roasters and coffee lovers, eagerly sharing the goodness that comes from genuine passion. Together, we create a heartwarming cup of joe that brings joy to your moments.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

If I asked my younger self if I could have ever imagined myself owning a coffee business, the answer is “definitely not”. My journey of self-discovery and hunger for growth is a familiar tale among ambitious individuals. Growing up in an Asian household, the path to “success” seemed clear-cut – a good school, a prestigious job, and financial security. However, my carefree spirit made it evident that this path wasn’t for me.

I spent the next few years absorbing as much knowledge as I could from my corporate jobs, delving into books and exploring new hobbies, all while hoping to one day feel “ready” for the next big step. But I soon realized that fear is my greatest obstacle. I realized that waiting to be “ready” was futile and taking action was the absolute key.

This coincided with the time when I was traveling in Asia and discovered the single-serve coffee pouches. With that mindset, I embarked on my first venture “Hangover Coffee”, alongside my roommate, as a passion project and embraced obstacles as an opportunity to learn and grow.

With no prior experience in consumer products, let alone food and beverage, the journey was undoubtedly challenging. We faced the daunting tasks of product development, manufacturing, branding, marketing, and selling, learning every single facet of the business from scratch. But through it all, there was one constant: I loved every second of the experience, both the highs and the lows.

Working our full time jobs in the day and grinding away at night, we established an online store, secured wholesale accounts and hosted pop-ups whenever possible. Gathering valuable feedback at events like the San Francisco Coffee Festival, TEDxBerkeley, and corporate campuses such as Google and Adobe, we began to gain confidence in our product.

One year into launch, I realized that I wanted to take our venture to a new level and create something greater than ourselves. I knew that achieving this vision would require my unwavering dedication and full commitment.

In June 2022, after winning a small business grant, I made the bold decision to leave my corporate job and focus on the rebranding effort, channeling the profits from our passion project into the new idea. Finally in March 2023, we took a significant step forward by launching on Kickstarter. Our campaign was met with overwhelming support, reaching 100% of our funding goal in 6 days and raising $23,000 to finance our first production run. To top it all off, Kickstarter acknowledged our campaign’s traction by awarding us the “Projects We Love” recognition.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Throughout my journey, I’ve come to realize that my perfectionistic tendencies have both strengths and weaknesses. On one hand, they drive me to deliver high-quality work, which is crucial for long-term success. However, waiting for perfection before taking action can also lead to missed opportunities and slow progress. In the startup world where time is of the essence, it’s crucial to strike a balance between delivering a perfect experience and knowing when to take strategic risks and move forward.

Ultimately, success doesn’t always come from being flawless, but from learning, adapting, and continuously striving to make Hooked Coffee the best it can be for our valued customers.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.brewhooked.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brewhooked/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brewhooked
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hooked-coffee/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@brewhooked

Image Credits
Kelli Santos, Michael Liu