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Chek Hup’s Story

From Rock Sugar To Coffee, The Story Of Chek Hup’s Expansion To Asia Pacific

Nestled in Ipoh, a town famous for white coffee, Chek Hup opened its doors 55 years ago and never look back since.

In its early days, Chek Hup was producing rock sugar and selling it across Malaysia and Singapore, before venturing into the instant beverages market with its first 3-in-1 White Coffee product in 2000. Using rock sugar as its ingredient, Chek Hup aims to create not just tasty, but a healthier coffee. This shows the importance they put on to their customers, rather than bring profit-minded only. A true exemplary of a responsible homegrown brand.

HSBC’s digital banking platform for international banking needs

Like many successful homegrown brands, the need for growth is a key driver and relying on just the domestic market is not sufficient. In 2003, Chek Hup decided to revamp its business model and began its expansion to Asia Pacific. Sourcing its coffee beans from neighbouring countries, Chek Hup maintained its production and assembly operations in Malaysia, so it can scale up its export business.

To support its coffee trade across Southeast Asia, Chek Hup relies on HSBC’s digital banking platform so all international trade flows are performed efficiently, and payments are made conveniently across 15 markets in Asia Pacific. With such a robust export business, it is of great importance for Chek Hup to be able to minimise its foreign currency risks and have complete visibility of its foreign currency exposure. This is made possible with the use of HSBC Evolve, an award winning foreign currency digital platform, that provides Chek Hup with access to over 460 currency pairs for their hedging requirements.

The growth potential in international markets is immense, and Chek Hup has certainly took a right step in its expansion journey. Looking to the future, Chek Hup has set its sights for further growth within China as the nation embraces the coffee-drinking culture. With a wide network and knowledge in the China market, HSBC has helped Chek Hup in its growth journey in China and beyond As a leading international bank with presence in 64 countries and territories, HSBC has always been supporting its clients at every stage of their journey with its vast amount of knowledge and unparalleled banking solutions.

It is very useful to have HSBC, when we wanted to understand the market. They are our first partner who we go to, to find out more about the actual information for us to make good decisions

Joseph Tan | Managing Director,Chek Hup

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