Huggs Coffee expands from CBD cafes to hospitals, office pantries

Cafe chain's business-to-business division focuses on healthcare and corporate workers

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Having established itself in the Central Business District, home-grown speciality cafe chain Huggs Coffee is seeking to delve deeper into workplaces—not just offices, but hospitals too.

This is under its business-to-business (B2B) division Huggs Professionale, which focuses on corporate and healthcare workers.

Huggs started in 2008 with cafes in the CBD, offering both traditional Nanyang-style kopi and artisanal Western-style coffee.

After establishing itself among office workers, the company ventured into another industry where caffeine is key: hospitals.

"For us, it is a natural extension—looking outside the CBD and into hospital spaces," said Ms Clarissa Choo, brand director of Huggs Coffee and a second-generation leader of the business, which was founded by her father Ron Choo.

Huggs made its first foray into healthcare with a cafe in Tan Tock Seng Hospital in 2017, followed by one at National University Hospital in 2022, and another at the National Cancer Centre Singapore in October 2023.

It was also in 2023 that the company launched Huggs Professionale, offering coffee beans, coffee machines and vending machines—with a selected range of freshly brewed coffees—to businesses.

"This really allows us to diversify our footprint—not just within the retail space, but also in corporate pantries," said Ms Choo.

In 2024, Huggs opened cafes in Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and Mount Elizabeth Hospital, with the latter also featuring the first Huggs Professionale vending machine.