The joy of brewing

Tan’s journey into the industry made her aware of the ever-present learning curve. Unlike learning a new game or hobby, which tends to be “repetitive and boring”, coffee is different—what she knows today can be proven wrong tomorrow, requiring baristas to learn and adapt constantly. This constant room for learning has motivated Tan to stay in the industry for the past nine years.

Her passion for speciality coffee and love for sharing it with others led her to open Homeground Coffee Roasters. Starting as an online store in 2017 and opening a brick-and-mortar store the following year, the speciality coffee shop is committed to educating and inspiring individuals to “develop a deeper appreciation for speciality coffee and to cultivate the joy of brewing their coffee at home”.

On top of serving comforting cups, Homeground also hopes to educate individuals about the value of speciality coffee and the reasons behind its high price. “We firmly believe that to truly sustain the industry, we need more people to drink coffee,” she says.

Today, you’ll find the joint at Teo Hong Road offering aromatic blends alongside comforting dishes. Next to the cafe-roaster is its lifestyle concept Playground, featuring a selection of blends and equipment for you to make your perfect cup at home—one of the brand’s ways of inspiring individuals to embark on their coffee journey at home. Look out for fragrant blends like Lollipop—one of Tan’s favourites, the seasonal blend has sweet notes when served black or with milk.

Brewing the perfect cup

Getting to the World Brewers Cup Competition isn’t an easy feat. The prestigious competition puts the spotlight on the craft of filter coffee brewing by hand and sees competitors prepare and serve beverages for a panel of judges. To qualify for the World Brewers Cup, baristas must first compete in their national brewers competition. For Tan, it took her two tries at the annual Singapore National Brewer’s Cup before qualifying for the World Brewers Cup on her third attempt.

Reminiscing, Tan shares how she joined the Singapore National Brewer’s Cup for the first time to gain experience. There, she was inspired by the other competitors and was confident she could do well next year. However during her second competition, a “careless mistake” resulted in her being disqualified from the competition. “I served too little coffee, less than what the rules required,” she explains.

Recognising her shortcomings and determined to fix her mistake in her previous competition, she entered her third competition with extra caution and “nailed it”, coming in first place. “Of course, I cried hard,” she says.

Coming in first place at the Singapore National Brewer’s Cup in 2019 meant she got to compete in the World Brewers Cup Competition in Boston. There, Tan competed against the best from various countries around the globe. An eye-opening experience, Tan shared how her experience competing and meeting other baristas had made her realise her shortcomings. While she didn’t win the world competition that year, she was determined to use the experience she gained to compete in the next championship.

Tan started preparing for her next National competition six months in advance. However, the pandemic hit and the competition was put on hold until 2022. Looking on the bright side, Tan used this time to learn to create a “better cup experience”.

The 2022 Singapore National Brewers Cup saw Tan receive first place, giving her another opportunity to represent Singapore in the World Brewers Cup hosted in Melbourne. Applying the lessons and experiences she had learnt in her previous competitions, she came in as the second runner-up.

Constantly growing

Tan’s determined mindset has been built since young. While she has been inspired by many, her mum is the one person who has consistently encouraged her through tough times, instilling in her the “strength of a resilient woman”. She adds like many other mums, her’s is “undeniably tough”, possessing the courage to overcome any challenge she faces.

Whenever she faces obstacles, Tan would find herself asking: “How could I ever give up on anything when she never gives up in the face of challenge?”

Tan’s six years at Homeground don’t come without obstacles and shortcomings. While she had made “painful mistakes”, she has also gained valuable learning experiences from them. “If we can identify our weaknesses, there is always an opportunity to train and improve,” she says. Tan constantly makes the best out of any circumstance, whether good or bad, adding that setbacks can be turned into valuable learning opportunities and success can be achieved by learning from failures.

A work in progress

Since Homeground opened in 2017, the speciality coffee brand has been making waves in the industry. The brand is constantly on a mission to get individuals interested in speciality coffee. “It brings me immense satisfaction to witness individuals embarking on their coffee journey, discovering their preferences and experiencing the joy of a perfectly brewed cup,” she muses.

However, Tan has yet to consider Homeground her greatest accomplishment. “There is still much work to be done,” she says. As the industry evolves, there’s always room for improvement and innovation. They are constantly pushing boundaries while finding creative ways to engage coffee enthusiasts and novices alike.

While it’s not her greatest accomplishment yet, Tan takes pride in Homeground’s ongoing mission. “Each day presents new growth opportunities, learning and inspiring others to embrace the beauty of speciality coffee. And that, to me, is a rewarding and fulfilling accomplishment in itself,” she says.

With her unwavering mindset and Homeground’s mission to cultivate a coffee brewing culture, we’re sure big things are in store for Tan and her brand. As Tan says it best: “We are making progress steadily but surely.”

NOW READ

Designing Coffee: Inside the world’s most unique and beautiful cafés

The world’s most expensive cities in 2023: How much does a cup of coffee cost in Hong Kong, Singapore, New York and more?

How I’m Making It: Why this German entrepreneur wants to elevate the way we drink ‘kopi’