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Jimmy Chow

A young entrepreneur who turned her journey to health into a business opportunity has this advice for aspiring youngsters looking to succeed in life: if you have an idea, start early.
Nikita Kuwadekar founded Busy Brew, Hong Kong’s first plant-based canned coffee brand, when she was just 19, creating what she said was an accessible and healthy choice for the world’s favourite drink.
Her determination and optimism have earned her a place as a finalist in this year’s Spirit of Hong Kong Awards in both the Youth and Entrepreneurship categories.
The Spirit of Hong Kong Awards is co-organised by the South China Morning Post and Sino Group to recognise the city’s unsung heroes who contribute to the community or inspire others with stories of courage and perseverance.
At the age of 15, Nikita underwent open-heart surgery to fix a congenital defect.
Determined to recover quickly and return to school, Nikita embarked on a health journey that included cutting out dairy and sugar from her diet.
She went on to study global business at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, where she realised “almost 90 per cent of Asians are lactose intolerant, yet everything on the shelves was either black coffee, dairy-based or full of sugar.”
“I’ve always loved coffee, especially as a busy student, and I wanted a product that was convenient and healthy, yet delicious,” said Kuwadekar, who is now 22.
She channelled that dream into over 18 months of research, taste-testing and learning to navigate Hong Kong’s competitive start-up market while balancing university life.
This led to the launch of Busy Brew, Hong Kong’s first plant-based canned coffee brand.
“The surgery changed how I saw things. Life is fragile, so we should all do something we love,” she said.

By the time she launched Busy Brew in 2023, she had secured large-scale funding from the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park’s incubation programme and worked with leading Asian brand Oatside to source the premium oat milk used in Busy Brew’s products.
Kuwadekar saved every dollar from her part-time jobs since the age of 13 and her scholarships from university to initially support the business.
“I’ve always wanted to run my own business. I just didn’t think it would happen this soon,” she said.
She now manages a small team and production in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Busy Brew’s oat-milk lattes are available on their website, at pop-ups, co-working spaces and offices across the city.
“We want to build a brand that represents the ambition, creativity and resilience of this city,” she said.
Rather than rushing into supermarkets, Busy Brew is focused on building community demand.
“There’s pressure, of course,” she said. “But I’d rather feel pressure doing something I love than be comfortable doing something I don’t.”
Now, as one of the few young female entrepreneurs in Hong Kong’s beverage industry, Kuwadekar hopes Busy Brew will inspire other youngsters to dream big.
“If you have an idea, start early,” she said. “When you’re young, you have less to lose and more time to learn.”
She smiled as she reflected on the long nights, the heavy boxes and endless emails. “It’s not easy, but every can [of coffee] we sell feels like proof that it was worth taking the leap.”


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News

Hong Kong

Society

Nikita Kuwadekar founded Busy Brew, Hong Kong’s first plant-based canned coffee brand, when she was just 19


Nikita Kuwadekar founded Busy Brew, Hong Kong’s first plant-based canned coffee brand, when she was just 19.


Spirit of Hong Kong

China

Spirit of Hong Kong Awards: health-conscious dreamer tastes success with coffee

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Nikita Kuwadekar founded Busy Brew, Hong Kong’s first plant-based canned coffee brand, when she was just 19

Nikita Kuwadekar founded Busy Brew, Hong Kong’s first plant-based canned coffee brand, when she was just 19