“I didn’t go into finance initially. I am a huge car lover and so I got into the business of importing cars. In fact, I was the one who brought Hummers into Singapore, did you know?” Tan said with a smile.

“I got into property after leaving the car industry and I ended up doing really well. I managed my clients well and I ended up making a lot of contacts in China. One day, one of them asked if I would help manage their wealth in Singapore," Tan said.

“These were affluent people and they trusted me as a friend. So I got into that. I worked with many of these clients and helped them distribute their wealth and invest,” he continued. 

It was during this time in 2016 that Tan saw a gap in the food and beverage industry and decided that he wanted to fill it. 

“At the office building I worked at, there was a Starbucks and I was getting coffee from them every day but I noticed that it was just not suited for the modern coffee drinker who needed to be able to quickly grab a cup of coffee at any time of the day and get back to work. That was when I thought that maybe I should try to start something myself,” he said before adding that he had always wanted to run his own business but he had never had the opportunity. 

“I didn’t really know much about coffee in the beginning so I actually travelled to different countries to learn about it. I learnt about the beans, how to source coffee beans and I learnt about the industry that way,” Tan said.

It was during his travels that Tan realised that one major issue in the Food & Beverage industry was the fact that it was consistently difficult to manage manpower and that cafes were chronically understaffed. This is what led Tan into deciding that he would have to find a way to solve that. 

Tan began his foray into the world of coffee by opening Crown Coffee, a cafe at CT Hub 2 that offered Buscaglione Coffee coupled with panini sandwiches. With his team of technologists and baristas, he was able to ensure that the cafe was fully automated and that led the way to its evolution into a smart cafe in 2017. 

Tan’s smart cafe ideas were innovative and fresh and soon, the world started to catch wind of what he was doing and Crown Coffee was invited to various corporate events to serve and wow guests. 

“It was at one of these corporate events that we first saw this robot arm that would pick up croissants and serve guests. It was my first real encounter with robotics and I immediately wondered if I could incorporate this into my business and if I could push the technology further,” Tan said. 

With that, Crown Digital, an arm of Tan’s brand that dealt with technology, was born. 

Crown Digital began with the goal of delivering a contactless coffee experience to coffee drinkers everywhere. 

As Tan began to experiment with technology, he decided that he wanted to create a machine that could replicate what a human could do and to integrate that into his coffee offerings. However, he had no background in robotics. 

“I actually picked up robotics on my own. I learned how to programme and how to build and eventually, I was able to create Ella, a robot barista that could make and serve customers coffee,” Tan explained before adding that it took years of experimentation and that he has many variations of Ella in his office.

Ella, which has an autonomous arm and that was produced by robotics company Techman Robot, sits in a small but transparent kiosk and dutifully does its duty day and night serving customers.

The machine can serve up to 200 cups of coffee per hour and only needs to be refilled after 360 servings.

“Ella started to capture the interest of more people as this was a relatively new idea at that time and soon we were being featured in the news and this is what attracted more international attention,” explained Tan. 

Tan and Ella were soon being invited to showcase their technology and capabilities around the world. 

“We started field testing Ella around the world and we were able to bring the technology to over 40 events in many different countries such as Japan which was where we signed our first landmark deal,” said Tan before adding that Ella even served delegates at the Asean Summit in 2018. 

“We tested it out with the Japanese audience and the general feedback from the public was that they loved the coffee and they loved the concept. This was how we were able to sign a deal with East Japan Railway Company to bring Ella into many of its subway stations,” Tan continued.

Fresh off the high of signing a contract with such a prominent Japanese company and after his many rounds of successful field testing around the world, Tan decided to test out his smart coffee technology in Singapore and opened a pop-up in Plaza Singapura. 

“We were there for about a year and the public really enjoyed it from the feedback that we got,” Tan said before adding that he also field-tested Ella at 30 different events around the island in addition to the pop-up at Plaza Singapura.

“After signing the contract in Japan, I started to rethink the idea of MRT stations. These stations were all about lifestyle and convenience. They are not simply modes of transportation and I wanted to come in and be able to enhance the commuter’s experience locally,” Tan said. 

This was when the idea for a hybrid sandwich and coffee cafe came about. 

Following an investment by Stellar Lifestyle by SMRT, Tan was able to launch the first Ella kiosk that also served up juices, pastries and sandwiches at Raffles Place MRT station. 

Named Bytes Station, Tan aims at revolutionising the commuter experience by allowing people to pick up coffee and pastries on the go and at any time of the day. 

“You’ll see people manning the sandwich counter at Bytes Station for now but we are working on making that contactless and eliminating the need for humans in time to come,” Tan said before showing us to a locker set up that allows customers to scan a QR code to collect their sandwiches and juices. 

However, Tan is not content to simply stop there. In fact, the spunky entrepreneur is already looking ahead to opening more Ella operations in 29 other MRT stations in Singapore and also is looking into expanding Ella to other railway stations around the world. 

With his business, his international investors, his family and more, Tan certainly has his hands full so this week, on 9 to 5, we spoke to him to find out how he copes. 

What is a typical morning like for you?

Keith Tan (KT): I wake up at 6 am every morning and then I go to the gym. I have a personal trainer so I’ll do a session with him and then I will shower and get to work. 

What do you usually have for breakfast?

KT: I usually have two slices of sourdough bread and a coffee.

What does a standard workday look like for you?

KT: It’s usually meeting after meeting honestly. Usually, I will be meeting up with investors and my team till about 7 or 8 pm and then I will have dinner, go through my emails, follow up on any outstanding things and then watch the news so I’m up to date on what’s going on around the world.

What time do you usually have lunch? What do you usually have for lunch?

KT: My lunches are always lonely. I typically have no time to plan a proper lunch unless it’s a business lunch. So usually I will just grab something easy and then get back to work. 

How would you describe your working style?

KT: I have a very inspired working style I would say. I move fast and make decisions quickly. I also believe in staying grounded and that we have to have a win every single day no matter how big or small. 

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Free time: overrated or underrated? Why?

KT: I think it’s important to find time for yourself to take a break because that will keep you sane and will help you to last and not burn out as quickly. It’s about self-discipline when it comes to finding time to unwind.

How do you achieve a work-life balance? How do you set boundaries?

KT: It’s about managing your time. For example, if you know you want to work out but that you will not have time to after work, work out in the morning. Or find a time that works. Know your schedule and work in the things that matter.

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How do you chase your dreams?

KT: If I want something, I go all out and give it my 100 per cent to achieve it. I’m simply relentless in my pursuit. 

Risks: should you take them? Why or why not?

KT: If it’s a calculated risk, yes. Life is short so make sure your decisions and risks count. 

What is the best piece of advice that you have ever gotten?

KT: The best piece of advice I ever got is to be open to your shortcomings and remember that no one is perfect and that you should be humble enough to accept criticism. In fact, you should thank the person giving you criticism because they clearly want you to do well and see that you have the potential to be better. 

How do you stay grounded?

KT: You need to remember where you came from and appreciate all the help and everything that has transpired and I think that’s how I myself stay grounded.  

How do you stay motivated?

KT: I am always motivated actually. I pursue excellence at all times and that keeps me motivated. 

Do you have moments of doubt and how do you overcome them?

KT: I shake them off. It’s common to think that okay, this is it. But you don’t give up and you see that you live another day and you solve your challenges and that’s how you overcome your doubts day by day. 

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How do you unplug?

KT:  I unplug by tuning it to music. I love music. 

What is the last thing you do before you go to bed?

KT: I catch up with Formula One news, go through my emails once again to make sure I haven’t missed any emails from Europe and then I take off my contacts and go to bed. 

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