A Conversation with PC Koh, Co-Founder & CEO of Beca Tea

We sat down with PC Koh of Beca Tea to hear how his passion for tea and a legacy spanning four generations are shaping a brand that’s rewriting the rules.

Tea might be steeped in centuries of tradition, but for Beca Tea’s co-founder and CEO PC Koh, there’s still plenty of room to shake things up. As a fourth-generation member of one of Malaysia’s oldest tea families, Koh is reimagining how tea can be savoured today: bold, clean, and completely free of the usual additives that line most grab-and-go drink shelves.

After spending over a decade in his family’s tea business, followed by a stint overseas in corporate roles, Koh returned home after his father’s passing. Stepping back into the industry with fresh eyes, he began exploring new ways of connecting tea with a modern audience. That spark led to Beca Tea: a brand as rooted in expertise as it is in innovation. With storefronts in Damansara Uptown and Bangsar South, Beca Tea’s offerings today include cold brews, oat milk macchiatos, and botanical infusions—all brewed with real ingredients and unfiltered flavour, front and centre.

So, what does it take to reinvent something as timeless as tea? We caught up with Koh to learn how he honours tradition while turning a 94-year-old legacy into a brew made for the modern palate.

YOU’VE BEEN SURROUNDED BY TEA FROM AN EARLY AGE. CAN YOU SHARE YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY OR EXPERIENCE WITH TEA?

Growing up, the production of tea was carried out in a very large compound that also housed our family home. Waking up to the aromas of freshly-fired teas wafting through our home is permanently etched into my memories.

ARE THERE ANY SCENTS, SOUNDS, OR SMALL RITUALS FROM YOUR CHILDHOOD THAT STILL INFLUENCE HOW YOU MAKE TEA TODAY?

Watching my father make tea samples for tasting the gongfu way daily left an indelible mark on my young brain. Over time, this ritual gave me a clear understanding of how to respect the different types of teas. We were not big on ceremonial methods, more focused on the science and method of brewing to extract a well-balanced brew. I continue this practice until today.

WAS THERE A MOMENT WHEN YOU REALISED TEA WAS MORE THAN JUST A FAMILY TRADITION OR BUSINESS, BUT HELD SOMETHING DEEPLY PERSONAL TO YOU?

During my teenage years and young working life, I had opportunities to travel around the world. I would always check out the local tea scenes and culture. In all that I have experienced, tea has always been central to the gathering of communities. 

In life, community is so important.  And tea transcends all races, religions and cultures. It is inviting to all, it unites us. This has impacted me deeply. How to ensure that tea, in its most sensibly fun form, remains relevant to the younger generation has been Beca Tea’s and my preoccupation.

WHAT WAS THE TURNING POINT THAT INSPIRED YOU TO START BECA TEA, AND IN WHAT WAYS DID YOUR FAMILY’S LEGACY SHAPE THAT DECISION?

For many years, my peers would always ask me: what is the best tea? A simple question that does not have a simple answer. Through time, I realised that there is a chasm of knowledge and understanding of tea between the younger generation and the older generation. It is a lifelong challenge for me to try and bridge that gap. 

For many years, my family has been in the business-to-business (B2B) scene, supplying to businesses and content to remain faceless. To bridge the gap, we needed to approach our target audience directly and in a more personal and experiential way. Hence, Beca Tea was established.

HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHICH TEAS OR FLAVOUR PAIRINGS MAKE THE CUT AT BECA TEA, ESPECIALLY WHEN SO MANY BRANDS CHASE VIRAL TRENDS?

We continue to focus on the quality and integrity of the ingredients used, rather than following trends. It is so much more interesting, don’t you think?

We especially love teas that are “not famous”, nor “collectors’ items” such as the overpriced pu’er teas. We love teas that are a little obscure, with personality—teas which are worth discovering because of certain intrinsic attributes.

AT FIRST GLANCE, SOME MIGHT SEE BECA TEA AS JUST A SIMPLE TEA SHOP. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE IT IN YOUR OWN WORDS?

Beca Tea has strategic plans to grow in the fledgling tea market in Malaysia and beyond. If people who need a respite from the exigencies of life see us as “just a simple tea shop”, that is good and well with us!

THERE’S BEEN A REAL BOOM IN TEA SHOPS AND BRANDS RECENTLY. HOW DO YOU SEE BECA TEA’S PLACE IN THAT GROWING LANDSCAPE?

Some brands, especially those from abroad, have deeper pockets to influence how consumers interact with tea. Although they tend to use highly sugared flavoured syrups to attract customers, we think the growing trend for “tea” is very welcome. We just need to ride the crest of the waves, do what we believe in, and, in time to come, hopefully create new waves ourselves.

DO YOU THINK YOUNGER MALAYSIANS ARE BECOMING MORE INTERESTED IN TEA? IF SO, HOW IS THAT SHAPING BECA TEA’S APPROACH?

We do not have hard data, but the influx of foreign tea brands has definitely sparked an interest in tea. Our sense, though, is that younger people are still more drawn to what we think are one-dimensional, sugared flavoured syrups that are mixed into the tea rather than the tea itself. In this regard, Beca Tea hopes to invite consumers to explore layers and complexities in flavour by providing options that use pure, real botanicals paired with great quality tea.

DO YOU EVER FEEL THE PRESSURE TO HONOUR CHINESE TEA TRADITIONS “AUTHENTICALLY” WHILE ALSO MODERNISING AND LOCALISING THEM FOR TODAY’S DRINKERS?

I don’t see myself as a tea master. There are many connoisseurs around who are more tutored than I am, and I’m guessing probably many traditionalists who are frowning upon what we do.

If there is any pressure I feel, it is probably this “invisible pressure” from traditionalists whom I don’t even know. But there is a distinction between “authentic” and “traditional”. Beca Tea is probably less traditional than many purist tea purveyors out there, but I do not think we are any less authentic.

IF SOMEONE WALKS INTO BECA TEA KNOWING NOTHING ABOUT TEA, WHAT WOULD YOU HOPE THEY TAKE AWAY BEYOND THE DRINK ITSELF?

We hope to spark in someone a curiosity about tea, a fascination that there are so many fun things about tea to discover, and from there, a desire to devote more time and energy to tea. We would be delighted if our journey inspires just one person to discover tea.

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