Taha Bouqdib is responsible for stirring up the worlds of coffee and tea. Through Bacha Coffee and TWG Tea, the French-Moroccan entrepreneur transformed everyday staples into luxury lifestyle icons. These brands offer more than just drinks; they sell stories, prestige, and immersive experiences within boutiques that evoke the elegance of haute couture houses. These fall under their parent company, V3 Gourmet Group, a global luxury gourmet lifestyle group with food, beverage, and retail brands as well as destinations.
In 2007, Bouqdib co-founded TWG Tea, earning him the title of Officer of the Order of National Recompense by King Mohammed VI of Morocco in 2015 for his contributions to the establishment of a company specialising in the production of the finest quality tea in Singapore. This year, TWG Tea also opened its new flagship at Diamond Plaza in Ho Chi Minh City, overlooking the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral. The launch marks the brand’s third location in Vietnam and debuts a premium takeaway tea concept, reinforcing its role in shaping a modern tea culture in one of the continent’s most vibrant cities.
Bacha Coffee Champs-Élysées
Bouqdib also took on the restoration of the historic Bacha Coffee brand, founded in 1910 in the opulent Dar el Bacha palace of Marrakech. In 2019, he breathed new life into it as a luxury coffee brand headquartered in Singapore, which blends Moroccan heritage with contemporary sophistication. Earlier this year, Bacha Coffee invested €20 million to open its three-storey flagship on Champs-Élysées in Paris, the brand’s biggest outlet yet. This is part of the brand’s global expansion plan to open 100 stores in all major capitals by 2030.
Today, Bacha Coffee has 35 locations in 12 countries or regions, while TWG Tea has 73 locations in 18 countries or territories. However, Bouqdib is still personally involved in the creation of new coffee blends for Bacha Coffee, in addition to the design of new products and concept stores. He continues to serve as TWG Tea’s innovator, creating imaginative blends of tea, fruits, flowers, and spices inspired by unexpected places.
“When we move to a new territory, you face new cultures and habits. We always start by hiring local people, because they can share with us the trends of their country or culture. We take a majority of their ways and style, but we always add a zest of our own tradition that allows people to see something different. People always like to have a taste of something new. This is why I disagree with friends who want to use the same people to expand to a new market.
“Once your brand goes global, challenges are inevitable: copycats emerge and competitors try to hire away your best staff. You need to negotiate for prime locations because, for us, it’s all about location, location, location. After 30 years in the same industry, a conundrum no longer causes me panic. I simply have a nice cup of tea or coffee, and don’t answer immediately. For me, a challenge pushes me to do more. I don’t sit in my office and sweat over the solution. I ruminate on the issue and think about how to turn it to my advantage, how to turn bad news into good news.
“Competition will always be there, which is why a brand must reinvent itself every few years without losing its DNA. You have to keep moving and pushing forward with new designs and fresh ideas, because the train never stops. Many try to copy TWG Tea’s stores, but they’re stuck with designs we created five years ago, while we’re already one station ahead.
“We constantly introduce new designs and experiences across our stores worldwide, even within the same city. We don’t believe in copy-and-paste concepts; otherwise, every store would look identical. Instead, we approach each one like a jeweller crafting a masterpiece, ensuring every detail is perfect. That’s why competitors struggle to imitate us; whether in Singapore, Hong Kong, or France, they’ll always encounter something unique. It keeps us busy, but it’s what gives our brand its distinct identity.
“I don’t take holidays, ever. For me, a holiday means thinking about creation. I feel much more relaxed when I come into the office on weekends, when no one can disturb or distract me. It’s very easy to create new ideas and flavours.
“To be in power means always being the one to take responsibility. It’s having the ability to make last-minute decisions—whether to enter new markets or not. These choices decide if you are a good or bad leader. But you can’t enjoy only good fruit without occasionally finding a bad one beside it. Sometimes, if you make a wrong decision, you must accept that reality. It’s okay to do things a different way and move on. The way you accept your success, you must also accept your failures.”
V3 Gourmet Group | TWG Tea | Bacha Coffee
Illustration by Tan Eng Huat
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