Investor-turned-coffee-importer Charlene Hua grew up in China, but her soul lies in Africa and its enriching flavours shared at Africa Coffee & Tea
For nine years, Africa Coffee & Tea has occupied a corner space in an industrial Wong Chuk Hang building, a treat of a find for those in the know.
The café is decorated with African flags, artwork, fabrics, and photos capturing daily life in the continent, complimented by a charming view of Aberdeen harbour.
With an events space attached to it hosting cultural and social gatherings for the city’s African community, the café acts like an unofficial chamber of commerce for the continent, promoting coffee, tea, and food not occupying a part of the conversation in Hong Kong.
It was a 2012 trip to Angola with friends from the central African country that inspired co-founder Charlene Hua to open Africa Coffee & Tea just five years later in late 2017. “The trip really opened my eyes learning of Africa’s 54 countries, to not just see Africa as simply a continent,” she shares.
The Chinese-born, US-raised former financier traded Chicago for Hong Kong in 2007. She would routinely travel to Angola in the early 2010s, following a career change, which inspired opportunities to run finance projects in the nation. But it was Ethiopia and Uganda where Charlene found her calling.
“Every time I visited Angola, I would connect my flight through Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee. In 2015, I attended a coffee conference and got on stage to present a concept to build a project to empower African women in the coffee-growing community.”
Charlene coordinated with growers from Ethiopia and neighbouring Uganda to import beans, by the container load, to Hong Kong and support African farmers.
“The whole of East Africa resonated in me with my childhood of growing up in a village in China. There was this business opportunity to work in Africa, but yet this project was something more deep.”
To supplement her newly-founded import business, Charlene opened up a pop-up stall in April 2017 on the ground floor of the Southside building she now operates her café out of, selling cups of specialty coffee from Africa’s coffee belt.
From a pop-up came a small café, inspired by her landlord to open to attract more tenants to the building. “My landlord asked, will you guys serve any food,” Charlence remembers, “I didn’t know anything about African food and hospitality at the time.” The demand was clear for a food menu to compliment her coffee and a space to enjoy such offerings.
Africa Coffee & Tea inaugurated its current space seven months after the pop-up opened 15 floors below and with it a menu was born with a wealth of flavours focussing on countries familiar to Hong Kongers, but flavours not yet appreciated.
Charlene initially worked with two Ethiopian and Rwandan staff members to create a menu similar to today’s offerings: appetizers and sides, Ugandan style rolexes (wraps), soups and salads, curries and stews, and sweet desserts.
From the North, customers can try their North African baked falafel and hummus dip with pita bread and vegetables. The Ugandan rolexes feature five flavours wrapped within egg omelette chapatis, “one of the best street foods you can find in Africa,” she says.
South Africa features prominently with a biltong (cured meat) rolex and baked chicken thigh curry, and so does Ethiopia with key wot spicy beef stew and injera (pancake-like flatbread) with berbere dip.
For lovers of West African flavours, Nigerian-style jollof rice, baked chicken drumsticks, and fish cakes can be enjoyed.
During the protests and pandemic, Africa Coffee & Tea transnational food menu helped support operations during a period when travel was limited. Hong Kongers taking trips to Africa through Charlene’s food was yet another unique staycation to be enjoyed in the city.
The coffee offerings are kept simple on the menu with black and milk coffees and chocolate drinks sold. Their pour over coffee options include beans from Uganda, Ethiopia, and Cameroon. Tea and white and red wine are also imported from South Africa.
Charlene and her team built a central kitchen in 2022 to accommodate for increased demand for their food in the café, but for external catering. “We host Africa Day every year in May here, as well as cater for Ramadan, baby showers, weddings, and gatherings for Hong Kong’s Nigerian and Cameroonian communities,” she states.
As The Southside matures and more residents move into the arty and commercial neighbourhood, Charlene sees Africa Coffee & Tea central to building community for Wong Chuk Hang.
“The challenge with the café now is how we continue to position ourselves with the demand of African food in Hong Kong with new menus.”
“Whilst we do focus on coffee, we have to extend our mission to food, culture, lifestyle, and contemporary art.”
Dive into African culture, its food, and coffee at Africa Coffee & Tea in Wong Chuk Hang.
