Birdie Chiu, 趙剛毅




When Hazel & Hershey first started, Birdie saw the opportunity to make specialty coffee better, not in any kitschy way but by building a company that genuinely values quality first. 

Like most, his coffee journey began from the ground up. He didn’t begin his career as a professional barista or even a coffee snob but he did have a decade of experience in the I.T field, which gave him an eye for practicality and an affinity for problem-solving, two things that open the potential to begin a unique coffee business. 

As you might expect from a coffee founder, over the years Birdie has become someone with  A Trusted Voice On Coffee. He’s been a certified judge in both Hong Kong’s Barista and Siphonist Championships and a certified SCA instructor who trains barista hopefuls but he’s also someone you can approach just to simply talk about coffee. Your questions about flavour intensity of coffee beans or the right pressure to set your machine at...basically, anything coffee is Birdie’s forte and the reason Hazel & Hershey has been able to stay committed to so many avenues in the coffee industry. 


Birdie Chiu, the owner, the CEO, the founder behind the brand - Hazel & Hershey Coffee Roastery. He is a holder of: 

  • SCA Coffee Diploma 
  • SCA Authorised Trainer & Certifier:
SCA Barista Certifier
SCA Brewing Certifier
SCA Green Bean Certifier
SCA Sensory Certifier
SCA Roasting Certifier
  • Artisan coffee roaster
  • Competition trainer
  • Product designer
  • Green beans importer (Direct trade)
  • Hong Kong Barista Championship 2013 Technical Judge
  • Hong Kong Siphonist Championship 2013 Sensory Judge
  • Hong Kong Barista Championship 2014 and 2015 Sensory Judge
  • Hong Kong Latte Art Championship 2015 Judge
  • World Coffee Latte Art Certified Judge


Guided by instinct, Birdie’s been leading a small but committed team to build Hazel & Hershey into a visionary for speciality coffee. It has been a decade since the small idea to distribute coffee tools, and Hazel & Hershey has gone on to redefine the process of making coffee but the passion and drive has followed on every step of the way. 



       

      Kapo Chiu - 2012 & 2013 Hong Kong Barista Champion


      Pinky Leung - 2013 World Siphonist Champion and 2012 & 2013 Hong Kong Siphonist Champion


      Raul Rodas - 2012 World Barista Champion


      Pete Licata - 2013 World Barista Champion


      Michael Phillips - 2010 World Barista Champion


      Alejandro Mendez - 2011 World Barista Champion


      Matt Perger - 2013 World Barista Championship - first runner up


      Kentaro Maruyama - World Famous coffee roaster


      David Veal - Executive Director of SCAE




      2013 Hong Kong Barista Championship judges