AS A child growing up in Singapore, Mr Christian Wilhelm Huber, now 36, never quite understood what his father did for a living.

However, he vividly recalls being amazed by the sheer number of people his father would meet and talk to, even on family vacations abroad.

'It was only when I got older that I realised my dad was actually making business deals on those holidays,' said the son of Mr Werner Ernst Huber, chairman and founder of Boncafe International.

His father, a Swiss national, founded the firm in 1962 when he was working in Singapore as a commodities trader.

What started as a small coffee-roasting outfit, with just four employees, is now a multi-million dollar business, well-known for its gourmet coffee.

And true to his father's personable and chatty disposition, the business, he said, brewed out of a conversation between his father and the wife of a foreign journalist.

It was her complaint of not being able to find a 'decent' cuppa in the Republic that gave him the idea of starting a local European coffee-roasting house.

Today, Singapore-based Boncafe employs more than 400 staff, and its subsidiaries can be found in Malaysia, Hong Kong, Australia, Thailand, Cambodia, China and the United Arab Emirates.

The founder's son told The Straits Times the steady growth of Boncafe over the last 46 years was largely attributable to his father's fervour for the business.

'There was always a great sense of excitement in the way he ran Boncafe, that you just know the business is deep in his heart,' said Mr Huber, who was born in Singapore to a Chinese mother.

The early years, however, were tough.

The local people, used to coffee produced by the dominant Chinese businesses, were sceptical at the notion that a foreigner with no coffee-roasting experience could offer them something better.

But Mr Huber senior persisted in learning the finer points of the trade and eventually realised his goal of providing coffee lovers with a good European brew.

'I've always believed that high quality products, backed by personalised service, would win a greater share of the market,' said Mr Huber senior, now in his eighties.

By the time his son finally took over as managing director in 2006, Boncafe was already the main beverage supplier to many large companies in the region.

'So my challenge then was to take it to the next level from the strong foundation my father built,' said the younger man.

His succession, however, was never a foregone conclusion, as he was to be the leading man on another stage.

'Dad was always very supportive and a strong believer of living out one's own passion in life,' said Mr Huber. 'And my passion then was in the theatrical arts.'

His pursuit of a career on stage took him to the United States, where he spent six years in Boston, directing and acting in American plays.

But the call of the family business was too strong, and thespian found himself wanting to perform on a different stage.

'I grew up with the business and saw an opportunity to continue something that was really meaningful to me,' said the former actor-director.

He made his final curtain call in 2002, and traded his place in the spotlight for the factory floor to 'be immersed in the family business'.

When he joined the company, Mr Huber wanted to ensure that he experienced the whole nine-yards at Boncafe; to learn about the different functions of each department in the company.

'I didn't want to just be the boss' son. So I made an effort to develop a relationship with the staff, so that they would see me as a fellow colleague who can help bring the company forward,' he said.

He went on to spend six months in each department at Boncafe. And from each experience, he thought about how he could run the business better, refresh it and market the brand to a wider audience.

Branding and refreshing the firm was to be the key thrust the younger Mr Huber would initiate at Boncafe.

An aggressive marketing and branding campaign, starting with the coffee's packaging design, yielded positive results almost instantly.

In 2003, Boncafe won an award for its new packaging's design. It repeated the feat in 2006 after it rolled out a regional plan costing $250,000 to re-design its packaging for all its products in the region. Mr Huber said that refreshing the look of its packaging was key to 'incorporate new product values and properties to the brand identity'.

His extensive efforts in rebranding Boncafe also paid off, after the company received its first Singapore Promising Brand Award in 2005.

Mr Huber senior said: 'I feel proud that Christian took the challenge to rebrand our company. It shows that a new set of eyes, new ideas, and a rejuvenated team can help take a company's culture to a whole new level of passion.

'The changes were a bit unfamiliar to me initially...(but) I am pleased and impressed with the results so far.'

Although they declined to share the exact turnover and revenue figures of Boncafe, Mr Huber said the firm has been growing confidently under his watch.

He also said that despite the current economic climate, he still expects the company to grow moderately, building on its strong performance last year.

The sustainable growth that he has achieved for Boncafe thus far was, according to Mr Huber, down to what he has learned from his father over the years.

'What I saw of my dad was his motivation and passion for quality customer service and respect for the client,' he said.

'He was also very hands-on and driven about his belief that quality is paramount to customer satisfaction.'

The son was, however, quick to point out that his father needed to understand that times have changed; and how business is done today, was very different from the company's early days.

'There were times when it was quite a challenge, trying to get him to loosen up on certain things. But he was receptive in the end, and opened many doors for me,' added Mr Huber.

But the young boss would also later find that besides his father, he also had to win over the staff and get them to buy-into the changes he wanted to implement.

He said 'We have many loyal employees, some who have even been with the company and my dad for about 30 years.

'So we needed some time to allow everyone to adapt to the changes, because things just don't change overnight, especially when it comes to an extensive rebranding initiative.'

Looking ahead, Mr Huber said that he will continue to challenge everyone at the firm to look at new areas in terms of product lines and export markets to work on.

He also said that while Boncafe's long term plans include ventures into North America and Europe, his immediate objective is to strengthen its position in South-east Asia, with Vietnam as a potential new market for the brand.

'Vietnam has emerged as the second- largest coffee-growing nation in the world after Brazil, and its coffee drinking scene is really growing,' he added.

On the future of Boncafe, Huber senior told The Straits Times that what he enjoys now is looking at the fresh ideas that his son is introducing to take the brand to the next level.

As for succession planning, his son who is recently married, said that he looked forward to 'sharing the beauty of the business' with his children in the future, just as his father did with him.

But he added that, like his father, he would support their choice and accord them the freedom to find their own way.

'When they are old enough, the coffee industry would still be booming. And it could also be another interesting journey for them,' said Mr Huber.

'But there are so many things they can create and discover in life. So I'll just let them spread their wings and fly.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times on August 20, 2008.