Hard work key to Koufu CEO's success

FROM school dropout to street hawker, coffee shop owner and, finally, founder of a local food-and-beverage empire, entrepreneur Pang Lim's journey - spanning five decades - was one marked by sheer grit.

"If you have goals and dreams, you can achieve them if only you set your mind to it," said the chief executive officer of SGX-listed food and beverage operator Koufu Group Ltd.

Mr Pang dropped out of school at the age of 13 to assist his uncle, a hawker. He spent his teenage years washing dishes, selling wonton noodles, and peddling wares ranging from fruits and watches to toys and chicken rice, in Singapore's notorious Sungei Road Thieves Market.

From the city-state's oldest flea market, Mr Pang, together with his girlfriend who later became his wife, progressively moved into oper…