Bread waste is a massive issue in Hong Kong. Each day, thousands of loaves go unsold or uneaten and end up tossed away. For four University students with diverse ethnicities and skillsets, however, this excess bread represented more than just food waste — it was a business opportunity and a way to tackle a widespread sustainability challenge. In 2019–2020, that idea crystallized into Breer, a food upcycling startup that collects unsold, surplus bread and uses it to brew local craft beer.

The Early Days

At its founding, Breer was powered by four co-founders who found inspiration in Hong Kong’s food waste crisis. Soon after forming their team, they won the first prize (HKD10,000) at Enactus Hong Kong’s competition in 2020. This early success — awarded by a local chapter of an international non-profit that promotes social entrepreneurship to university students — validated Breer’s concept: combining the brewing process with leftover bread to create a sustainable, locally made craft beer.

Breer’s concept: combining the brewing process with leftover bread to create a sustainable, locally made craft beer.

By 2021, Breer caught another big break: they won the champion spot at their University’s Centre of Entrepreneurship competition, receiving HKD1 million. That influx of funds helped the team run a pilot batch of Breer to test with the Hong Kong public. It also put Breer “on the map,” drawing attention from local businesses and potential partners. From there, the momentum accelerated. By August 2021, Breer’s products were in 11 local retail outlets — early proof that there was a market for craft beer made from bread that would otherwise go to waste.

Anchoring with the Maxim’s Group

Among the most important milestones for the fledgling startup was the interest from Maxim’s Group, a major Hong Kong and regional F&B conglomerate. Initially, Maxim’s Group was seeking sustainability initiatives that made real environmental and commercial sense. Breer’s approach was a perfect fit. In early 2020, Maxim’s Group became the anchor partnership for Breer’s bread supply and brewing R&D. By December 2022, the two organizations had formally launched their first beer product together.

Over time, the Breer–Maxim’s Group’s partnership expanded in scope. Breer served as an R&D innovation partner, supplier, co-creator of sustainability projects, and a communications ally that could bring youth energy and social impact storytelling to Maxim’s Group’s outreach. The Group, in turn, offered the reliability of a large conglomerate’s distribution channels, supply chain, and marketing prowess. In 2023–2024, the two co-developed a new coffee beer — again repurposing waste materials — and split responsibilities to leverage each other’s strengths. Breer led product R&D and communications, while Maxim’s Group oversaw branding. As of 2024–2025, this partnership is still exploring new sales channels and hospitality ties.

From university competitions to global visibility

Breer’s partnerships soon extended well beyond Hong Kong. After three failed attempts, Breer secured a top-six global finalist position for the Hult Prize in 2022, one of the world’s more prestigious social entrepreneurship competitions for students and recent graduates. According to the Hult Prize Foundation’s Regional Head, Breer’s commercial traction and existing alliances with Hong Kong brands like Maxim’s Group caught the judges’ attention.

Though Breer didn’t ultimately clinch the top Hult Prize in 2022, that global visibility validated their potential. It also expanded Breer’s network, as the Hult Prize Foundation continued to support them by featuring Breer beverages at key events and introducing the co-founders to potential partners. This ongoing collaboration exemplified a two-way exchange: despite not winning the top award on their first three attempts, the co-founders acted as volunteer judges and mentors in subsequent Hult Prize cohorts. In return, Hult’s global alumni community became a wellspring of networking, expert knowledge, and marketing for the Breer brand.

Lessons (and mistakes) in partnership

Behind Breer’s progress is a story of perseverance, as Co-founder Naman Tekriwal acknowledges. The founding team eventually downsized from four to two full-time co-founders, forcing them to rely on an asset-light model. They cultivated key partners in local beer distributors, breweries, logistics, and storage services. Yet, as any startup learns, not all partnerships prove beneficial.

Many of Breer’s earliest partnerships began serendipitously.

“A misalignment between commercial values and mission,” Naman observes, can quickly become a problem. Even formal agreements and diligent oversight can’t overcome fundamental differences in vision. For a small social enterprise like Breer, “the right people, the right partnerships” was — and remains — the guiding principle.

Many of Breer’s earliest partnerships began serendipitously. For instance, one of its first brewery partners was an alumnus from the co-founders’ University. Opening that door made it easier for a group of relative newcomers to approach local breweries that might otherwise be skeptical of inexperienced students. Since those initial trials, Breer has worked with seven breweries over four years.

Building bread beer beyond Hong Kong

Breer’s success in Hong Kong stirred curiosity about expansion. A simple online search might reveal only a handful of non-Asian startups making beer from bread, scattered across Finland, Russia, Ukraine, Egypt, and Sudan, plus one in Singapore. In 2024, Breer debuted its first non-alcoholic beer in Hong Kong, brewed from a classic local pastry — another creative twist on the upcycling concept.

Buoyed by that momentum, Naman’s vision is for Breer to evolve into a technical brand extension of large beer companies, bridging the gap between “traditional brewing” and “sustainability-focused innovation.” Outside funding and recognition soon followed: in late 2022, DBS Foundation awarded Breer a grant to scale product varieties, distribution, and food waste awareness. That partnership helped pave the way for Breer to launch in Singapore by March 2025.

At the same time, being a winner at TIE’s Global Summit 2024 — a major global startup challenge for early-stage technology companies — opened the door to a collaboration with India’s largest craft beer producer, which has publicly committed to net zero by 2050. Breer plans to debut in India by June 2025, further proving how valuable it is for an impact-driven startup to forge collaborative relationships across sectors and regions.

The Value of Partnerships for Young Startups

Although UN SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) is often framed at a global level — involving governments, civil society, corporations, and international organizations — Breer’s experience shows that a flexible, smaller-scale take on partnerships can be just as impactful.

In the beginning, Breer relied on university competitions to secure no-risk grants and cover start-up costs for its first batch of production. Naman emphasizes how the team purposely chose an “intentional approach” over conventional venture capital. They kept ownership and control while building traction through strategic alliances — competitions, local breweries, a large F&B conglomerate, and an international foundation. That approach has fueled Breer to become operationally profitable in the last two years without sacrificing social impact goals.

Brewing Perseverance and Humor

While the prospect of forging partnerships can seem daunting to new social entrepreneurs, Breer’s journey demonstrates that these alliances come in many shapes and sizes. From small-scale university competitions and alumni connections to synergy with a powerhouse like Maxim’s Group, the co-founders used partnership dynamics to overcome a lean budget and limited in-house capacity.

For aspiring impact entrepreneurs, the lesson is clear: Partnerships need not be grand or formal to be transformative.

As the Hult Prize Foundation’s Regional Manager notes, Naman and his fellow co-founder are a “true testament of perseverance,” bringing “never give up” energy (and a healthy dose of humor) to an industry better known for serious bottom lines. “We have enough great NGOs doing great work, but we need more entrepreneurs who can make profit for a better world,” the Regional Manager adds.

Maxim’s Group, for its part, praises the co-founders’ “entrepreneurial mindset and evolution,” citing how they embraced roles from supplier to co-creator to communications partner. This flexibility resonates with what SDG 17 stands for — shared goals that drive each collaborator’s individual aims and amplify the overall impact.

“Breer graduated with the co-founders”

Breer’s story, in many ways, parallels the personal and professional development of its young founders. Before even graduating, they had turned leftover bread into a viable business concept that is now scaling regionally. This journey — paved by partnerships and powered by resilient problem-solving — shows how a small idea can mature into a profitable, impactful enterprise in just a few years.

For aspiring impact entrepreneurs, the lesson is clear: Partnerships need not be grand or formal to be transformative. Small, strategic alliances can yield early wins and build credibility. “Mutually beneficial” means both sides grow and learn, not only financially but also in terms of innovation, shared expertise, and market reach.

In that sense, Breer’s path is a model of how SDG 17 might manifest at the grassroots: local breweries, alumni referrals, competitions, large corporate sponsors, and international foundations each fill a key piece of the puzzle. “We hope more young and young-at-heart people can see that you can do it,” Naman says. “You just need the right idea, a bit of resourcefulness, and a lot of commitment to keep going.”

And so, as the Hult Prize Foundation’s Regional Manager puts it, “We need more people like Anushka and Naman, who are doing great work for the world.” Breer graduated with its co-founders, but it’s only the beginning for them — and for any impact entrepreneurs inspired by their journey to brew up solutions from society’s overlooked leftovers.