Building a Community Through Food, Culture and Connection

For Olivia Mok, bringing people together has always been at the heart of what she does.

A Hong Kong native raised in Vancouver, Olivia moved to Shanghai in 2012 after spending time in Tokyo and Los Angeles.

Today, she is the co-founder of Social Supply and La Matcha, creating experiences and spaces around food, drink, music, art and design.

What began with a monthly dining series has grown into a creative experience agency, a wine festival and a modern matcha brand – all rooted in her belief in the value of real, face-to-face connection.

Before we talk about Social Supply and La Matcha, would you please introduce yourself?

My name is Olivia Mok, and I am a native of Hong Kong but raised in Vancouver. I am a co-founder of Social Supply and La Matcha. I moved to Shanghai in 2012 after spending time in Tokyo and Los Angeles.

I love hosting, planning, exploring and bringing people together!

Why, after living on China's mainland for a few years, did you decide to strike out on your own to build up a business here?

It happened quite naturally. When I first moved to Shanghai, I was working as a China marketing manager for the Los Angeles-based fashion brand American Apparel. At the time, the company was going through a major dispute between the CEO and the board, and our marketing budget became very limited, so there wasn't much for me to do.

While work was slow, I started helping my business partner Camden with Shanghai Supperclub, a monthly dining series held in unexpected and unique locations. I thoroughly enjoyed the planning and production side of it and realized I had a real interest in hospitality. When we began receiving commissions for similar projects, Social Supply was born.

What began as a passion for entertaining has grown into a creative experience agency focused on designing and producing experiences that bring people together through food, drinks, music, film and art – from intimate gatherings to large-scale festivals. We're a small, international team working with trusted partners to create experiences around people's identities and stories.

Over the years, Social Supply has evolved into a broader lifestyle business. CRUSH is Social Supply's annual wine festival, bringing together creative wines, food, culture, and community through tastings, experiences, and programming.

In 2025, CRUSH welcomed more than 361,000 visitors across two weekends, with 66 wine suppliers and 15+ interactive experiences. Rather than a traditional trade fair, CRUSH aims to make wine more accessible, social and part of everyday culture.

In 2020, I launched La Matcha because there simply wasn't much good matcha available in Shanghai at the time, and I had recently given up coffee.

La Matcha is a modern matcha bar that brings a traditional drink into a contemporary lifestyle, offering signature drinks, vibrant snacks and premium ceremonial-grade matcha.

It combines the depth of tradition with a fresh, modern approach to wellness, creating bold, feel-good flavors for today's urban consumers. It now has two locations in Shanghai, with products also available online through Xiaohongshu and WeChat.

Looking back, I never really set out with a plan to become an entrepreneur. It was more about following opportunities that excited me, learning along the way and seeing where they might lead.

What makes Shanghai's business environment so remarkable?

I think Shanghai's diversity and sheer number of people make the business environment so remarkable. I have also found a really enjoyable community of people to work and interact with here, which I think is incredibly important for mental well-being.

What were you trying to bring to the local community?

I started my business when phones were beginning to take over people's lives. Instinctively, I felt we needed more opportunities to put our phones down and connect face to face.

That idea is at the heart of Social Supply, as well as the reason I started La Matcha – to bring people together through shared experiences around food, drink, music, art, design and culture.

What are the biggest challenges setting up a business here? How do you stay motivated?

The biggest challenge is keeping up with the competition. Everything moves incredibly fast. I stay motivated by staying true to my values while constantly changing and adapting my methods and approach.

What was your proudest moment?

Fortunately, I've had many proud moments while building my businesses. One that stands out was taking a team photo on the opening day of our month-long rooftop café pop-up at Plaza 66, the Bamboo Forest.

It's still one of the most beautiful productions we've ever created. I was incredibly proud of my team for bringing it all together and so happy that we had built it together.

What are you working on now?

I am working on a new shop for La Matcha and a brand new CRUSH Wine Festival coming very soon!

Which female role model inspires you?

My mom, all my mom friends and the female entrepreneurs around me inspire me! I'm constantly learning from the women in my life.

Do you have any advice for women entrepreneurs?

I don't feel competent enough to offer advice, as everyone's experience is different. But I hope that my work and contributions to the community can inspire other women – and perhaps others beyond that as well.