Born in Nakhon Si Thammarat in the south of Thailand, Pump had a stable childhood, with just one sibling, a brother seven years younger than him. His teachers praised him not for academic excellence, but rather for his ability to learn new things quickly. Pump knows that his adaptability has become a highly significant skill, in both his personal and business lives. In retrospect, Pump now acknowledges that from the time he entered his teens, he became a bad son. He obtained his first mobile phone and it became almost the sole focus of his life. Spending time hanging out with friends was a much stronger priority than doing anything his family asked of him, a situation he now regrets as he values that his parents wanted nothing but the best for him. Yet, as a rebellious young man, Pump had scant care for their wishes. Pump is still moved by the memory of the first time he saw his father cry, at the age of 14. The pair had had a blazing argument and said hurtful things to each other, only for his father to return to Pump’s room in tears an hour later to reassure Pump that he loved him very much.

Pump’s parents worked in the automobile industry, and by the time he was around the age Pump is now, in his late 20s, his father had his own business, repairing diesel engines in cars, buses and trucks, as well as heavy machinery, principally by fixing or replacing fuel injectors or pumps – hence the nickname bestowed on his elder son. However, it is the second son who is currently studying engineering in Bangkok and will eventually take over the family business. Although Pump has shown commitment to the operations side of the business, such as importing spare parts, diesel fuel is not his chosen aroma: it is coffee, which has a much more pleasant nose.

Pump was sent to boarding school in Lampang in upper Northern Thailand, not as a punishment, but perhaps as a circuit-breaker, at the age of 15 for two and a half years. His parents invested a considerable amount of money to send him to attend the British International School of Northern Thailand, believing that providing their son with superior English language skills was going to be a big asset in his life. The other students were all of mixed Thai and Western heritage, while he was the only fully Thai student. It was a difficult adjustment initially, as Pump entered the school with little English and struggled to find both his feet and his words. Pump now realises that his time in Lampang was a turning point in his life as living away from home required him to take responsibility for his actions, or inactions, learn some self-discipline and begin to grow up. It was also Pump’s first exposure to foreign cultures and ways of thinking, and cracked open the door for Pump to a new and stimulating world. Along with achieving competence in English, his time in Lampang was one of significant social growth for Pump, who developed good friendships with his classmates and roommates, allowing him to find the beauty in life.

Returning to his hometown, basically the full length of Thailand away, for the final year of high school allowed Pump to matriculate to university in Thailand without the exorbitant cost of completing his IGCSEs. It was in 2016, at the age of 18, that Pump came to live in Hua Hin to study International Hotel management at Stamford University, keen to experience the world beyond Thailand. During his studies, Pump was a bar trainee at the Intercontinental, and to this day retains a strong interest in cocktail making, though actually a gin and tonic is his guilty pleasure. As a young entrepreneur, Pump always keeps his eyes peeled for business opportunities and is aware of current worldwide interest in micro-distilleries, and has a gin joint in his mental filing cabinet.

Pump has become skilled as a trainer as well as a learner. He worked briefly with the CTC Cruise Academy running bar training courses for new staff. Now running his own coffee shop six days a week, Pump periodically devotes his sole day off to leading a six-hour-long barista training course, focusing heavily on hands-on experience over technical theory. Pump admits working comes easier to him than relaxing.

Pump's thirst for experience abroad in the hospitality industry was assuaged by a two-year internship with the Sheraton Hotel in New Orleans in the USA, where he learnt all about front desk operations. This experience also taught Pump a valuable life lesson: not to pin too much hope on expectations for the future as things can change in the blink of an eye. Pump had expected to extend his stay in America but the advent of the Covid pandemic and the consequent impact on the hospitality industry meant that his work permit was not renewed and he was forced to return to Thailand with no idea what he was going to do next, teaching him to live in the moment and limit his expectations. 

One wonderful thing that did come from his time in America was meeting his life-partner Milk, also Thai, who was working at the Sheraton as a chef at the same time. The pair’s relationship didn’t last, but serendipity came into play when they met again by accident half a world away in Melbourne quite a while later. Pump determined he was not going to let Milk slip through his fingers a second time. A post on Pump’s personal Facebook page declares that “nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity.” The pair is in a committed relationship, but not married, at Milk’s choice, not Pump’s. And given the gloomy global outlook, parenthood is not on the cards, either.

To further his education, Pump turned to Greenwich College in Melbourne, Australia to complete a two-year Graduate Diploma in Leadership Management, while working part-time. Melbourne is Australia’s acknowledged coffee capital, and his time living in the central business district, close to the city’s iconic Queen Victoria Market, was enough to ignite Pump’s passion for good coffee.  Working with Allpress, Pump learnt a huge amount about different coffee bean varieties and many secrets about blending, roasting and grinding beans to produce high quality brews. Although many young, fashionable Thais are now embracing coffee culture, Pump knew that upon his return to Thailand, if he was going to make his career in the coffee industry, it would need to be in a place with a significant international community, so of course Hua Hin was at the top of the list. Now a dutiful son who tries to see his parents at least every other month, it is also three hours’ driver closer to his hometown than Bangkok is. Hua Hin also has its good food and its beachside location to recommend it, so Pump’s decision wasn’t hard at all, although he still longs for improved roads and traffic flow and the opening of more routes into Hua Hin airport.

On 1st December 2024, Pump, along with Milk’s capable assistance, opened Collins Coffee Bar in Soi 102, the name a nod to Collins Street in Melbourne, the epicentre of the city’s coffee culture with its footpath cafés. Of course, Pump regularly needs to explain to new customers that his name isn’t actually Collin! Pump’s philosophy is that he is not in the coffee business serving people, but rather in the people business serving coffee, and even a cursory glance inside Collins Coffee Bar will confirm that. Inside, you would think yourself transported back to Melbourne, with every aspect of the bar’s fit out carefully selected by Pump to create a vibrant yet warm and cozy, almost family-like atmosphere. Arguably Pump’s greatest personal strength is his ability to make people relax; to turn his customers into friends. Occasionally he will encounter customers who clearly think they have a higher status than him which allows them to be rude, but even then, Pump’s approach is to “kill them with kindness”.

People don’t go to Collins for the coffee, according to Pump, they go there for the experience.  That doesn’t mean that the quality of the coffee served isn’t of prime importance though. It definitely is. Pump wouldn’t have it any other way. He has a farm-to-cup mentality when it comes to sourcing his beans with his Thai coffee beans coming from a particular farm in Chiang Mai. Pump also works in partnership with a roaster who produces excellent coffee from only the best beans from places as far-flung as Kenya, Bolivia or Colombia. Pump’s personal preference is a smooth, easy-drinking coffee with good character, and usually with milk.  He proudly tells his customers that every bean is the best quality, direct from the farm. So, in addition to a premium cup of coffee, patrons experience the satisfaction of supporting independent growers. You won’t find all the latest coffee fads at Collins, just great coffee. Mixing orange juice with coffee is only necessary if you’re using inferior coffee.

The quality of local water is also questionable for Pump, who sees clean, fresh water as essential for a good coffee. Few in Hua Hin would suspect just how seriously Pump takes the issue, with a five-stage filter process in place at Collins Coffee Bar, which also possesses its own ice-making machine so even the iced coffee is beyond reproach.

Pump wants to continue to grow the business by expanding the available food options, made in-house, by tapping into Milk’s expertise in the food industry. Unfortunately, Milk’s bad back and subsequent surgery mean she can not run the kitchen herself, but her oversight would be invaluable. Another aim for Pump is to use social media to full effect in promoting and growing his business. Although he is not a big fan, Pump understands a solid social media presence is a necessary evil for a modern business owner, whose phone contains the very core of the business.

Although Pump is very well-travelled for a man still in his 20s, having been to Turkiye, Russia, Japan, China and Korea as well as the US and Australia, he hopes to travel to Europe in the near future, interested to learn more about history and culture, particularly in places like Greece. And of course, this will be a business trip as he investigates coffee culture around the world. Pump is prepared to put in the hard yards to see his business grow and flourish and to make his parents proud of the man he has become, despite the rocky years in his early teens. He is truly thankful that his parents had the foresight to invest so heavily in his English-language education.

Pump is a genuine young man who actively cares about and supports the people around him. His first cup of morning coffee, one of only two he allows himself daily, is an essential part of his daily routine. On his rare day off you can find Pump spending time stretched out on the beach, re-energising himself in the sun, like a lizard sunbaking on a rock. This is Pump’s moment to do nothing, not even thinking, but just being. Pair this up with Pump’s favourite dish, a fragrant bowl of Khao Soi, to which he was introduced as a boy in Lampang, and he has a perfect day. Life is indeed beautiful, Pump.