Key Takeaways Liu always knew he wanted to build a food brand, so he worked in tech to “save aggressively” and make it happen.
He invested about $65,000 of his own savings to launch his mochi pancake and waffle brand KiuKiu earlier this year.
Now, KiuKiu is harnessing an omnichannel strategy to continue its community building and growth trajectory.
This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features John Liu, 27, a British citizen who’s typically based in San Francisco, California. Liu started KiuKiu (“QQ”), the brand behind “chewy, bouncy” mochi pancakes and waffles, earlier this year. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
Image Credit: Courtesy of KiuKiu. John Liu.
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What was your day job or primary occupation when you started your side hustle?
Before starting KiuKiu, I was working in tech, where I led product teams at TikTok. I was part of the founding team of TikTok Shop, then later helped build TikTok’s GenAI platform for AI video generation.
I always knew I wanted to build a food brand. CPG is very capital-intensive, and early institutional investment is rare unless you already have a track record, so tech was my way to save aggressively. The experience in tech itself also became incredibly relevant. Understanding the inner workings of ecommerce, storytelling and ruthless time prioritization are now core skills I rely on every day as a CPG founder.
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