More Than a Number: 852much is a Love Letter to Hong Kong

INTERVIEW

For Pallavi and Dhara, Hong Kong is more than just their home; it's a source of endless inspiration. Having built a beloved bakery  I Love Babycakes and a gorgeous jewellery business Kasido.hk, they are now channelling that same passion into a new venture: 852much, a passion project dedicated to moving beyond the iconic skyline and revealing the city's authentic soul through curated local experiences and multicultural events. We speak with Pallavi and Dhara about this new chapter and their mission to share the Hong Kong they know and love.

What is the story behind "852much"?

We have lived in Hong Kong collectively for 20+ years. In that time, we've realised just how much the city has to offer. After running our individual businesses here in Hong Kong, we had our own realizations and built our own connections. There is so much in terms of natural beauty, cultural experiences, traditions that make it a wholesome city with a soul that is unique. It is our combined belief that this is a world city that offers distinct diverse options, be it in the form of hills, beaches, hiking trails, high rises, great bars, fabulous world restaurants, beautiful temples all  in one place allowing people to make choices of their own when they visit. This is exactly what we wanted to showcase to the world at large in an authentic, personal and localized way. In addition, the people of the city have so much talent. We also wanted to showcase the diverse talents that exist here through our multicultural events. This is our way of giving back to a city which has given us so much.

What makes your experiences or services different from standard tourist tours and events?

We think what makes our tours unique is that they are very carefully created to build in local gems by people who have grown up in Hong Kong. They are passionate about the city they were born into and take great pride in sharing unique spots and stories that define them. The whole idea is to give people perspective of the city and its culture through the eyes of locals. 

What makes our event planning unique is the attention to detail and the ability to accommodate different ideas and blueprints and see them through to completion. Given our individual creative backgrounds in jewellery designing and in the F&B industry , our individual passions and strengths come together to create an event that is truly unique. Creativity, culinary expertise and community building forms the backbone of our skill set and that we believe helps to deliver something special.

Can you describe the typical person who leads your tours? Are they local residents, historians, foodies, or artists?

A typical person who leads our tours is a local resident, somebody who was born and brought up in Hong Kong. A person who leads the tour in a specific locality is someone who is particularly familiar with that locality and has special stories of his or her own relating to that neighbourhood. They are passionate about their city, enthusiastic and definitely foodies with immense knowledge about local foods and cultural traditions. They come from different educational backgrounds from engineering to English education and marketing. What is common to all is their love of meeting people and their desire to share the uniqueness of Hong Kong with our clients. That said, we are still in the process of recruiting and hope to have on board historians, artists and many more with interesting backgrounds. We also plan to work with organisations that give opportunities to ethnic minorities, low income families, single parents and other less privileged groups in an effort to give back to the community.

Can you share with us your top recommendation for 852much ?

We are so excited about bringing so much to our clients - we are offering local tours for kids, newbies or residents who want to know their city better. In terms of experiences, we plan amazing pet parties, pop-ups, supper clubs in addition to private celebrations and corporate events. We are committed to working with local artisans and the extreme talent that exists in the city and to do more and more events with them. If you watch our space, you will see these talents unfold at different events in different venues in varying formats. It is hard to share a top recommendation, but definitely watch out for all our tours and events and stay tuned in to the magic that we want to showcase in the months and years to come. 

What is the most memorable or heartwarming review you've received from a guest after one of your experiences?

One of the most heartwarming reviews we have received is about a milestone celebration event that we organised where what stood out to our client was our ability to infuse authentic traditions into modern celebrations, making us uniquely equipped to cater to Hong Kong’s wonderfully diverse community. Other generous compliments include our ability to bridge generations and backgrounds with ease and our genuinely contagious passion and enthusiasm for what we do.

What is one thing you wish every visitor to Hong Kong knew or experienced?

Given the diversity of Hong Kong, it would be almost impossible to identify one thing we would love for every visitor to experience. To put it quirkily, we would love for them to feel it all - 

H- high rises

O - organic feel

N - new cuisines

G - Global perspective

K - kid friendly ambience

O - organizational expertise

N - nature trails

G - getaway trips

You and your partner both ran your individual businesses I Love Babycakes and Kasido.hk before opening 852much. What's next for you?

We still continue to run our individual businesses which have been instrumental in putting us in touch with diverse talents in the creative and culinary fields in the city. These are extremely close to our hearts and we plan to continue running and building on them. But given that we have been running Kasido.hk and Babycakes for a while, we feel totally in control and that we are ready for the next chapter. Next is to focus all our energy on building 852much, given that there is so much scope in what can be done. We want to showcase Hong Kong’s unique spirit to the rest of the world, create magical events, give ideas a new lease of life and build on our new venture in all possible ways. We truly believe nothing in the 852 is too much and we feel totally committed to take it all on. 

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Website: 852much.com | Email: info@852much.com / 852much@gmail.com |

Phone: +852 9682 0215 / +852 9387 5180| Instagram: @852much | Facebook: 852much

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