These local brands are integral parts of our nation’s cultural fabric and rich history.
PHOTO: (Clockwise from top left) TOCCO TOSCANO, YEO’S, BEE CHENG HIANG, BYND ARTISAN
Our city-state has produced many innovative and proudly Singaporean brands. Back in 1956, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, together with the Singapore Manufacturers’ Association started the nation’s storied ‘Buy Singapore Goods’ campaign, to promote Singapore-made products. The campaign aimed to change public mindsets that domestically-produced goods were, in fact, not inferior to imported ones and to support the small but growing manufacturing industry in Singapore by encouraging people to buy locally produced goods. The eventual goal was to develop its manufacturing sector to export Singapore-made products to the world. Over the decades, the message shifted from buying Singapore-made products to buying quality products made in Singapore.
#SupportLocal to help businesses recover from COVID-19
“We believe Singaporeans can help Singapore brands and manufacturers by supporting and buying local,” discloses Bee Kee, General Manager of Sales and Marketing at Bee Cheng Hiang. “We’re thankful for the support from our customers during these trying times and this was proven over the last year, especially during Chinese New Year.”
Other Singaporean businesses too praise the oft-underrated power of the #supportlocal spirit. Your purchasing power and personal influence can greatly impact these local businesses.
“There’s no doubt that businesses everywhere have been affected significantly by the lockdowns and an uncertain future,” shares Winnie Chan, CEO and Founder of Bynd Artisan. “On the bright side, it has been heartwarming to see Singaporeans come together to support local businesses by either buying local or promoting local brands on their social media and through word of mouth. As we work to overcome these challenging days, and even beyond this pandemic, we hope Singaporeans will continue to see the value in local brands and manufacturers, to recognise their efforts and appreciate their work and support them in any way possible.”
Ryan Choy, CEO of Faire Leather Co. and Head of Branding and Marketing for Tocco Toscano, agrees, remarking, “you can support your favourite local brands, producers and manufacturers by spreading the word about brands and products that you like.”
“I believe there is a lot which we, Singaporeans, can do to embrace and support Singaporean brands and manufacturers not just during these trying times, but at all times and through all seasons,” adds Samuel Koh, Group Chief Executive Officer of Yeo Hiap Seng. “Really, the best way that Singaporeans can support Singaporean brands is to try to consume our products and share your feedback to help us get better.”
HereToPlay shines the spotlight on some of our favourite local brands.
Tocco Toscano
“Touch of Tuscany” was founded by James Lor in 1987, a Singaporean who grew up in Chinatown and had a rough childhood. A wayward youth, Lor was taught how to bind leather bibles by the missionary, Pastor Neville Tan. James diligently refined his leather cutting, stitching and embossing skills, and eventually landed himself an apprenticeship with world-class leather artisans in Florence, Italy.
After returning to Singapore, he founded Tocco Toscano, which rolls out unique leather accessories that appeal to women of various age groups. Today, Tocco Toscano is run by James’s son, Joseph, and the brand also has a brother brand, Faire Leather Co., which crafts suave and multi-functional bags and accessories for men. Faire Leather Co. began as a Kickstarter project and rose to become the most funded fashion campaign in Singapore today.
Yeo’s
A famous household name, Yeo’s celebrated its 120th anniversary in 2020. Yeo’s began as a soy sauce business in Zhangzhou, China that later moved to Singapore in 1937. On 17th January 1942, a 10kg Japanese bomb was dropped on Yeo’s factory. However, the Yeo family and their precious raw materials for making soy sauce were miraculously unscathed. The family continued to supply soy sauce to the entire Malayan Peninsula during World War II and the decades of rebuilding that followed.
Over the years, Yeo’s gradually diversified its portfolio. In 1995, the company was bought over by Singaporean property magnate Ng Teng Fong. Yeo’s now comprises a wide array of popular brands and food and beverage products. In recent times, Yeo’s has been supporting Singapore’s fight against Covid-19 by providing frontline workers and the community with free beverages.
Bee Cheng Hiang
Shouldering a bamboo stick with baskets of bak kwa (barbecued meat slices) across the city every day, Bee Cheng Hiang’s founder Teo Swee Ee literally founded Bee Cheng Hiang on his back. Teo eventually made enough money to open shops on Rochor Road and Victoria Street. Besides calligraphing his company’s logo himself, Teo was also a pioneer in mobile advertising – when many big lorries parked in front of his Victoria Street outlet, he paid these lorry companies to paint his brand name on their lorries, which then carried the Bee Cheng Hiang name across Singapore.
Meaning “beautiful”, “precious” and “fragrant” in Chinese, Bee Cheng Hiang today not only sells bak kwa in different flavours, but a range of snacks too, including crisps, preserved sausages and pork floss biscuits. Bee Cheng Hiang also has a gourmet outlet on Serangoon Road, which serves bak kwa-themed dishes that can be paired with a variety of fine wines.
Bynd Artisan
In 1942, Chan Koon Song opened a modest bindery workshop. The high quality of his wares gradually garnered him a sizable following. He was eventually able to buy a shophouse on Mohamed Sultan Road and people from all walks of life streamed to this shop to have their books bound by him. Now run by his granddaughter, Winnie Chan, this family business has been rebranded as Bynd Artisan. While Bynd Artisan strives to preserve the knowledge of hand-binding, and leather and paper crafting, the business also leverages modern technology to achieve a variety of finely crafted carriers, accessories, stationery, greeting cards, notebooks and more.
Employing veteran craftsmen who continually infuse everyday objects with new ideas, Bynd Artisan was conferred Design of the Year at the prestigious President’s Design Award in 2016, followed by the “Best Shopping Experience” at Singapore Tourism Awards in 2017. The brand received the International Attractiveness Award at the APEC BEST Awards 2020 and is one of 48 brands that bear the Made With Passion brand mark.
