ACCIDENTAL PARTNERSHIP AND STALL EXPANSION
Enter Teo’s business partner, the marketing savvy Josiah Tan, 33. “I was having kway chap at Bedok Food Centre when I saw an uncle take a drink sample from Kenneth’s stall. Within 10 seconds, without even checking the price, the uncle said, ‘gei wo yi bei’ [give me one cup in Mandarin],” recalled Tan. Intrigued, he tried a sample himself and was won over.
The SMU business management and marketing graduate launched a business consulting firm focused on helping SMEs grow in his second year of university and ran it for almost a decade. He has since stepped back from that business, which his partner continues to run.
Why the pivot to owning a hawker brand? Tan said his grandparents used to run a chicken rice stall, working gruelling hours in sweltering heat.
“My grandmother would turn to neighbouring stalls for a cup of Coke to seek relief from the intense heat,” Tan recalled. “By 38, she developed diabetes. Back then, people didn’t understand the long-term implications of these seemingly harmless daily habits.”
Her condition progressively worsened, leading to two amputations. “Her soul and zest for life were sucked out because of diabetes,” he said softly.
“What if, 40 or 50 years ago, the stall behind hers wasn’t selling sugary drinks, but a healthier alternative like our tea where you can control sugar levels? That’s one of the biggest reasons I’m doing this,” Tan emphasised. “Beyond just making money, we want to provide drinks that can contribute to people’s well-being.”
