Ya Kun Kaya Toast

Coordinates: 1°18′N 103°48′E / 1.3°N 103.8°E / 1.3; 103.8
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1°18′N 103°48′E / 1.3°N 103.8°E / 1.3; 103.8

Ya Kun Kaya Toast
亚坤加椰面包
亞坤加椰麵包
FounderLoi Ah Koon
Headquarters237 Alexandra Road, Singapore
Area served
Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Macau, Myanmar, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Philippines
Key people
Adrin Loi (Executive chairman)
ProductsKaya Toast
Number of employees
300 (As of 2012)[1]
Websiteyakun.com

Ya Kun Kaya Toast (

cafés selling toast products (notably kaya toast), soft-boiled eggs and coffee. Founded by Loi Ah Koon in 1944, Ya Kun remained a small family-run stall for decades, but has expanded rapidly since Loi's youngest son headed the business in 1999. The chain has over fifty outlets, mostly franchised, across 14 countries, and is a Singaporean cultural icon
, known for its traditional brand identity and conservative, people-centric corporate culture.

History

In 1926, Loi Ah Koon (黎亚坤) emigrated from

kaya, this became their signature kaya toast.[2][6] Registered in 1944 as Ya Kun Coffeestall (Ya Kun being Ah Koon in Hanyu Pinyin),[4][7] the stall gradually developed a reputation for delicious kaya toast and friendly service.[2][6] The couple, their eight children and seven other families lived together in a three-storey shophouse across the road, where the Hong Leong Building now stands.[8] As the children grew up, they began to help stir the kaya, run errands,[7] charcoal-grill the bread and eventually, manage the stall.[2]

Ya Kun Coffeestall moved to Lau Pa Sat in 1972, but high rents and renovation of Lau Pa Sat in 1984 sparked a return to the Telok Ayer Market;[2][5] nevertheless, the stall continued to attract "customers who came every day, some from as far as Jurong or Woodlands".[4] In 1998, the market closed down, so the stall relocated to Far East Square and was renamed Ya Kun Kaya Toast.[5][7] The following year, Ah Koon died and his youngest son, Loi Boon Sim Adrin (黎文深),[2][9] took over the business,[7] determined "to keep his father's legacy going".[7] Realising that Ya Kun had a lot of goodwill and potential,[2] Adrin decided to expand the business, the family opened a second store at Tanjong Pagar and, in 2000, began franchising the brand.[7] Ya Kun was incorporated in 2001,[6] and they launched their first overseas outlet (in Indonesia)[10] in 2002 and have since expanded their menu (adding ice cream toast and the Toastwich).[8] They have won the 2004 and 2005 Superbrands Award,[7] the 2005 to 2007 SIFST Product Award and the 2008 SPBA-CitiBusiness Regional Brands Award.[6][11]

Products and stores

Kaya toast with boiled eggs and coffee is the signature dish of Ya Kun Kaya Toast.

Ya Kun Kaya Toast has over forty Singaporean outlets,[12] about half of which are franchised,[11][13] and over thirty overseas outlets,[12] all franchised,[11] across seven countries (China, Indonesia, Japan, Myanmar, South Korea, Taiwan, Philippines and United Arab Emirates[14]); they plan to expand to Brunei, India, Malaysia, the Maldives, and Thailand in future.[11][12] The stores have a retro ambiance,[15][16] with wooden tables and stools,[15] a Chinese calligraphy of the company name,[17] posters about their history,[8] and traditional methods of preparing food and customer service reflecting Chinese family values.[15][16] Unlike their main competitors, they have a limited menu that revolves around their core product, kaya toast,[15] with cheese, peanut butter and ice cream as alternative spreads for their thin, brown, crispy bread.[8] To appeal to a wider demographic, Ya Kun also sells French toast and Toastwiches (their Asian alternative to sandwiches).[13][15]

Prices at local Ya Kun stores are slightly higher than those at

Straits Times review described the toast as "evenly sliced" and of "the right texture", the eggs as "cooked to perfection" and the teh tarik as "not too milky and not overpoweringly sweet either".[18]

Management

Adrin has an 80 per cent share of Ya Kun Singapore and his younger brother, Algie, has a 20 per cent share,

sustainable growth over actively pursuing new opportunities,[5][15] nurturing family-like relationships among staff (they do not fire or retrench workers)[17] and avoiding aggressive conflict with competitors.[2] Although Ya Kun do not publicly disclose their financial figures, a 2009 Lianhe Zaobao article estimated that the company had an annual revenue of S$8 million,[13] while a 2012 article in The Star stated they had 300 employees.[19]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Expansion plans a-brewing at Ya Kun". Asia One. 29 October 2012. Archived from the original on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Tan, Lei (29 June 2003). 60年烘焙出来的商誉 [Good reputation of brand built over 60 years]. Lianhe Zaobao (in Chinese).
  3. ^ Vasko, Lydia (18 February 2018). "A taste of home abroad". The Straits Times.
  4. ^ a b c d Teo, Pau Lin (17 August 2003). "Kaya war spreads". The Straits Times.
  5. ^
    The Business Times
    . 24 June 2003.
  6. ^ a b c d e Koh 2010, pp. 1–6
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Tan Yi Hui, "Toast to sweet success", The Straits Times, 9 March 2009.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Ya Kun wants to keep the old charm", The Business Times, 5 July 2002.
  9. ^ Gittleson, Kim (6 April 2014). "Meet Singapore's coffee king Adrin Loi". BBC. Archived from the original on 7 November 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  10. ^ a b c Low Shi Ping, "A toast to expansion in Asean", The Edge Singapore, 3 December 2007.
  11. ^ a b c d e Hu, Yuanwen (10 August 2010). 品牌助企业打开海内外市场 [Branding helps companies crack into overseas markets]. Lianhe Zaobao (in Chinese).
  12. ^ a b c "The Ya Kun Family". Archived from the original on 23 February 2014."
  13. ^ a b c d e f Xu, Fugang (14 May 2009). 品牌就是对客户的承诺 [Our brand identity lies in our commitment to our customers]. Lianhe Zaobao (in Chinese).
  14. ^ "Opening of Ya Kun Coffee & Toast at Ibn Batuta Mall". Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Singapore). 26 September 2013. Archived from the original on 7 November 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i Koh 2010, pp. 7–19
  16. ^ a b c Chen Junwei, "咖椰吐司有心 [Toast with a heart]", Ming Pao, 18 September 2008.
  17. ^ a b c Koh 2010, pp. 81–96
  18. ^ a b c Sandra Leong, "Toast to toast", The Straits Times, 16 April 2006.
  19. ^ Toh, Yong Chuan (29 October 2012). "Expansion plans a-brewing at Ya Kun". The Star.

Cited literature

Media related to Ya Kun Kaya Toast at Wikimedia Commons

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