We all know that Singapore is undisputedly one of the safest and cleanest countries in the world—home to the best airport in the world as well as cheap yet amazing hawker food, our Little Red Dot is indeed a country that easily piques one’s interest.

Yes, many of us agree that the temperatures here can drop by 10 degrees or so, but there are so many reasons to love Singapore that we endure our all-year-long summer. Besides being famous for the banning of chewing gum and our seemingly animated colloquial slang, Singlish, there are plenty of reasons for us to be oh-so-proud Singaporeans.

Here are 13 Homegrown Brands That Will Make All Singaporeans Proud of Our Little Red Dot—we bet you didn’t know that half of these are homegrown brands! #majulahsingapura

AWFULLY CHOCOLATE

What started as a statement to tackle dessert vendors everywhere, home-grown Awfully Chocolate has successfully established itself as one of the best and most popular chocolatiers around the world. Famed for its variety of chocolate-laden desserts, we absolutely go mad for their All Chocolate cake, that sees a simple chocolate cake between layers of dark chocolate fudge.

BANYAN TREE HOLDINGS

Established in 1994, Banyan Tree Holdings is founded by Singaporean businessman Ho Kwon Ping. In 1995, Ho and his wife Claire Chiang chanced upon an empty plot of land on the western coast of Phuket which was soon after developed into Banyan Tree’s first resort.

Since then, Banyan Tree has grown to be Asia’s premier luxury hotel and resort brand with close to 40 properties internationally. It now has hotels as far apart as Mexico and Seychelles.

Photo Credit: Bee Cheng Hiang

BEE CHENG HIANG

Bakkwa—an all-time favourite snack amongst Singaporeans that is enjoyed particularly during the Chinese New Year period. For the uninformed, Bakkwa is essentially smoked and roasted pieces of pork with a consistency similar to jerky.

Founded in the 1930s by Singaporean businessman Mr Teo Swee Ee, Bee Cheng Hiang started out as a humble stall in Chinatown. Today, Bee Cheng Hiang sees over 260 retail outlets serving their famous bak kwa in 13 other countries across countries including Vietnam, South Korea and Cambodia.

BREADTALK

You’ve probably had a few of Breadtalk’s ever-popular Floss buns for breakfast if you grew up in Singapore. Founded in 2000, BreadTalk has expanded rapidly within the past 2 decades, establishing a distinctive presence in 18 locales across Asia, the Middle East, and most recently Europe.

Other brands that are under the Breadtalk Group include Din Tai Fung, Food Republic and Toast Box, which would probably sound very familiar to Singaporeans as well as those living in our neighbouring countries.

Photo Credit: Visit Singapore

BENJAMIN BARKER

An esteemed purveyor of smart-casual attires for men, Benjamin Barker is a home-grown fashion label founded by Mr Nelson Yap, who—you’d be surprised to hear—is a film graduate from the University of Melbourne as he had the intention to pursue a career in film-making.

The brand’s first store opened in Marina Square in 2009 and now sees retail stores in Melbourne, Seoul, Malaysia and a flagship store in Los Angeles.

Yap says that he intends to develop Benjamin Barker into a lifestyle brand by combining retail, F&B and hospitality—they even have a Benjamin Barker Café located in Cathay Cineleisure Orchard now!

Photo Credit: Miss Valerie Tan

BROWHAUS

One should never underestimate the importance of eyebrows in changing your image. Many of us, image-conscious or not, would be familiar with the brand Browhaus, which is a one-stop salon dedicated to perfect your lashes and brows.

Browhaus was established in 2004 under the wings of Spa Esprit Group, a homegrown brand founded by Singaporean businesswoman Cynthia Chua. The brand now has outlets all over the world, including stores in London and New York City. What more can we say? Browhaus is on fleek!

Photo Credit: Charles & Keith

CHARLES & KEITH

Set up by sibling duo Charles Wong and Keith Wong in 1996, Charles & Keith is a Singaporean fast-fashion footwear and accessories retailer which now has over 600 stores worldwide, including locations in Africa and Latin America.

It is amazing to see a 100% Singaporean brand grow from being a humble shoe shop in Amara Shopping Centre to venturing internationally and imprinting their global footprint across regions in Asia, the Middle East and Europe alongside Latin America and Africa!

OLD CHANG KEE

Lo and behold, the ultimate go-to for curry puffs and giant fishballs. Old Chang Kee started out as ‘Rex Curry Puff’, an assuming stall situated near the then Rex Cinema along Mackenzie Road.

Old Chang Kee has expanded expeditiously to opening franchises in Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia. Just weeks ago in June 2018, they officially launched the opening of an outlet in London where guests can get their hands on Singapore’s famous curry puffs.

OSIM

OSIM would probably be first to come into your mind when luxurious massage chairs are mentioned. With brand ambassadors including Korean superstar Lee Min Ho and Chinese actress and model Fan Bingbing, OSIM has managed to climb its way to becoming a top-tier global brand.

Originally starting out as an electrical and household appliance company in 1980, founder Ron Sim saw an opportunity to bloom in Singapore’s healthcare products industry and thus started OSIM to advocate for a healthy lifestyle.

Credit: Razer

RAZER

Razer is a global gaming hardware manufacturing company established in 2005 by Singaporean entrepreneur Min-Liang Tan and Robert Krakoff.

Step into any IT retail store such as Challenger and COURTS and it would be hard to miss the bright green triple-headed snake logo that dons the front of every Razer product. They offer a wide range of products in the likes of gaming equipment and wearables including smartwatches.

Photo Credit: Skin Inc.

SKIN INC.

The homegrown skincare brand is founded by Sabrina Tan, an IT-expert-turned-skincare-guru who took the leap of faith to step into the beauty industry after having worked in IT for 11 years.

Skin Inc. offers a range of skincare products that combine technology and beauty, providing customers with customisable skincare products. The brand has been a winner of over a hundred beauty awards and their products are now sold in over 20 countries in Asia and Europe.

SINGAPORE AIRLINES

Awarded ‘The World’s Best Airlines’ by Skytrax World Airline Award in 2018 is Singapore Airlines, which has constantly been on the list for the world’s top 10 airlines for the past decade.

SIA has 26,000 group employees who are dedicated to making all traveller’s experience the most comfortable and pleasant experience with their impeccable service. Oh, how lucky we are!

TWG TEA

Short for The Wellbeing Group, TWG Tea is a brand that offers fine harvest teas since its founding in 2008. In a short span of 6 years, TWG Tea has vastly expanded to having outlets in countries such as Canada, Korea, Germany and Australia.

Its parent company is OSIM International, so you can be sure that it is not any atas tea brand from Europe!

Singapore’s food scene is extremely globalised and diverse and we see many international food brands opening franchises here on our sunny island. However, there are still brands which we wished were more easily accessible.

Most of us do not have the luxury to travel very often to our favourite places to savour the food unique to the country/ city. These famous food brands would make our lives so much better if they had outposts here in Singapore.

From Dominque Ansel Bakery to Ichiran Ramen, here are 23 Famous Food Brands We Wish Were In Singapore!

ADRIANO ZUMBO

Some have dubbed him the “King of Pastries” as he is one of the most revered pastry chefs in the world. Adriano Zumbo in Sydney, Australia is led by Chef Zumbo himself, dishing out incredibly beautiful macarons and cakes that are to die for.

AFTER YOU

This dessert cafe should be no stranger to you by now. After You first started in 2007, and it has been synonymous with Shibuya Toasts ever since. The Shibuya Honey Toast (THB175) is what After You got famous for, and fast forward many years, queues still form outside its various outlets every day for this amazing dessert. We are sure After You will be a big hit in Singapore!

AQUA S

The iconic blue soft-serve ice cream surrounded by a “cloud” of cotton candy is probably one of the most memorable desserts floating around social media. Aqua S is from Sydney, and how we wish this pretty dessert brand could reach our shores!

BURGER & LOBSTER

If you have ever travelled to London, you probably would have tried Burger & Lobster, one of the biggest names in London’s food scene. Prices are reasonable—a whole lobster (grilled or steamed) is only at £20 and comes complete with fries and a side salad!

CEREAL KILLER CAFÉ

This popular cereal café from the UK already has franchises around the world. Pick your favourite cereal, milk and toppings to go along to create your own personalized bowl of goodness. Unadulterated snack, we’d like to call this.

DOMINIQUE ANSEL BAKERY

We have always been big fans of Dominique Ansel Bakery for its exquisite sweet treats. The Frozen S’mores is one of our all-time favourites, featuring a torched marshmallow encasing delicious chocolate ice cream. And there is the Cookie Shot, too!

FIVE GUYS BURGER

There is always a huge debate on which is the best fast food burger in the United States. And recently, Five Guys has ousted In-N-Out Burger as the number 1 favourite burger brand. Yes, we’d love for them to be in Singapore too.

FLAT IRON

If you are looking for a value-for-money steak in London, go to Flat Iron. For just a mere £10, you can get a substantial portion of steak. Always cooked to perfection with a plethora of add-on sides, we really foresee ourselves patronising a lot if they ever came to Singapore.

GRAM PANCAKES

You’d probably have seen photos and boomerang videos of these fluffy pancakes on Instagram. They jiggle when you shake the plate, they really do. Cafe Gram is famous for its Japanese-style Soufflé Pancakes.

IN-N-OUT BURGER

You should be no stranger to this massive name. In-N-Out Burger is THE prized burger in the California. The perfect American-style cheeseburger, paired with their “secret menu”
Animal-style Fries is probably one of the best and sinfully-good meals you can ever have.

ICHIRAN RAMEN

To begin to describe the beauty of an Ichiran Ramen bowl, we first have to start off with the whole experience. You sit in your own singular booth and wait for your bowl of noodles to be served to you. Before it even reaches you, you will be blown away by the fragrance of the rich tonkotsu broth. Upon first bite, you will be sold. They have outlets in the US and Hong Kong, so why not Singapore next?

LUKE’S LOBSTER

Luke’s Lobster has made a name for itself in New York City by bringing the best of the Maine Coast to New York City with fresh Maine lobster, crab and shrimp rolls at unbeatable prices.

The long lines outside Luke’s Lobster stores in Japan are testament to its popularity. We are definitely keeping our fingers crossed that Luke’s Lobster will be opening more outlets in Asia, especially Singapore.

MOMOFUKU MILK BAR

When visiting New York, you would definitely notice the Momofuku Milk Bar chain of outlets. Serving simple and delicious cookies and desserts, you can do no wrong with their signature Cereal Milk Soft-Serve!

M&C.DUCK

Offering a modern twist to traditional Peking and Shanghainese cuisine, M&C.Duck is not quite what you would expect of a typical Hong Kong restaurant.

It serves one of the best Peking ducks in Hong Kong and we certainly hope that we can satisfy our cravings for it in Singapore one day.

MONMOUTH COFFEE COMPANY

If you have a hankering for seriously good coffee in London, chances are that the locals will lead you to Monmouth Coffee Company. The coffee here is highly rated and each cup is prepared with love by the expert baristas.

ONE DIM SUM

Over the past years, we have seen several openings of successful Hong Kong food establishments right in Singapore. The Hong Kong food invasion has given us hope that One Dim Sum might just join the list in the future.

With just one nondescript and humble outlet in Prince Edward, One Dim Sum has been in the spotlight ever since they earned their one Michelin star in 2012. Even though it did not retain the Michelin star, the queue at the restaurant remains the same every day – it is mostly packed with regulars who return again and again for its much-lauded dim sum.

PIERRE HERMÉ

When you think of French pastries, you think of Pierre Hermé. This French pastry shop has probably the best macarons in the world. Each macaron is prepared with extreme intricacy, a quality that is quintessential in French bakeries.

ROAST

Roast—one of our favourite cafes in Bangkok—is no stranger to Singaporeans. Its flagship outlet at The Commons is perpetually packed with brunch-goers.

SADAHARU AOKI

Sadaharu Aoki is both the Japanese pastry chef’s name and the renowned French brand for Japanese-inspired desserts. He is undisputedly the best pastry chef in the whole of Japan. Holding on strong to his Japanese roots, Aoki’s menu of intricate desserts come with a hint of Japan or two; think black sesame eclair and yuzu macarons.

THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY

This massive American chain restaurant is world famous and stepping into the store is a mind-blowing experience; the shelves of cheesecakes are just crazy! There is also a huge menu of savoury food items. While prices are slightly steep, we still wished they were in Singapore!

THE HALAL GUYS

What started out as just an unassuming food truck in New York City has now turned into one of the biggest and most successful food franchise in the US. Their famous platter of chicken and gyro is something many people swear by and makes an ideal grab-and-go lunch!

For now, The Halal Guys has outposts in Jakarta and Seoul. So should you ever find yourself in those cities, be sure to check it out.

URBAN BAKERY WORKS

This Hong Kong brand first kick-started the whole salted egg yolk croissant trend in Asia. Despite trying many renditions since then, we are still die-hard fans of the original at Urban Bakery Works.

% ARABICA COFFEE

The famous % Arabica Coffee from Kyoto is taking over the world one coffee at a time. It currently has branches in Japan, Hong Kong, Kuwait and United Arab Emirates. And in 2017 alone, it will be expanding to Bahrain, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Oman. We are keeping our fingers crossed that it will open in Singapore one day.

One of the many things that make us proud to be Singaporeans has to be our country’s dynamic culinary scene. We have also heard successful stories of fellow Singaporeans who started small in the F&B industry but have expanded across the globe with many branches to their names.

Of course, nothing worthwhile ever comes easy and behind every success story is a difficult journey full of obstacles. There is much we can learn from their perseverance and willingness to overcome any setback.

Today, let us celebrate the achievements of 11 Local Food Brands That Expanded Overseas and found recognition on an international scale.

#1 BAKERZIN

Known for their array of attractive desserts, Bakerzin is a household name today and a popular choice when you need a simple afternoon tea session.

Besides its many outlets in Singapore, you can also find eight Bakerzin outlets in Jakarta, Indonesia.

#2 BREADTALK GROUP

BreadTalk started in 2000 by founder George Quek, and the award-winning F&B Group also owns Din Tai Fung, RamenPlay and Toast Box among others.

The expansion has seen BreadTalk with bakeries across 15 countries including Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.

#3 CRYSTAL JADE CULINARY CONCEPTS

We are such fans of Crystal Jade Culinary Concepts because of their traditional Chinese food that never fails to impress.

Having first expanded to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, Crystal Jade outlets are now operating in Asia and even San Francisco.

Photo Credit: Janice Wong Singapore

#4 JANICE WONG

Janice Wong is a renowned pastry chef in Singapore who is a genius at creating lavish, deconstructed desserts. She is the mastermind behind the popular 2am:dessert bar at Holland Village and JANICE WONG SINGAPORE restaurant in National Museum of Singapore.

She has two other successful dessert bars in Tokyo and Hong Kong.

#5 LAO BAN SOYA BEANCURD

Who would have known that a small stall in Old Airport Road Food Centre selling soya beancurd is able to turn a nostalgic snack such as Tau Huay into a trend? Yet, they did it.

Lao Ban’s chilled and firm beancurd-pudding is so good, and the company has ventured into Ho Chi Minh City, setting up a small cafe selling gelato, waffles, milk tea and coffee.

#6 PARADISE GROUP

Homegrown brand Paradise Group is no stranger to Singaporeans. Paradise Group started its first seafood restaurant at Defu Lane in an industrial estate back in 2002. Today, it has expanded into a massive empire with different restaurant concepts in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Dubai, Taiwan and Philippines.

#7 THAIEXPRESS

With its many outlets in Singapore, one can easily satisfy their cravings for Thai food at any ThaiExpress outlets. Following its successful first outlet in Holland Village, ThaiExpress can now be found in Australia, China and Mongolia.

#8 TUNGLOK GROUP

Readers would know that we are some of the biggest fans of TungLok Group’s arsenal of restaurants; well, we will never get tired of their good dim sum, seafood and Chinese dishes.

Started in 1984, TungLok Group manages 30 restaurants of various dining concepts across Indonesia, Japan, India and China.

#9 TWG TEA

It is not astonishing that TWG Tea usually comes to mind whenever someone mentions afternoon tea but are you surprised to find out that this foreign-looking brand is actually from Singapore?

Established in 2008, TWG Tea is an upscale tea salon that currently has outlets in Asia, America, United Kingdom, Australia and the United Arab Emirates. That’s really impressive, yes?

#10 WEE NAM KEE CHICKEN RICE RESTAURANT

Hainanese chicken rice is a favourite among Singaporeans and Wee Nam Kee is a popular brand that we can always count on. Look out for their other outlets in Jakarta, South Korea and their latest addition—Japan.

It has been reported that all their chefs are being taught to prepare everything from scratch and the marinades are not shipped from abroad. Does it still taste equally good? Well, you would have to make that judgment call for yourself.

#11 YA KUN KAYA TOAST

The most famous kaya toast chain in Singapore is not just a household name in our country but has also made a mark in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Myanmar and more.

We are glad that our friends from abroad get to have a taste of authentic kaya toast from Singapore—an irresistible combination of hot toast, creamy kaya jam and rich butter.