For their efforts, the Wong children received a new bicycle to tear around on. Little did they know that these childhood vignettes were all part of building one of Singapore’s best-known brands.
Today, as Phoon Huat’s Commercial Department Head and Director of Business Development, Wong leads a team of buyers whose portfolio spans more than 14,000 products.
Phoon Huat, which her grandfather founded in 1947, now boasts a production facility, a distribution centre, a fleet of 25 multi-temperature zone delivery trucks that serve more than 4,000 delivery points, export sales to more than 10 countries, an e-commerce platform and 21 retail stores across Singapore.
SIMPLE BEGINNINGS
A Hainanese immigrant, Wong Tai Fuang arrived in Singapore with his family after the World War II.
“When my grandfather started this venture, he rented a table at McNair Road, which he shared with four other business owners like an umbrella maker, tailor and locksmith. That’s where he took orders for his food colouring and drink concentrates, which he bought in cartons from local traders and resold by the bottle,” explained Wong.