Yesterday Once More – Ya Kun Kaya Toast
Wednesday, 15 August 2007
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Yesterday Once More – Ya Kun Kaya Toast
Ya Kun International Pte Ltd
100 Cecil Street 11th Floor The Globe
Singapore 069532

Long Live Ya Kun's Kaya Toast

Image Ya Kun Coffee Stall at Telok Ayer Basin

The beauty of visiting Singapore these days is the ease with which you can let your tastebud take a step back in time and take a bite into true blue local traditions. And the best of these come with an equally endearing tale. The story of Ya Kun is one such boy-made-good tale that takes you all the way back to the pre-WWII days when Singapore was a teeming trading port of the British Empire. Then was an era of Chinese coolies and labourers, who, fleeing a strife-torn China, sailed south with the hope of turning their hard labour into a pot of gold. Young Mr Ya Kun, only 15 then, had a similar ambition.
Image Mr Loi Ya Kun with his Kaya toast
Image Ya Kun Kaya Toast
Image Mr Adrin Loi, Executive Chairman, Ya Kun International Pte Ltd
Image Ya Kun Kaya Toast Set
Image Ya Kun Hot Beverages

The year was 1926 when Ya Kun arrived in Singapore and soon after landed himself a job in a coffeeshop - a common trade among his Hainanese compatriots who had found a foothold in their newfound land of opportunities. After a few years, with some savings and two partners, he started his own business selling what he knew best – the coffeeshop staple of coffee, tea, egg and toast. Then the common man's humble breakfast or snack, it became the bedrock of Ya Kun's coffeestall business.

The business got a boost when Ya Kun's wife arrived from China in 1936 and put the kaya toast (Kaya is the local name for the sweet coconut egg jam) on the menu. But Ya Kun the coffeestall remain strictly a mom-and-pop operation through the years as the couple brought up their eight children. The stall moved a few times and, finally in 1998, settled at its present location at Far East Square. By this time, Ya Kun the coffeestall have been in operation for more than half a century and had found its way into the hearts and habits of many loyal customers. In the year 1998, Mr Ya Kun passed on, leaving his namesake business to his children. Thanks to a worldly outlook and keen sense of what Singaporeans want, the children not only kept the business alive but fast-tracked it to modernity and much success.

Today, Ya Kun's brand of affordable, traditional food and beverage is embraced by one and all. Office workers, students, retirees, tourists, families, indeed everybody, will always have a good reason to make a pit stop at a Ya Kun outlet.

The story of Ya Kun is still unfolding, but visitors to Singapore should not miss the beauty of its authentic, homespun simplicity. There are now more than 25 Ya Kun branches all over Singapore. Just look for the maroon colour umbrellas or shop signs when you are at Far East Square, Takashimaya, Funan Digital Life Mall, Suntec City or Raffles City. We suggest you at least try its signature item – the Kaya Toast (brown toast served with slabs of butter and Kaya jam) with a cup of coffee - it's a good break from all that sightseeing.

And if you are from Indonesia, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, the Philippines or Vietnam, you may be glad to know that this little taste of Singapore may be coming to a neighbourhood near you. According to Ya Kun's chairman Mr Adrin Loi, son of the founder, the company's down-to-earth goodness is already proving to be a hit among the well-travelled, younger generations of Japanese and Koreans and plans are afoot to introduce the Ya Kun experience to a much wider audience.

For a toast of history, kindly log onto www.yakun.com or Tel: 6222 4567

Text by S.T. Leng. Photos courtesy of Ya Kun International.All rights reserved

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