A big hearty congratulations to Bee Cheng Hiang, Singapore on the Grand Opening within the Jewel of Changi Airport and may it shine and prosper with many years to come.
Store has officially been launched on the April 17 2019. Another year, marks another milestone.
TRULY multifaceted store within the “Jewel”. Crafting a truly wonderous, one-of-kind experience for any visitors that graced the store. A Barbeque Theatre – where visitors could feast their eyes on the grilling of bakkwa as well as bask in the surroundings that could be found within the “Jewel” like the “Tallest indoor waterfall” that is surrounded by beautiful indoor landscape garden.
It was 1933 when an enterprising migrant developed an idea to peddle his mobile cart along the street of Chinatown to sell his unique and tasty homemade barbecued meat. Business was especially brisk during festive seasons for this high quality delicacy. Mr. Teo Swee Ee introduced this traditional cuisine as ‘Bakkwa’.
This marked the birth of Bee Cheng Hiang legacy.
With over 80 years of commitment under our belt, our value remains unchanged. We believe in delivering the finest to our customers and their loved ones and for them to experience enjoyable moments in life through the sharing of our products.
Japan is the 11th overseas market for the sliced barbequed pork maker, who told Channel NewsAsia that customer response has been “very positive”.
CNA/ll
Japan is the 11th overseas market for the sliced barbequed pork maker, who told Channel NewsAsia that customer response has been “very positive”.
TOKYO: Singapore bak kwa brand Bee Cheng Hiang opened its first store in Japan last Thursday (Sep 22), after close to two decades of trying to enter the market.
The key regulatory hurdles include getting permits to import fresh pork slices from Singapore, and to barbeque these in-store.
“There were a lot regulatory requirements, there were a lot of government to government negotiations, as well as clearing of the permits,” said Bee Cheng Hiang group general manager Daniel Wong, adding that Bee Cheng Hiang received support from government agencies International Enterprise Singapore and the Japan External Trade Organization.
“We also had to explain to the landlords, property agents that the in-store barbeque is a feature in all Bee Cheng Hiang stores worldwide. It took them a while to understand what the concept is about, and how we display and sell the items.”
Japan is the 11th overseas market for the sliced barbequed pork maker, who told Channel NewsAsia that customer response has been “very positive”.
Although the iconic Singapore brand declined to reveal business numbers, it is so encouraged by the demand that it plans to open a second store in Tokyo, to complement its current outlet in Ginza.
Another reason why Bee Cheng Hiang took so long to bring their bak kwa to Japan, said Mr Wong, is that they decided to enter the market directly instead of through a local partner or franchisee.
“Without a middleman, we can cater to the customer’s needs faster. For example, we have customised our packaging to suit the local market. Packaging is something that is very important in this market,” he said.
Informed by the Japanese tradition of gift-giving, or omiyage, Bee Cheng Hiang Japan’s bak kwa are packaged differently from elsewhere.
But while the 83-year-old brand has adapted to local tastes in terms of packaging, it says it has no plans to introduce Japanese-inspired bak kwa flavours.
The new grillery at Serangoon Road has a wine cellar and bar. Customers can also do some hands-on barbecuing over a charcoal pit.
Can’t figure out which Bordeaux goes with your bak kwa? Bee Cheng Hiang’s new grillery will offer you that perfect wine pairing suggestion or allow you a browse through their fully stocked cellar to choose a bottle.
The Bee Cheng Hiang Grillery is the latest endeavour from the homegrown brand, which is known for their sweet-smokey barbecued meat.
(Photo: Bee Cheng Hiang)
Unveiled on Sep 10 at Serangoon Road, it boasts a dine-in bistro, and a wine cellar and bar. Customers can also do some hands-on barbecuing over a charcoal pit, assisted by an expertly trained BBQ chef, of course.
The Grillery is also the first store to offer pork floss that is freshly made on the spot.
The walk-in wine cellar at Bee Cheng Hiang Grillery. (Photo: Bee Cheng Hiang)
Winner of Mediacorp’s Foodstruck and former executive chef of Restaurant Andre, Chef Zor Tan, was roped in as a consultant to create the dine-in bistro menu, which was inspired by the brand’s barbecued meat and pork flosses.
Described as food with a modern fusion twist, the dishes on offer include breaded bak kwa stuffed with cheese (Mozzarella Katsu); bak kwa wrapped in enoki mushrooms (Enoki Roll) and deconstructed do-it-yourself sliders, where coin-sized bak kwa is served on a wooden board alongside caramelised onions, quail eggs and house-made sambal mayo for easy customisation.
Enoki Roll at Bee Cheng Hiang Grillery. (Photo: Bee Cheng Hiang)
“It took us more than three years for the concept development, from wine selection to menu creation. We personally flew to numerous wine chateaux in France to select a nice collection of French red wines that beautifully pairs with our bak kwa” said Daniel Wong, Group General Manager of Bee Cheng Hiang.
Bee Cheng Hiang Grillery is located at 1359 Serangoon Road
Bee Cheng Hiang is more than just a ‘bakkwa’ company. Our Vision is to be Asia’s leading food company: providing quality products and services to the global market. In a world where food safety is of utmost importance, our customers can enjoy our products with a peace of mind. Our bakkwa are made with 100% natural ingredients, without added meat tenderizer, preservatives, artificial flavouring or colouring and MSG. This has remained true since our inception in 1933, and still remains true today.
With more than 370 outlets in 13 territories, we are committed to our mission to be the best at helping people to experience and share enjoyable moments in everyday life.
A Chinese proverb says, ‘Wealth doesn’t pass three generations’, but family business Bee Cheng Hiang has flourished with each transition. The programme Money Mind finds out why.
SINGAPORE: It began as a one-man show, street hawker Teo Swee Ee peddling his barbecued pork slices in Chinatown in 1933. He carried only a bamboo stick with a basket at each end – one containing his product, the other a charcoal grill with which to freshly grill the meat.
Eighty-five years later, appetite for bak kwa has grown and with it, that humble operation. Today, thriving family business Bee Cheng Hiang has more than 370 outlets in 13 territories.
Just as demand these days shoots up at Chinese New Year, group general manager Daniel Wong said that in those early years too, business was brisk for his great-uncle during festive seasons.
“When there were festivals, there’d be a gathering of hawkers. And he’d join (them) and barbecue on the spot for customers. That’s how we started,” he said in an interview with the programme Money Mind, for an episode on family businesses (it airs Feb 17, 10.30pm).
The brand’s founder, Mr Teo Swee Ee (Photo: Bee Cheng Hiang)
Twelve years went by, and Bee Cheng Hiang’s first shop opened in 1945 in Rochor Road. The rest is history.
How did this family businesses survive and go from strength to strength over three generations and an 85-year history? Here are six pointers.
1. LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITY IN PROBLEMS
When the company had a shop in Victoria Street in the early decades, one of its neighbours was a logistics firm whose lorries parked along the road, blocking the shopfront and the Bee Cheng Hiang (or Bee Chun Heng, as it was then known) sign.
“What my great-uncle did was he talked to the owners, saying: ‘How about … I pay you some money to paint your trucks? I’ll beautify your trucks’,” said Mr Wong.
And that was how Bee Cheng Hiang put out its brand name around Singapore – on lorries doing delivery services. “That was probably the advent of advertisement on trucks,” mused Mr Wong.
2. THE YOUNG COUNT, EVEN IF THEY AREN’T TODAY’S DECISION-MAKERS
The company had a bigger problem in 1997-98: The double whammy of the Asian financial crisis and the Nipah virus outbreak.
“First, the economy was bad … Then, people were just afraid to eat pork,” recalled Mr Wong. “That set us thinking, did we want to continue operating in the same mode as before – or did we want to think out of the box?
“And so we started to build up our pool of customers more aggressively.”
In short, Bee Cheng Hiang found that its customer base was getting older, and that it needed to reach out to the young. And so it did.
“For every kid that came into the shop, we made it a point to give (him or her) a sample,” Mr Wong said. “Kids aren’t the decision-makers in purchasing, we know that. But we wanted them to enjoy the taste, .”
The company also gave out free stickers, expecting the children to paste these on their bags, pencil cases and “all over the place”.
The campaign was a success, according to Mr Wong, because of what Bee Cheng Hiang’s straw polls showed years later: Children entering their late teens “all knew the brand”.
3. STAY RELEVANT, FIND NEW MARKET SEGMENTS
The company found other ways to make itself relevant to consumers. In the early 2000s, realising that the pace of life was getting faster, it came up with small, vacuum-packed bak kwa for working adults.
“That suited their lifestyle. They could open it up and eat it without the hassle of having to deal with oil,” said Mr Wong. “They could bring it to the office and … not have any pest problem.”
Because it was such a departure, “when we first started to sell this, our regular customers wouldn’t even look at it, because they were so used to freshly barbecued bak kwa”, said Mr Wong.
Young parents, however, started buying the Mini EZ bak kwa because it was easy to give to their children.
Another group of consumers Bee Cheng Hiang reached out to were those who were health-conscious – by developing the Chiziban, a crispy version of bak kwa that the company’s nutritional tests found to be “high in protein and low in calories”.
The product is made from pork loin, which has a lower calorie count than chicken breast, noted Mr Wong, who added: “This is how we capture different market segments.”
The company is also embracing new payment technology. “Ten years ago, we were talking about the EZ-link card … Today, we’re talking about Alipay, WeChat Pay,” he said. “We have to go with the needs of customers.”
4. GET INTERNAL FEEDBACK, PUSH OUT ONLY THE GOOD STUFF
Although Bee Cheng Hiang’s research and development team creates new products every year, at most only one in five products makes it to the shelves.
New flavours and variants are sometimes rejected because “the market may not be ready”. There would also be consequences if customers get “tired of bad new products”.
“We’d have this bad after-effect where people say, ‘For every new product you launch, I’m not going to try because it’s not going to make it,’” said Mr Wong. “So we only present the best to customers. In this way, (they) would keep coming back.”
While customers are not directly involved in the product development process, the company has a “big selection of colleagues” to tap. “For every product … (we) get internal feedback first,” shared Mr Wong.
We always want honest feedback. We want to hear the bad news if there is any. We want people to be critical because that’s part of the learning process.
5. VALUE NON-FAMILY EMPLOYEES
It may be a family business, but when it comes to finding people to groom in the company, honesty and hard work are the two criteria Mr Wong lists – not blood. It does not matter if the person isn’t a family member, he stressed.
There are now fewer than 10 family members in the company, in senior as well as junior positions. And the general manager of the barbecued pork chain is a non-family employee.
Mr Wong, who joined the company in 1993, said: “From day one, we realised that there are just not enough family members to do everything.”
One reason non-family employees are an important asset is that they bring a diversity of views and experiences. And their trust must be earned.
Mr Ng Siew Quan, PwC Singapore’s Asia-Pacific Entrepreneurial and Private Clients Leader, said: “Managing this group of people will be crucial (so that) they feel that they’re part of the family business … (and) are in the same direction pursuing the vision of the family business.”
Many family businesses in Singapore and Asia are still young, he added, and have not picked up enough lessons to get such business transitions right.
Bee Cheng Hiang, however, has gone from strength to strength because it welcomes and trains all talent, highlighted Mr Wong. “It’s hard to find a suitable person to go into a new market and grow that market, so grooming people is always at the top of our minds.”
6. WIDEN YOUR HORIZONS
When Mr Wong joined the company, it had about 12 to 15 shops in three territories: Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.
Expansion picked up only from the mid-90s, when Bee Cheng Hiang started working with business consultants on a franchising programme. “At that time, franchising was the ‘in’ thing. Everybody was talking about the McDonald’s franchise model,” he said. “It was a great way to expand.”
The company relies on a two-pronged approach: It can use the franchise model as long as the territory is suitable; or it can enter the market directly. Having a franchise partner with good local knowledge about a market can lead to faster expansion.
“We’ve been very successful with the Asian market, and we’re always keeping an eye on the European and American market,” he said.
About 20 years ago, the company used to get only a handful of enquiries from Europe and the United States. It now gets “hundreds” of enquiries but has “yet to find a suitable partner”.
Still, Mr Wong remains hopeful that he can “bring the Singapore taste to a new territory, to a new culture”, as venturing overseas has “definitely” been a key part of Bee Cheng Hiang’s success.
