SINGAPORE: From traditional hot brews to carbonated tea and even gelato, century-old Chinese tea merchant Pek Sin Choon is exploring new ways to introduce its tea blends to younger customers.
Beyond experimenting with new products, the business is also drawing fresh interest, with customers discovering it through social media and artificial intelligence platforms such as ChatGPT and Gemini.
The company has seen footfall increase by around 20 per cent since it was recognised under the National Heritage Board’s (NHB) Heritage Business Scheme in October 2025.
Under the scheme, Pek Sin Choon has received social media marketing support and signed up for consultancy services to help showcase its heritage and reach new audiences.
“Beyond the footfall and all the sales, I think the key thing is that we are able to do a little bit more for the community, and this part of the Singapore story can be better shared not only to the community, but actually to the rest of the world,” said the firm's director Kenry Peh.
But while the scheme has helped businesses attract new customers, challenges such as succession planning and preserving traditional skills remain.
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Among the challenges Pek Sin Choon hopes to address is how to modernise its operations while preserving its heritage and retaining its ageing workforce.
“Being a 100-year-old business, we face a lot of challenges. When you touch a century-old recipe, you are touching legacy," said Mr Peh.
"Our worry has always been: How do we evolve without losing our soul?"
The company has also had to balance productivity improvements with retaining its older employees, some of whom are aged over 70.
It has opted for a smaller tea leaf proportioning device that can boost output by two to three times, rather than larger equipment that could potentially replace several workers.
“We choose to maintain the human factor side,” said Mr Peh, adding that he hopes the consultancy services can help the company navigate such trade-offs while preserving its identity.
Pek Sin Choon’s director Kenry Peh hopes to modernise its operations while preserving its heritage. (Image: CNA)
For traditional Malay eatery Rumah Makan Minang, preserving its heritage has required addressing challenges within the family itself.
Managing director Hazmi Zin said differing opinions among family members had made it difficult to agree on the direction of the business.
Unlike larger corporations where employees can leave or be replaced, disagreements within family businesses are harder to resolve, he said.
“For family, we can't terminate ... we have to face it daily,” he said.
Rumah Makan Minang previously sought consultancy support through a separate NHB transformation grant, which helped family members improve communication and align their priorities.
"Sometimes, as a family, it is difficult for us to tell one another certain things. Having an independent third party helped us have those conversations in a more structured and objective way," he added.
Under the Heritage Business Scheme, the eatery has also received professional photography and marketing support to help attract younger customers.
Mr Hazmi estimated that sales increased by about 5 to 7 per cent after the company began using the new photographs in its marketing.
Overall, the business also saw sales grow by an estimated 10 to 15 per cent over the last two years, although Mr Hazmi said price increases to cope with inflation had also contributed to the growth.
He said being recognised as a heritage business had helped bring in new customers who discovered them through the scheme’s branding.
But beyond attracting customers, Mr Hazmi is concerned about ensuring the business survives.
He hopes to encourage the fourth generation of his family to take over the reins.
Rumah Makan Minang's managing director Hazmi Zin said being recognised as a heritage business had helped bring in new customers who discovered them through the scheme’s branding. (Image: CNA)
Indian fashion retailer Stylemart faces a different challenge, with the pool of skilled artisans in India it relies on, including weavers, shrinking by roughly half since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“These crafts are not something that you go into a university or institute and you come outwith a certificate. These are crafts that are passed from one generation to another,” said Stylemart’s creative and managing director Kavita Thulasidas.
Ms Thulasidas said some weavers have left the field to become auto-rickshaw drivers, while the younger generations are increasingly pursuing employment in call centres or digital-related fields which are less labour-intensive.
She has been travelling to rural villages in India and working directly with artisans to help sustain their livelihoods.
“It's really important that businesses like ours, the heritage businesses, come under a different category of businesses, and we're given a little bit more assistance in finding the right skill sets that we can bring into Singapore,” she said.
At the same time, Stylemart is looking to tap the Heritage Business Scheme’s consultancy and design support to modernise its retail experience and attract younger shoppers.
The company has already benefited from digital marketing and storytelling initiatives, which have helped attract new customers, including those from other ethnicities interested in cross-cultural dressing and heritage fashion wear.
Moving forward, she hopes the scheme will adopt a more consultative approach, with support tailored to the unique needs of each business.
Stylemart’s creative and managing director Kavita Thulasidas says the pool of skilled artisans she relies on is shrinking. (Image: CNA)
Challenges involving specialised manpower and traditional skills will not be directly addressed under the Heritage Business Scheme, said NHB.
Instead, an interagency task force, involving agencies including the Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Ministry of Manpower, is looking into these challenges.
“A lot of the skill sets learned through the heritage craft don't take a day or two. These masters took years to master their craft,” said NHB’s director of heritage policy and research Georgina Koh.
“We are also looking at ways of how we can attract Singaporeans to be interested in learning (a) craft, so that we widen the pool of people who can potentially take on the businesses.”
NHB said 23 of the 42 businesses recognised have signed up for consultancy support under the Heritage Business Scheme since its launch.
NHB’s director of heritage policy and research Georgina Koh speaking to CNA. (Image: CNA)
The board said it has engaged consultants who have reached out to the businesses and are arranging interviews to better understand their needs and identify possible solutions.
“Over the next stage, through the course of speaking with the businesses over the last year, as well as through the consulting service, we will be reviewing and figuring out how we can continue to refine the scheme so that it will be even more useful for the businesses,” said Ms Koh.
NHB is also planning a walking trail to encourage members of the public to visit heritage businesses and learn more about their histories.
It hopes to bring more businesses into the scheme in the first half of 2027.
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Beyond experimenting with new products, the business is also drawing fresh interest, with customers discovering it through social media and artificial intelligence platforms such as ChatGPT and Gemini.
The company has seen footfall increase by around 20 per cent since it was recognised under the National Heritage Board’s (NHB) Heritage Business Scheme in October 2025.
Under the scheme, Pek Sin Choon has received social media marketing support and signed up for consultancy services to help showcase its heritage and reach new audiences.
“Beyond the footfall and all the sales, I think the key thing is that we are able to do a little bit more for the community, and this part of the Singapore story can be better shared not only to the community, but actually to the rest of the world,” said the firm's director Kenry Peh.
But while the scheme has helped businesses attract new customers, challenges such as succession planning and preserving traditional skills remain.
CNA Games
Show More Show Less
BALANCING TRADITION WITH MODERNISATION
Among the challenges Pek Sin Choon hopes to address is how to modernise its operations while preserving its heritage and retaining its ageing workforce.
“Being a 100-year-old business, we face a lot of challenges. When you touch a century-old recipe, you are touching legacy," said Mr Peh.
"Our worry has always been: How do we evolve without losing our soul?"
The company has also had to balance productivity improvements with retaining its older employees, some of whom are aged over 70.
It has opted for a smaller tea leaf proportioning device that can boost output by two to three times, rather than larger equipment that could potentially replace several workers.
“We choose to maintain the human factor side,” said Mr Peh, adding that he hopes the consultancy services can help the company navigate such trade-offs while preserving its identity.
Pek Sin Choon’s director Kenry Peh hopes to modernise its operations while preserving its heritage. (Image: CNA)
KEEPING FAMILY BUSINESSES UNITED
For traditional Malay eatery Rumah Makan Minang, preserving its heritage has required addressing challenges within the family itself.
Managing director Hazmi Zin said differing opinions among family members had made it difficult to agree on the direction of the business.
Unlike larger corporations where employees can leave or be replaced, disagreements within family businesses are harder to resolve, he said.
“For family, we can't terminate ... we have to face it daily,” he said.
Rumah Makan Minang previously sought consultancy support through a separate NHB transformation grant, which helped family members improve communication and align their priorities.
"Sometimes, as a family, it is difficult for us to tell one another certain things. Having an independent third party helped us have those conversations in a more structured and objective way," he added.
Under the Heritage Business Scheme, the eatery has also received professional photography and marketing support to help attract younger customers.
Mr Hazmi estimated that sales increased by about 5 to 7 per cent after the company began using the new photographs in its marketing.
Overall, the business also saw sales grow by an estimated 10 to 15 per cent over the last two years, although Mr Hazmi said price increases to cope with inflation had also contributed to the growth.
He said being recognised as a heritage business had helped bring in new customers who discovered them through the scheme’s branding.
But beyond attracting customers, Mr Hazmi is concerned about ensuring the business survives.
He hopes to encourage the fourth generation of his family to take over the reins.
Rumah Makan Minang's managing director Hazmi Zin said being recognised as a heritage business had helped bring in new customers who discovered them through the scheme’s branding. (Image: CNA)
SHRINKING POOL OF SKILLED ARTISANS
Indian fashion retailer Stylemart faces a different challenge, with the pool of skilled artisans in India it relies on, including weavers, shrinking by roughly half since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“These crafts are not something that you go into a university or institute and you come outwith a certificate. These are crafts that are passed from one generation to another,” said Stylemart’s creative and managing director Kavita Thulasidas.
Ms Thulasidas said some weavers have left the field to become auto-rickshaw drivers, while the younger generations are increasingly pursuing employment in call centres or digital-related fields which are less labour-intensive.
She has been travelling to rural villages in India and working directly with artisans to help sustain their livelihoods.
“It's really important that businesses like ours, the heritage businesses, come under a different category of businesses, and we're given a little bit more assistance in finding the right skill sets that we can bring into Singapore,” she said.
At the same time, Stylemart is looking to tap the Heritage Business Scheme’s consultancy and design support to modernise its retail experience and attract younger shoppers.
The company has already benefited from digital marketing and storytelling initiatives, which have helped attract new customers, including those from other ethnicities interested in cross-cultural dressing and heritage fashion wear.
Moving forward, she hopes the scheme will adopt a more consultative approach, with support tailored to the unique needs of each business.
Stylemart’s creative and managing director Kavita Thulasidas says the pool of skilled artisans she relies on is shrinking. (Image: CNA)
MORE TARGETED SUPPORT IN THE PIPELINE
Challenges involving specialised manpower and traditional skills will not be directly addressed under the Heritage Business Scheme, said NHB.
Instead, an interagency task force, involving agencies including the Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Ministry of Manpower, is looking into these challenges.
“A lot of the skill sets learned through the heritage craft don't take a day or two. These masters took years to master their craft,” said NHB’s director of heritage policy and research Georgina Koh.
“We are also looking at ways of how we can attract Singaporeans to be interested in learning (a) craft, so that we widen the pool of people who can potentially take on the businesses.”
NHB said 23 of the 42 businesses recognised have signed up for consultancy support under the Heritage Business Scheme since its launch.
NHB’s director of heritage policy and research Georgina Koh speaking to CNA. (Image: CNA)
The board said it has engaged consultants who have reached out to the businesses and are arranging interviews to better understand their needs and identify possible solutions.
“Over the next stage, through the course of speaking with the businesses over the last year, as well as through the consulting service, we will be reviewing and figuring out how we can continue to refine the scheme so that it will be even more useful for the businesses,” said Ms Koh.
NHB is also planning a walking trail to encourage members of the public to visit heritage businesses and learn more about their histories.
It hopes to bring more businesses into the scheme in the first half of 2027.
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