Singapore — The journey of You Tiao Man’s founder Audrey Chew was recently submitted to The Independent Singapore, highlighting a story of perseverance and quick responses to changing trends in the industry.

This is the story of how a You Tiao (Chinese doughnut) business flourished despite trying times is one meant to be shared to inspire others.

You Tiao Man started as a Business-to-Business (B2B), serving clients such as hotels, event caterers and restaurants.

“I believe April 2020 is a period where no business owner would ever forget,” said Ms Chew. “Singapore went into the Circuit Breaker lockdown, and within two months, You Tiao Man’s business had fallen over 50 per cent.”

“We’ve seen factories shut down and the displaced workers knocking on our doors to ask for temporary employment,” she added, providing glimpses of the happenings on the ground.

Others reached out to their business asking to increase credit extensions from the usual 30 days to 90 days.

“Internally, I promised to take care of the staff, and we quickly reacted, by first streamlining our process and saving costs where it mattered,” said Ms Chew.

They implemented a leave rotation during slow days and dedicated time to perform research and development to modify their product to tap into the Business-to-Consumer (B2C) market.

“After a few weeks, we realised there is no near end sight to the end of the pandemic, and it would be naïve to sit and wait for the virus to suddenly disappear overnight.”

You Tiao Man began selling its products online to home consumers and managed to grow in the B2C market.

The company began selling mini You Tiaos “ready in five minutes.” The product is compatible with most home appliances and doesn’t require deep-frying.

Due to the overwhelming response from customers, You Tiao Man recently did a packaging rebrand and launched its products into all FairPrice Finest outlets.

“The approach has brought our sales to new heights in both offline and online channels!” said Ms Chew.

“I am grateful also to discover that our company has the resilience and agility to adapt and innovate in such times. I now understand that innovation is not about technology or product development; it’s also about the innovative mindset.”

Ms Chew on preserving Singapore’s hawker culture

Ms Chew is a fourth-generation hawker who aims to carry the traditions and hawker culture to the next generation.

She noted that the hawker culture in Singapore is slowly fading from the modern world. As young people remain unwilling to join the industry, many recipes and crafts of the past will be lost, said Ms Chew.

“Hawker culture is so much more than just about the food. It tells us a bit about the history, the heritage of the food and where it comes from. It’s also a gathering point for people from all walks of life,” said Ms Chew.

/TISG

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