• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Dame Cacao
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Korea
  • Podcasts
  • Start Here
  • Follow Along

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Recipes
    • Korea
    • Podcasts
    • Start Here
  • Follow Along

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×
    • 17 Myths About Chocolate (& The Truth Behind Them)
    • What is Ceremonial Cacao? (Recipe + Brand Reviews)
    • 23+ Unique Cardamom Desserts to Make at Home
    • 39+ Hazelnut Desserts to Make at Home
    • 41+ Delicious Lime Desserts You Can Make at Home
    • 19+ Tantalizing Willy Wonka Desserts
    • halloween themed cookies
      43+ Best Halloween Desserts
    • sukhothai lobby salon chocolate buffet truffles and hot chocolate
      19 Homemade Hot Chocolate Recipes (From Classic to Unique) 
    • 13 Best Hot Cocoa Mix Brands (Beyond Swiss Miss!)
    • sukhothai lobby salon chocolate buffet pouring hot chocolate
      Does Hot Chocolate Help You Sleep? (Why, How & How Much)
    • wooden beer barrel
      17+ Magical Harry Potter Cookie Recipes (Easy to Hard) 
    • melted chocolate in a small bowl on a white background.
      How to Melt Chocolate Chips (3 Easy Ways) 
    Home

    Chocolate On The Road: Singapore

    Updated: Oct 7, 2023 by Max · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    369 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet

    "Eating chocolates is no longer like when we were kids... we snacked on chocolates, it's more about enjoying eating a good piece of chocolate. It's like a lifestyle."

    -Ronald Ng, Co-founder of Lemuel Chocolate

    Singapore is much better known for its financial institutions than its fine food selection, and this is for good reason. The options for chocolate lovers in Singapore have increased dramatically over the last several years, but relatively few consumers have become interested. Locals are still more interested in fine cakes and foreign cookies than they are in chocolate. It will take big steps for the Little Red Dot to put itself on the world's chocolate map. But how about Singaporean consumers?

    What could convince Singaporeans to buy more and better chocolate, if anything? To find some answers to this query, I spoke with co-founders from two Singaporean bean to bar chocolate companies, and a bean to bar chocolate retailer in Singapore. Just five years ago, none of these companies existed. Today's episode explores the basis of fine food in Singapore, as established by the country's young fine coffee culture.

    To read an article related to this episode, click here.

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Max Gandy // Chocolate Travel (@damecacao) on Jan 10, 2020 at 7:20am PST

    Topics We Cover

    • background on how Singapore became a country
    • what attracts Singaporeans to craft chocolate
    • the most popular chocolates & chocolate flavors in Singapore
    • chocolate's very own "Starbucks"
    • how Chinese heritage has hurt Singapore's overall chocolate consumption
    • challenges of opening a retail chocolate shop in Singapore
    • consumer expectations from a chocolate shop vs. coffee shop

    Show Timeline

    0:00-2:50~ Episode introduction to Singapore and its young fine food culture.

    2:50-10:50~ The most popular chocolate flavors and brands in Singapore, as well as the country's history with manufacturing mass-produced chocolate (Jay Chua & Charis Xie).

    10:50-12:10~ The basics of coffee culture in Singapore (Ronald Ng).

    12:10-19:20~ The role of the Mast Brothers in spreading Singaporean chocolate culture, how Hello Chocolate was launched, and what makes craft chocolate more appealing to the changing Singaporean public when compared to mass market chocolate (Dima Minkov).

    19:20-28:48~ The influence of many Singaporeans' Chinese heritage in the country's chocolate consumption, the most popular types of chocolate in Singapore, and the challenges of running a physical chocolate retail store. Also, the end of the episode (Ronald Ng).

    The chocolate bar display at Lemuel Chocolate in Singapore.

    More About Our Guests

    Jay Chua & Charis Xie: Two of the three co-founders of Fossa Chocolate, the first bean to bar, craft chocolate maker in Singapore. Check out Fossa's Website, Instagram, and Facebook.

    Dima Minkov: Co-founder of Hello Chocolate, an online fine chocolate retailer based in Singapore since 2015. Check out Hello Chocolate's Website and Instagram

    Ronald Ng: Co-founder of Lemuel Chocolate, a bean to bar, craft chocolate maker based in Singapore, with a retail shop in downtown Singapore. Check out Lemuel's Facebook, Instagram, and Website.

    Further Reading

    • Basic history of and background on Singapore
    • "Duck Shit" Tea
    • Specialty coffee culture in Singapore
    • What are "heaty" foods?

    Connect With Chocolate On The Road

    On Instagram: @chocolateontheroad

    On Facebook: @chocolateontheroad

    Show music is Roadtrip by Phil Reavis, and our transition music is We’re Gonna Be Around by People Like Us & multiple songs by Lobo Loco. Also includes clips of "Contract" by Marceau of Freemusicarchive.org and "Homeroad" by Kai Engel (http://www.kai-engel.com/) of Freemusicarchive.org.

    More Interviews & Podcast Show Notes

    • Craft Chocolate Review Omnom Icelandic Nicaragua Cacao 73% Front of Bar Packaging
      Interview: Kjartan Gíslason, Co-founder of OmNom Chocolate
    • Interview: Julia Choi-Rodriguez & Roger Rodriguez, Cofounders of Vesta Chocolate
    • Craft Chocolate Review Sun Eaters 80% Front of Bar Closeup
      Interview: Gillian Goddard, Activist Chocolate Maker at Sun Eaters Organics
    • Complete Seattle Chocolate Guide indi Chocolate factory mole marshmallow
      Interview: Erin Andrews, Founder of indi Chocolate
    369 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    No Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Max! I've been in the chocolate industry for over a decade. I'm passionate about helping you find great chocolate wherever you are, and explore my home of South Korea like a local.

    More about me →

    Popular

    • sukhothai lobby salon chocolate buffet pouring hot chocolate
      Does Hot Chocolate Help You Sleep? (Why, How & How Much)
    • 31 Low-Calorie Chocolate Snacks (100 Calories or Less)
    • How to Make Box Brownies Better: 17 Chocolate Expert Tips
    • 11 Unusual Things to Add to Hot Chocolate (& How Much!)

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility
    ecole chocolat logo certified-chocolate-maker

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 Dame Cacao

    369 shares