Under the Radar: How did Singapore’s oldest Hainanese coffee shop brand thrive while retaining a slice of Singapore’s past over the years? GM of Killiney International spills the coffee.

Source: (Chua Tian Tian, Money FM 89.3) 

8 August 2024
Under the Radar: How did Singapore’s oldest Hainanese coffee shop brand thrive while retaining a slice of Singapore’s past over the years? GM of Killiney International spills the coffee.
With Singapore’s 59th birthday right around the corner, we want to bring you a National Day special of “Under the Radar” where we speak to a homegrown heritage brand that you’ll come into contact with on a day-to-day basis.
Make a guess – this company is also said to be the oldest Hainanese coffee shop brand in Singapore. Established in late 1919 along the busy streets of Killiney Road, our guest for today is none other than – well — F&B operator Killiney!
But there’s a story behind how Killiney Kopitiam came about. The coffee shop was founded as Kheng Hoe Heng Coffeeshop back in the day, serving well-brewed coffee and tea and charcoal-grilled bread toast.
The traditional breakfast fare stole the heart of one regular customer called Mr Woon, who loved it so much that he finally bought the shop in 1993, renovated it, and called it ‘Killiney Kopitiam’.
But despite major renovations, the new owner believed in upholding the legacy of the previous owner, as well as the traditional working style and influence of the coffee shop. The focus remains on making good kaya, bread toast, coffee and tea, even as the brand scales and modernises.
Today, the Killiney Group has grown to a presence of about 50 outlets worldwide, and even moved into the FMCG merchandise business selling ready-to-cook food paste and instant beverages under the same heritage brand.
Now, we’re talking to Killiney Kopitiam not only because the old-school coffee shops are not only one close to our hearts, but also because the trade is also fading away from modern Singapore.
According to a Business Insider article in January this year citing Singapore’s Housing Development Board, only 776 coffee shops remain, down from the over 2,000 traditional coffee shops back in the 1950s. So what was Killiney Kopitiam’s recipe to thrive over the years, all while retaining a slice of Singapore’s past?
Meanwhile, what is the company doing to bring a slice of Singapore abroad to other international markets such as the US?
On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Henry Oh, General Manager, Killiney International.