Research and Development
Ah Kun’s stall really took off when his wife joined him in 1936. Working alongside her husband, she perfected her skill of making homemade kaya (a sweet coconut and egg jam) and put kaya toast on the menu. Ah Kun also began roasting his own coffee over firewood at the back of his stall, adding “Planta” (a well-known Singaporean margarine) and sugar to the mix. These two new menu items were a big hit, and the stall became a booming success, providing Ah Kun and his wife with enough resources to raise their eight children. Over the next thirty years, the Ya Kun Coffee Stall moved a few times but never waned in popularity. In 1998, after more than half a century in business, it moved to its present location in Far East Square, a trendy part of Singapore’s central business district.