Singapore father opens home-based bubble tea shop after 9 business failures
Anders Kok, a 39-year-old father of two, launched Anders' Brew from his kitchen near Woodleigh MRT station in August after nine food businesses failed over 14 years. The home-based kopitiam serves contemporary drinks such as kaya toast beverages, with prices from S$3.90 to S$4.90.
After more than a decade of running commercial food businesses and with little savings remaining, a Singaporean father has turned his kitchen into a home-based bubble tea shop. Kok Bing Hui, who goes by Anders, opened Anders' Brew in August, offering contemporary versions of local coffee shop favourites from his home near Woodleigh MRT station.
The menu includes variations on teh tarik and Nanyang-style kopi, as well as creations such as a kaya toast drink and a mango pomelo dessert beverage. Prices range from S$3.90 to S$4.90 (US$3.05–3.83). Drinks can come with toppings and add-ons including pandan foam, soy beancurd and mochi, in place of the tapioca pearls typically offered by bubble tea shops.
Anders' Brew is his latest effort to start his own business. He operated nine food concepts over 14 years, all of which have closed, he said on Instagram. The ventures included crepe and salad shops, mala xiang guo and Korean fried chicken businesses, most of them food court stalls.
The reasons for closure varied. His salad shop at Singapore Management University was initially "doing quite well", but sales declined after he raised prices "due to greed", and maintaining revenue during school holidays was difficult. Quality control was the main reason behind some of his other closures, as maintaining standards was challenging when he was not physically present.
Anders considered "calling it quits" in June when his food stall lease ended, citing the punishing rental and staffing costs in the food and beverage industry. But a family trip to Guangzhou, China, last year reminded him of Singapore's coffee shop culture and its staples, prompting the idea for a kaya toast drink.
Operating from home saved him the cost of rent, deposits and fittings, and he spent less than S$1,000 setting up the business. As of Oct 5, Anders' Brew had sold 500 cups, averaging eight to 10 cups a day. Most customers live within a few kilometres of his home, and he occasionally provides free delivery for bulk orders to customers farther away.
Anders, who has operated nine food concepts over 14 years, all of which have closed, said the repeated setbacks have not deterred him. He considered calling it quits in June when his food stall lease ended, but a family trip to Guangzhou, China, last year inspired him to persevere. His wife questioned his decision to stay in the industry, but he said she is supportive and he plans to make the business work within six to nine months.
