Brand Story:
Dragon Brand Bird's Nest's founder, Mr Tan Kim Pheow, migrated from Chaoan (South China) in the late 1930s and worked as a marine foodstuffs trader through the post-war tumultuous years. Dismayed by the unhygienic standards of raw edible bird's nest that he was tasked to sell, he was determined to find a solution. One day, he bought home some raw edible bird's nest for his young wife
. Mrs Tan, skilled in handicrafts, cleaned the nests tirelessly beside oil lamps with her delicate hands. Impressed with the cleanliness, Mr Tan started a small business to sell these finely hand selected and cleansed edible bird's nest. Business grew through word of mouth among the affluent community and in 1957, Dragon Brand Bird's Nest was founded, named after the Dragon for prosperity and longevity. Corporate Profile:
Established in 1957 by Mr Tan Kim Pheow, Kim Hing Company processes and sells Chinese delicacies such as bird’s nests, shark’s fins and other traditional health products. With the advancement in food technology in the 1960s, Kim Hing Company ventured into food processing, focusing on the preparation of bird’s nests. Kim Hing Company set up its first retail outlet in Peninsula Shopping Centre. Increasing competition in the bird’s nest processing industry in the 1980’s spurred Kim Hing Company to invest heavily in research and development to stay in the forefront of the market. These investments enabled Kim Hing Company to successfully develop the World’s first glass-bottled bird’s nest in 1986. Advanced processing equipment and manufacturing processes were adopted ─ products were hermetically sealed with vacuum technology and hygienically sterilized by a heat treatment process. The result was a ready-to-eat bird’s nest product with prolonged shelf life which retains the original flavours and nutrients of traditionally prepared bird’s nest. This innovation cemented Kim Hing Company’s position as the pioneer in this industry. Bottled bird’s nest was an instant hit given its great taste, superior product quality, and convenience to end consumers. Widespread popularity resulted in a tremendous increase in demand for bottled bird’s nest products. Dragon Brand Bird’s Nest Pte Ltd was then incorporated to oversee the retail of Dragon Brand products, while Kim Hing Food Industries Pte Ltd took on the manufacturing role for the company. In 2012, Kim Hing Food Industries set up another factory in Senoko and invested heavily in modern equipment to bottle non-halal food products such as abalone and a wide range of herbal soups. The new equipment has the capability to pack herbal soups into retort pouches with longer shelf life. These herbal soup products are sold mainly to restaurant operators, helping to alleviate their manpower costs in preparing soup-based products. These herbal soups are also sold over the counter at Dragon Brand’s café-cum-retail outlet. Over the years, Dragon Brand has consistently delivered high quality and great value products to its customers. Today, Dragon Brand Bird’s Nest has won the trust of many customers with its hygiene, top quality and good flavours, and has become a household brand for premium bird’s nest in Singapore. Building on the increasing demand for bird’s nest products, the Company continues to innovate and grow its businesses. In Singapore, the Company’s products are sold through 9 retail outlets and also distributed through major retail channels, convenience stores, and medical halls. Dragon Brand’s products are also exported all around the world ─ the Company’s products are sold in Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, North America, Europe and Australia.
