Disappearing Trades

Do you know what Singapore was like in the 1950s to 1980s? Join us as we journey through time and visit our traditional Nanyang coffee roasting factory. Here, you will learn everything about coffee beans – such as the differences between Nanyang coffee and what Starbucks uses, roasting techniques, temperature control, and more. Throughout the process, we'll also let you taste black coffee and local breakfast snacks.

Our next stop will take everyone to another traditional industry - a bread-making factory. In an environment filled with the aroma of fresh bread, you'll have the opportunity to learn the process of making traditional bread from the masters and understand the story behind the insistence on making and selling freshly without adding preservatives.

Lastly, you'll hear the story of a master of paper house construction, understanding how the Chinese use burning paper products as a dedication and expression of respect for ancestors in the afterlife.

If you are interested in Singapore's fading intangible cultural heritage or wish to hear the stories of craftsmen, or if you just want to rediscover a side of Singapore you may not know, then join our itinerary!

Travel back in time with us on this beautiful journey as we bring you back in time to a different Singapore. Learn how bread was made the traditional way before the modern loaves hit our shelves. Visit one of the oldest remaining traditional bakeries left in Singapore and taste the difference. Hear from our baker why this once thriving business is now a disappearing trade.

Next, hear first hand from one of the masters of paper houses making, how the Chinese pray and pay their respects to their ancestors by burning paper objects as a form of offering to the afterlife. Learn about this custom steeped in tradition and its modern manifestations.

Also, a visit to our very popular coffee roasting factory*. Here you learn about the local kopi industry, the tricks of the trade, roasting techniques, and a sampling of kopi ‘O’ or black coffee.

If you are nostalgic about heritage and love meeting craftsmen who are fiercely proud of their trade, join us for this time travel to what Singapore was like in the sixties through eighties. If like us, you believe this is the best way to know a place, through conversations with its people, and that much of what’s present today comes from our past, then get to know Singapore through our disappearing trades.