Samsters willing to pay for their Swiss Standard Kaya Butter toast soon? Our Bakers need u to save their shops de woh

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From kaya toast to sourdough: Can nostalgia save Singapore’s traditional bakeries from fading away?​

While modern palates crave new flavours, Singapore's appetite for homegrown nostalgia in the form of old-school bakeries remains unchanged.

Bakers at Sweetlands Confectionery and Bakery. (Photo: Facebook/Sweetlands Bread and Bakery)



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12 min


Charmaine Jacob
09 Jun 2026 06:00AM (Updated: 09 Jun 2026 07:18AM)
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SINGAPORE: When heritage bakeries and homegrown bread manufacturers close shop or move out of Singapore, it stirs up more than nostalgia as people love an “everyday staple” that comes fresh out of an oven, said food experts.

That is why whenever bread makes the news in Singapore, such as when homegrown breadmaker Gardenia decided to move its production line to Malaysia or when old-school bakery Tiong Bahru Galicier Pastry closed in 2022, consumers react strongly, they said.

 

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Said Assistant Professor of sociology George Wong at Singapore Management University: “If olfactory, visual and gustatory cues help us relate to memories and community, then the decline of these places like bakeries also signal not just a loss, but also as an irrecoverable dissipation of the familiar sensibilities of past communities.”

Bread is, after all, a cultural symbol and a reflection of a changing Singapore, which originated from British colonial palates and was gradually influenced by Asian tastebuds, said experts.



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From the once familiar sight of cream-filled buns sold by “roti men” on bicycles to the artisanal sourdough loaves sold in shopping malls, they said the evolution of what people are eating and where they are buying from mirror how lifestyles, cultures and preferences have changed over the years.

Associate Professor of the School of Business at the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) Dianna Chang said bread is entrenched in Singaporeans’ daily routines.

 

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Kaya Roti is Sinki Collie Gene Culture National Treasure- can be a national dish de woh