‘We were quite shocked’: Duke Bakery responds to viral ‘poop-looking’ bread
Duke Bakery went viral this Qixi Festival after its U-shaped bread was compared to poop.
On 29 Aug, Duke Bakery posted a brown U-shaped ‘Chocola Cheese Bread’ on Instagram to mark the Chinese Valentine’s Day.
“Celebrate love, connection, and the little moments that matter most,” wrote the bakery, which encouraged customers to indulge in its rich chocolate and creamy cheese loaf.
Source: Duke Bakery on Instagram
However, many thought the bread looked less romantic and more like poop.
The post quickly went viral, attracting memes, jokes, and millions of views.
Image by MS News.
Bakery clarifies design: ‘We didn’t realise it might be seen differently’
In a statement posted on 2 Sept, Duke Bakery apologised for the confusion and explained that the U-shape was meant to resemble a horseshoe — a traditional symbol of good luck.
The bread had been on shelves for 13 years, and staff had become so used to its look that they never considered how it might be perceived differently.
Source: Duke Bakery on Instagram
“We didn’t expect it to go viral, and it certainly wasn’t intentional,” the chain wrote.
“We sincerely apologise if it caught anyone by surprise.”
‘We laughed… but also panicked,’ says Duke Bakery team
Speaking to MS News, Duke Bakery’s marketing and management team admitted they were both amused and alarmed by the viral jokes.
“Honestly, we were quite shocked at first since we never thought about that before. But we also laughed along with everyone — it was funny to see how creative people can be,” the team said.
“At the same time, we panicked a little since we didn’t expect the reactions to go viral.”
They added that no staff member had ever joked about the shape before: “It really never crossed our minds. We’ve been selling this bread for so many years that we were just used to its look.”
Source: Paula Pang on Facebook
The team told MS News that even though they chose to feature the bread recently, it has always been one of their top bestsellers.
A look at Duke Bakery’s Instagram page shows how this bread was also included in some early August SG60 promotions.
Source: Duke Bakery on Instagram
Far from being a disaster, the jokes actually boosted sales.
“Our sales went up, especially for the Chocola Cheese Bread that went viral. We even saw people buying 10 pieces at a time,” the team shared.
“It’s never received this much attention before.”
From horseshoe-shaped to heart-shaped
On 3 Sept, the bakery announced that it had reshaped the bread into a heart.
Customers on Instagram were then invited to comment on the new design, with the most-liked response winning a free loaf.
Source: Duke Bakery on Instagram
However, not everyone was ready to say goodbye to the original version.
“Maybe some will miss it for the laughs,” the team said.
“We’ve seen people still ‘not able to unsee’ the poop shape even after we reshaped it into a heart.”
When asked if the episode was a blessing in disguise, the bakery said it was both.
“It is free publicity, and we’re glad if it made people laugh,” they told MS News.
“But it’s also a good reminder for us to always look at our products from different perspectives when developing or before launching them.”
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Featured image adapted from Duke Bakery on Instagram and Sengkang Grand Mall.
