Story Behind Household Brands In Singapore
You know their names, but not their stories.
Singaporeans use and trust many familiar brands and products everyday. But we may not have taken the time to find out how their names were coined and some of the interesting stories behind them.
Letโs take a look at some of them:
1. Koi Thรฉ
Understanding where the name โKoiโ comes from takes a little bit more perspectiveโฆliterally.
Have you always wondered why the word โKoiโ on the storefront is always slanted at an angle?
Well, thatโs to give customers a clue as to the dual meaning of the moniker โ rotate the word โKoiโ 90 degrees and you get the Chinese character Dou (่ฑ). By slanting the word in this manner, people can see both the word โKoiโ and the character ่ฑ.
Notice the similarity? ่ฑ means โbeansโ in Chinese, which is how some teas and coffee are often made.
2. Kickapoo Joy Juice
Most of us โ90s kids probably remember slurping on Kickapoo growing up, sometimes even more often than Coke or Sprite.
But what a lot of us donโt know is that โKickapooโ is actually a fictional beverage in the American comic strip Liโl Abner, that supposedly consisted of ingredients such as grizzly bears, panthers and kerosene even.
Thank god our Joy Juice isnโt the same!
3. Durex
Durex is probably the worldโs most well-known condom brand. They can be found in every convenience store in Singapore, strategically placed near the cashier so as to embarrass the buyer of these condoms as much as possible.
And they famously signed an exclusive deal to provide condoms to the athletes in the Olympic Village at the London 2012 Games.
But most of us donโt know that Durex actually stands for โDUrability, Reliability and EXcellenceโ.
4. Milo
Nathan Hartonoโs favourite drink was actually named after a famous ancient Greek wrestler: Milo of Croton.
Milo was known to have insurmountable strength โ he was even able to carry a bull.
The drink was first created in the 1930s by Australian Thomas Mayne to give strength to the malnourished children during the Great Depression, so he probably intended to channel strength from the Greek wrestler.
5. Ya Kun Kaya Toast
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Ya Kun is the go-to place for Singaporeans who want to eat kaya toast. Its toast, eggs and coffee have a special place in every Singaporeanโs heart.
In 1926, Hainanese creator Loi Ah Koon and his wife started selling the signature kaya toasts at Telok Ayer Basin.
Naturally, it was registered under Mr Loiโs Chinese name โ Ya Kun is Hanyu Pinyin for Ah Koon.
6. Charles & Keith
Even if youโre not a woman, you would have seen Charles & Keith shoe shops everywhere. And you may be wondering why a shop that clearly sells womenโs shoes and handbags is named after two guys.
Well, itโs named after brothers Charles and Keith Wong, who started the business in 1996 selling womenโs shoes made in Malaysia and China.
Today, it is one of Singaporeโs top brands and continues to expand on a global scale, showing us that true brotherhood can go a long way.
7. Tiger Balm
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Ah, our ah maโs favourite.
Although the name alludes otherwise, no tigers are harmed in the making of Singaporeโs well-loved ointment.
In fact, Tiger Balm was named after Aw Boon Haw, the eldest son of Hakka herbalist Aw Chu Kin. According to the company, the name Boon Haw means โthe gentle tigerโ.
No wonder it always feels so gentle on our aching stomachs.
8. Din Tai Fung
The go-to restaurant for xiaolongbao always attracts long queues even now, more than 13 years since the first store opened in Singapore in 2003.
Its moniker is actually a combination of two names. Founder Yang Bingyi initially started Din Tai Fung as a cooking oil retailer company, combining the name of his past workplace (Heng Tai Fung) and his new oil supplier (Din Mei Oils).
As their oil business started stalling, Mr Yang and his wife started selling xiaolongbao. As his dumplings became more and more popular, he stopped selling oil and Din Tan Fung became a restaurant instead.
9. Eu Yan Sang (ไฝไป็)
While traditional Chinese medicine companyโs name sounds like just the name of its founder, itโs not exactly that boring โ not really, anyway,
The chainโs name does come from the surname of its founder Eu Kong, but also the words ไป (rรฉn) and ็ (shฤng).
While ไป means benevolent, kind or humane, ็ means birth, life or livelihood.
Together, โYan Sangโ literally means โcaring for mankindโ, which is exactly what the company has been doing for several decades.
10. Kit-Kat
The well-known chocolate wafer snack was actually named after mutton pies. Say what?
Baker Christoppher Catling made delicious pies and served them at the meetings of a famous English literary club in the late 17th century, which met at his house. Thus, the club members named the pies Kit Kats, and called themselves the โKit Kat Clubโ.
The club was well-known, and the name โKit Katโ thus became popular. Confectionery company Rowntreeโs then trademarked the name and used it for their chocolate wafers.
In other words, what once were known as savoury pies for political activists are now sweet, chocolatey wafers for children.
11. OSIM International
The lifestyle-focused companyโs name came from the surname of founder Ron Sim. What does the โOโ stand for, though?
Well, it actually represents the globe, hinting at OSIMโs intended expansion plans.
12. F&N
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Most of us know F&N as an O Level subject that involves a lot of cooking and paperwork. (Food & Nutrition).
However, Fraser and Neave (F&N) is actually a food and beverage company created by friends John Fraser and David Chalmers Neave, who wanted to move away from their printing business in 1883.
Today, the company is responsible for well-known beverages like 100Plus, Nutrisoy and Redbull.
Talk about friendship goals.
13. Yakult
It is said that the probiotic dairy product Yakult was derived from the Esperanto word jahurto, which literally means โyogurtโ.
You may ask, why use Esperanto? Isnโt Yakult from Japan?
Well, itโs probably for the same reason the name of Eunoia JC was coined โ to sound pompous and stand out. After all, it is said that creator Dr Minoru Shirota was a true cosmopolitan.
No wonder he managed to sell his product to a plethora of countries.
14. Qoo
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The name for the popular white grape juice drink is actually the sound the drinkโs cutesy mascot makes whenever he tastes the drink.
The drinkโs name in Mandarin is transliterated as ้ ทๅฟ (kรน รฉr), which means โcool kidโ in Chinese โ perhaps it refers to the mascot.
However, other transliterations of these words also lead to the word โqueerโ, which may not be the intended meaning behind the drink.
15. Best Denki
The name Best Denki is actually a simplified version of the Japanese name Kabushiki-gaisha Besuto Denki. This literally translates to โthe best electronics companyโ.
With itโs numerous outlets in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, it sure qualifies as one of the best contenders out there.
Still, weโll leave you to decide how appropriate of a name it is.
Featured image from The Pleasure Monger.