Despite uncertainty, S’porean returns home from Australia, starts experiential cafe grocery store in Joo Koon

Every day, Pang Gek Teng (or Gek, as she prefers to be called) travels between her home in Tanah Merah and Joo Koon.

Gek is the owner of Australian-specialty grocer and cafe Surrey Hills Grocer, which opened at the start of this year.

More specifically, the grocer is located right opposite the SAFTI Military Institute.

To me, that’s the Far West -- uninhabited, roamed only men and women there by function or obligation.

But to Gek, the drive is part of the experience because every visit to a farm begins with a drive.

“I literally brought back to Singapore my five years of memories in Melbourne, with this store.”

An “experiential” cafe grocery store

My trip to Surrey Hills Grocer certainly was an experience. A 40-minute experience with both the taxi driver and I doubting if we were heading in the right direction.

The grocer sits inside recreational centre D’Arena, which at first glance is very much a ghost town on a Friday afternoon.

But as the taxi rolls to a stop, I catch a glimpse of warm patio lights and people sipping their coffees al fresco.

Location aside, the cafe part of the grocer seems abnormally crowded for a weekday afternoon.

“During lunch on weekends, the waiting time used to be two to three hours,” Gek says. This is the usual crowd for a Friday.

“It’s now about an hour since we added more seats.”

The Surrey Hills Grocer cafe has been quite popular with cafe-loving Singaporeans and westside residents, with its charming ambience reminiscent of Australian cafes.

There’s even a special scent used in the grocer, with fragrance notes from Australian flowers, to transport customers down under.

The coffee, a most important item in any Australian-style cafe, is sourced from Proud Mary Coffee, a Melbourne brand.

In fact, Gek says, almost every ingredient used in the menu is from their grocer, sourced directly from Australian farms.

The signature menu item is the ubiquitous avocado toast, or “Avo”, a nod to the Australian slang for avocado.

“It’s my favourite dish,” Gek says after Avo arrives on our table.

Two large slices of bread with four globs of smashed (Australian, Gek is quick to add) avocado stare back at me.

“It’s a simple dish, but takes the most effort to get right. I think it’s a dish that represents the freshness of the grocer.”

The cafe was the backup plan, the grocer was the main business idea

Gek is a likely poster child for mid-career switchers who ditched their 9 to 5 jobs in pursuit of paths unbeaten.

Leaving her stable banker job to become an entrepreneur, she started and sold two business ventures before embarking on Surrey Hills Grocer.

As a college student, Gek had embarked on the University of Newcastle’s bachelor of business programme with PSB Academy, eventually transferring her studies to the Australian university’s campus to complete her final year in Melbourne.

When Gek sold the first business venture she started after leaving her banker job, Gek returned to Melbourne.

To finance her stay, she began a home bento business, sourcing fresh produce from farms in Melbourne.

I ask why she didn’t just buy her ingredients from a supermarket.

“I’ve always been interested in knowing the stories behind farms and their produce,” Gek answers.

Eventually, her home bento business blossomed into three physical stores, which was sold in late 2019 to a larger organisation that could take the business further.

By then, Gek had established relationships with farmers across Melbourne, and was smitten with Australian farm products.

Returning to Singapore in 2021, there was only one thought on her mind -- to bring in the Australian farm products she adores.

“The cafe was to draw people in,” Gek says, referring to the grocer’s remote location.

“It was the backup plan. And there would be no food wastage from the grocer as well.”

Australian products straight from the source

“Did you ever think, when you were in university, that you would become a grocer?” I ask.

The answer is a no, of course.

As a student of both PSB Academy and the University of Newcastle, she says the opportunity to meet with people from diverse backgrounds opened her mind to possibilities beyond what she knew.

Possibility is also what drove her to start Surrey Hills Grocer in the first place.

“You drive here, you see products you cannot see unless you are at a farm in Australia.” Gek explains.

What then of the reality of consumerism?

Did she really think her business would take off, opening an Australian-specialty grocery store in the Far West of Singapore and competing with household supermarket names?

“My friends were all asking me if I was sure about what I was doing,” she says.

But Gek is able to keep prices in the grocer competitive, because they import products directly from her network of small Australian farms.

There is no middleman involved.

With this direct import strategy, Gek says she can, and tries to cover every budget in the grocer.

She also says that for certain fruit products, Surrey Hills’ prices are comparable to even that of major supermarkets.

“I speak directly to the farmers. They tell me the best way to bring their products over. When I place the products in the store, I send them pictures. They are always excited and find it incredible,” Gek shares happily.

And because she works with small farms that do not produce the volume that would attract supermarket brands, some of Surrey Hills Grocer’s products are exclusive.

Of course, the cafe has definitely been doing its job in bringing customers in.

Selling the Australian experience

We chat about how the business has been since its launch, and Gek shares that Singaporeans have a preference for fast service -- a change for her, compared to the relaxed attitudes most Australians have.

But Gek’s received a lot of support from customers too, and the business already has a healthy 6-figure turnover.

There are plans to expand Surrey Hills Grocer beyond the Far West.

“We would love to be closer to everyone across the island. I’m an optimist at heart. I have the right team now,” she says.

At this stage of her life, Gek knows she can take Surrey Hills Grocer to the next level, without having to sell off the business.

Beyond the Australian products, Gek is fully aware that Surrey Hills Grocer is also selling the experience of being and living in Australia.

“Singaporeans crave somewhere to travel to.”

Every visit to a farm begins with a drive.

All photos courtesy of Gek.

This sponsored article by PSB Academy made the writer wish she had a good business idea.