Jakarta, IO – The tradition of visiting relatives during Eid in Indonesia is becoming more enjoyable because of special snacks such as ketupat, various home-made cakes to canned snacks served in almost every home.
Khong Guan is one of the canned cakes prepared by the host to welcome their guests. This brand is very popular in Indonesia. According to Katadata, Monday (24/4), the Kurious survey in March even noted that 85.5% of respondents said they are familiar with this brand.
Khong Guan has a rich and long history. The brand with the distinctive logo of a mother and her two children eating bread at the dining table is a fixture in Eid celebration.
This legendary cookies was founded by two brothers Chew Choo Keng and Chew Choo Han. In their twenties, they migrated from China to Singapore in 1935 to support their families. They first worked at a local biscuit company owned by Tan Kah Kee.
During Japanese occupation of Singapore, The Chew brothers fled to Malaysia and worked hard to survive. They tried to produce various goods, from making salt, soap from wood ashes, to biscuits.
In 1945, when Japan left Singapore, they returned to the city state to sell pastries. Their fortunes began to improve when the younger brother, Chew Choo Han, bought the biscuit factory where they worked.
He repaired the machinery and used a bicycle chain so that it could operate semi-automatically. Production capacity increased rapidly and in 1947 the Khong Guan Biscuit factory in Singapore was established at 18 Howard Road.
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Afted finding success in Singapore, the Chew brothers chose Malaysia as their new market. In the following decades it expanded from Southeast Asia to the Middle East and Hong Kong.
The Chew brothers succeeded in bringing Khong Ghuan into the US and Japanese markets in the 1980s. Now, Khong Guan Biscuit Company has become a multinational company that exports its products to 40 countries. (un)