Pek Sin Choon

When the Pek family first travelled down to Singapore from Anxi, China, the figurehead – the father of Pek Sin Choon's founder – passed away when the latter was only eight, leaving behind a mother-son duo. After twelve years of rigorous work through various odd jobs in Singapore and Indonesia, Pek got married to an Indonesian Chinese woman, and began selling tea door-to-door. Some success in his newfound line of work led him to set up Pek Sin Choon at George Street in 1925.

Pek had great sense of entrepreneurship and wanted his tea to suit the palates of Singaporeans, so he experimented heavily with Chinese teas to create unique blends that satisfied them, all at relatively affordable prices. He even pioneered the brand's unique culture of drinking Iron Arhat tea with Bak Kut Teh – a tradition still followed in Singapore today. The popularity was a great surprise as the tea was five times the usual price of ta in the 1950s, when Bak Kut Teh was a food meant for the rich.

Today, Pek Sin Choon offers an assortment of different tea leaves, having created tea blends like Golden Cassia, Charm of Buddha's Palm, and Royal Daffodil to cater to the tastes of younger Singaporeans.