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Web-only Exclusives
November 30, 2000

From Our Correspondent: Hirohito and the War
A conversation with biographer Herbert Bix

From Our Correspondent: A Rough Road Ahead
Bad news for the Philippines - and some others

From Our Correspondent: Making Enemies
Indonesia needs friends. So why is it picking fights?

Asiaweek Time Asia Now Asiaweek story

Recipe for Success

Set up abroad -- by franchising


IN 1956, CHANG SWANG Boo started a curry-puff stall in Singapore's Albert Street. Every day he sold about 300 deep-fried pastries with a mildly spiced potato, chicken and egg filling. Nephews "Bugs" Tan Yau Teck and Han Keen Juan took over in 1986. Today, Ten (that's a variant spelling of Tan Yau Teck's family name) & Han Trading turns out 18,000 "Old Chang Kee" puffs a day for sale in Singapore. The items are available in eight other countries, including Malaysia and China.

How do you export curry puffs? You don't. Ten & Han offers franchises for Old Chang Kee: The Taste of Singapore outlets for $30,000 to $100,000. (The company has annual turnover of $3.5 million, but declines to reveal profit figures.) "We're actually selling the system," says director Tan, 47. Ten & Han is now looking to export Singapore-made puffs to labor-expensive markets like the U.S. and Britain. It already ships curry powder mix to India. Chuckles Tan: "We're taking coals to Newcastle."

Ten & Han has had to adapt its products. In India, some of its pastries have vegetable fillings to conform with religious dietary restrictions. But in South Africa, the Old Chang Kee outlet sells meat pies along with curry puffs to entice meat-loving customers. "It's a long process to change people's eating habits," says Tan. But he knows that a big business can begin with small things.

-- Reported by Santha Oorjitham / Singapore

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