Peranakan delights: Health, heritage, and convenience sell – O’nya
Dubai and Australia have sizeable Asian populations that appreciate Singapore’s Peranakan culture. According to O’nya founder Zan Ho, there are health-conscious consumers in these markets too, which is why he includes these two regions in O’nya’s expansion plans.
He agrees that the focus on health and wellness is changing eating habits in Asia, with people embracing mindful eating, paying closer attention to their food choices, and prioritising convenience. As this trend grows, nutrition, well-being, and a healthier lifestyle will likely become even more prominent in the region's food culture.
The pastes are convenient for recreating authentic Peranakan food at home, which is a big draw as making Peranakan pastes requires a lot of time and ingredients. Each pack makes two to four servings of meat or rice and noodle dishes.
“We mainly target ang moh countries with very big Asian populations,” said O’nya founder Zan Ho of regions like UK and the US, where Caucasians are colloquially referred to as ang mohs by Singaporeans and Malaysians.
“For Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia or Indonesia, they have similar food, like rendang, too, and their prices are a quarter of ours. It’s impossible to compete with them, especially if you want to market something premium. As for Korea and Japan, these markets are interesting, but the take up rate will be low,” said Ho of other Asian regions that either already have established brands that make local pastes and sauces, or the Peranakan flavours might not sit well with them.
For the last two years, O’nya has been selling its products in Dubai, where its distributors push for sales on various online platforms and retail stores. O’nya expanded to Australia last year and is currently in talks with Woolsworth to sell its pastes in the supermarket chain.
“The paste market is very saturated with big players that are difficult to compete against. We’re a small company with a very niche product offering. So we’ve been doing research and getting people to try our products,” said Ho.
“Without strong marketing, our products will be lost among a sea of other brands. You’ve got to constantly update and promote your products. It’s the same for Shopee, Lazada, Redmart, and Amazon,” said Ho as he lists the retail platforms where O’nya sells its products. At around SGD2.85 to SGD4.90 (USD2 to USD3.60) for an 80g pack, O’nya’s pricing is slightly premium compared with other brands with similar offerings, which costs around SGD2.25 (US1.60).
Global appreciation of Singapore’s unique food heritage
Since it started in 2019, O’nya has held various sampling sessions and attended trade shows. Ho generally receives positive feedback about the taste and authenticity of O’nya’s nine different flavours, recipes that were handed down by his nonya grandmother.
Locally, it is a challenge to appeal to younger consumers who tend to prefer Korean and Japanese cuisine. But Ho observes a deeper appreciation of one’s heritage with age, so he focuses on the uniqueness of Peranakan dishes versus the different cuisines in Singapore.
“Many Singaporeans have Peranakan roots. It can be traced to their grandparents or great grandparents, they just don’t think about it until they’re older. Peranakan food is not attractive to those under the age of 30, but those above 30 start to get curious about their roots, and they want to embrace this part of their unique Singaporean heritage,” said Ho.
As for overseas consumers, Ho adopts a different marketing strategy and focuses on selling the Singapore brand.
“We tell them that many of our forefathers and leaders are Peranakan, like Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong, and that Peranakan food is a big and unique part of our Singapore heritage. They appreciate our efforts to keep our culture alive and they find it interesting. As for the differences between Malay and Peranakan rendang, for example, we don’t focus on that. To them, rendang is just rendang, they wouldn’t understand the differences between a Malay version and a Peranakan one,” said Ho.
Singapore’s focus on healthier food choices is also relevant to other markets that will appreciate lesser salt and sugar in their food. However, as O’nya is particular about maintaining the authentic flavours of Peranakan cuisine, it tries to make the healthiest possible versions without compromising taste. For this reason, not all their pastes are labelled as “healthier” or halal due to the ingredients and higher usage of salt, sugar, and fat.
O’nya’s packaging carries the Healthier Choice Symbol, a programme that is part of Singapore’s efforts to help consumers make informed choices about their food intake. With the exception of pongteh, a rich dark paste with fermented beans and soy sauce, all of its pastes are 25% lower in sugar and sodium compared to other Asian premixes in the market.
O’nya is also actively promoting its buah keluak paste.
“We have added less candlenuts so that it is more acceptable to the masses. For the Peranakans who are used to the strong flavour of buah keluak, they can add more if they like. They can even add condiments if they prefer,” said Ho.
The choice to add more ingredients or seasoning applies to all O’nya’s products, which are halal except for the buah keluak paste. It showcased popular flavours like chilli crab, laksa, asam pedas, curry, and sambal tumis at the Speciality Food & Drinks Asia (SFDA) 2024, held at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre in Singapore from 26 to 28 June.
All ingredients are natural and sourced in Malaysia, and its production plant is also there.
To expand the product range, Ho is exploring ready-to-eat meal kits, which are gaining acceptance among consumers today.
“Compared to 10 years ago, consumers today are more accepting of ready-to-cook packs and ready-to-eat meals. With increasing awareness and education, people are starting to understand that flash-frozen food can make nutritious meals. Busy lifestyles and the COVID-19 pandemic have also made these convenience packs more popular,” said Ho.
