The Golden Duck — Upturning an Industry with Chips
“When we first moved to the factory, there were a ton of problems with our equipment. Customisations took weeks. We sold whatever stock we had left and needed to produce more.”
“We got a call in the wee hours of the morning from our consultants declaring that the equipment was finally working. There was a big decision to be made: there were deliveries to be made in the morning and stores to open. It wasn’t possible,” says Chris, leaning forward towards me, with a hint of trauma still in his face. “We were prepared to put up sold-out signs at our stores. Mentally, we were rehearsing apologies to our retail partners for not being able to fulfil their orders.”
But instead of throwing in the towel, the founders themselves (together with their chef partner) headed down to their factory — at a time impossible to find staff — and made chips from 2 till 10 in the morning. “Somehow it all came together. It was crazy,” says Jonathan, with a laugh that quickly went dead. “I never want to face that situation again.”
Having been seen on multiple publications across Singapore, you would get the impression that both co-founders of The Golden Duck have it all together. They speak about being laser focused on their audience, and pride themselves on knowing exactly what they want.
“We don’t want to expand too fast. We’re focused on being a gourmet snack company. That’s all. There are others who diversify fast to boost revenue streams. They lose their soul,” says Jonathan, who leads partnerships and marketing. “And our brand? That’s probably the most important thing. It’s vital to your consumers when you’re selling a packet of chips for $7 a pop.”
The work that goes into making packs of these popular snacks is mountainous. After going through over 30 different recipes and countless hours of research, the team finally crafted the winning recipe for their salted egg yolk chips. This relentless focus on ensuring that taste and texture are nothing short of perfect, has proven itself to be a working formula.
A quick search for ‘The Golden Duck’ online returns more than enough articles to give you an idea of how popular they are. Singapore has proven to be a strong base for them to start building inertia for their products, and they’re pre-empting demand to start growing in Asia, where they are already in distribution discussions with major retailers.
“Chips are simple. There’s a flavour, and a medium. The medium can be adjusted by changing the thickness but it’s getting the authentic flavour out that is really difficult. Salted egg yolk is a flavour that we’re used to having fresh, but to put it in a packet and retain it’s rich sandy flavour? It’s not an easy ingredient to work with,” says Chris. “We’re probably the only company with this much richness in our authentic flavours.”
In this old industry, they know that being nimble and highly disciplined is key. They speak with confidence, and a certainty that has come about with relentless discipline and structure. It’s hard to forget that these guys are only in their mid-twenties. But behind their determination is an ambition that is more telling, and much more personal.
“People really are the key. One day I want to be able to give back. I want to build towns and help people live sustainably,” says Chris, with seriousness in his voice. “That’s more meaningful to me than just making big bucks in business.”
Jonathan looks at him with an understanding born of friends that are more like brothers. “For me, my goals have always been around family. I want my mom to retire next year. Hopefully I can do well enough to give back to her so that she can finally start her own F&B business, and travel like she’s always wanted to.”
With the interview over, the guys offer me a bag of chips, which I gorge down. Their chips are rare — always sold out — as are Chris and Jonathan, who take themselves much more seriously than others their age, and have the talent and credibility to back it up.
