Ayam Brand
 | |
| Company type | Private Limited |
|---|---|
| Industry | Food processing |
| Founded | 1892 |
| Founder | Alfred Clouet |
| Headquarters | 21 Tagore Lane, Singapore 787479, |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Sardines, mackerel, tuna, coconut, Asian sauces and pastes, fruits, vegetables, baked beans |
| Owner | Ayam S.A.R.L. |
Number of employees | 1,000+ |
| Parent | Denis Frères Group of Companies |
| Website | ayambrand |
Ayam Brand, sometimes simply known as Ayam, is a Singaporean multinational food conglomerate specialising in prepared foods, including seafood, canned fish (sardines, mackerel, tuna) and canned vegetables, especially baked beans. Ayam's product range focuses on Singaporean cuisine.[1]
Ayam Brand produces over 60 million cans of food annually and employs around 1,000 people.
History
Founder
Ayam Brand was founded in Singapore in 1892 by a man named Alfred Clouet, when the country was then the capital of the Straits Settlements. Clouet was initially from France, and had left his birth country at the age of 23 to join his pregnant wife in New York City. However, his wife soon died, and he eventually decided to move to Singapore in 1891 for a new life. His first job in Singapore was running a trading company specialising in cigars.
Initially, Clouet decided to focus on importing perfumes and wines, and registered a firm called A. Clouet & Co, in 1892. Clouet soon had business addresses throughout the Downtown Core district of Singapore, such as Raffles Place and Wallich Street. However, sales were lackluster, and so Clouet decided to move into canned foods.[2]
Early years
The business at the time also produced building materials. The food brand was created to be a seal of quality, as during the era before refrigeration canned food was regarded as a luxury. Clouet took the gallic rooster for the logo of the brand. The brand name was self generated by local traders and consumers, as they started referring to the canned sardines or salmon informally as the "Ayam brand" (ayam being used in local Singlish parlance to refer to 'chicken' or 'rooster' by Singaporeans from all backgrounds).[2][3]
20th century
Clouet died at the age of 83 in 1949. In 1954, the company was bought over by the Denis Frères Group of Companies.[3][4] Ever since the late 20th century, the growth of the company has grown exponentially, becoming a widely known canned food brand beyond Singapore. The company's headquarters are located at 21 Tagore Lane, within the Ang Mo Kio district of Singapore. His name can still be found within the company, examples include its official name, "Clouet Trading Pte. Ltd".
In 2015, the company unveiled six limited edition "SG50" sardine cans to commemorate Singapore's golden jubilee since its independence.[5]
References
- ^ "Our Product Range (Singapore)". Ayum Brand. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ a b "The story of Ayam Brand, set up in Singapore by a Frenchman, and how it got its name". South China Morning Post. 30 June 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b The French in Singapore (1819–today), Edition Didier Millet Pte Ltd (2011) ISBN 978-981-4260-44-2
- ^ Commerce et colonisation en Indochine (1860-1945): Les maisons de commerce françaises, un siècle d'aventure humaine Les Indes Savantes ISBN 2-84654-063-2
- ^ "Ayam Brand unveils six limited edition SG50 sardine cans". straitstimes.com. The Straits Times. 2 February 2015. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
