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It’s been just over a year since 8days.sg last checked in on sisters Serene Tan, 32, and Danielle Tan, 28 — the hawker bakers selling shio pan (crescent-shaped roll with a salted crispy crust and chewy butter-soaked center popular in Japanese bakeries) stuffed with assorted fillings at their stall Butter Town in Holland Drive Food Centre.
Their humble hawker venture has grown into something much bigger, with a newly established $50K commercial kitchen in CT Hub 2 in Lavender Street, and most recently, a collaboration with Japanese-style cafe chain Hvala. The Singaporean shio pan sisters describe the last 16 months as “a rollercoaster ride”.
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After launching their hawker bakery in May 2023 with a $24K investment, the sisters quickly found themselves in over their heads. Their shio pan, filled with flavours like chocolate and mushroom fillings, became an instant hit. “When we first started, the queues we had were shorter,” says Serene. “As more people get to know about us, our queues grew and we found ourselves needing to bake faster.” With bakes selling out as early as 11am, some customers even waited up to an hour for a fresh batch, she adds.
“We realised very soon that we couldn’t keep up,” Danielle tells 8days.sg. For instance, they were limited by the small kitchen, which could not accommodate a larger, higher-voltage oven needed to ramp up production.
By August, two months after opening, they decided to sink another $50K into a commercial kitchen. “At that point, we hadn’t even broken even from the hawker stall,” Serene admits. Most of the funding came from their savings, with some help from friends and family. While Danielle managed operations at the commercial kitchen, Serene continued helming the hawker biz. Even today, Butter Town still sees a regular crowd queueing for their bakes. “It was a necessary risk. Without a bigger kitchen, we couldn’t keep up with the orders.”
With the new commercial kitchen, the sisters have also started catering to corporate clients, regularly fulfilling breakfast orders for office events. While they have only recently broken even, the sisters, both ex-marketers, candidly share that they aren’t earning what they would if they stayed in their corporate careers. “There is no (career) ladder here,” Serene adds, unfazed by the pay cut. “What we earn, we keep in the biz so that we can expand or be ready for a rainy day.”
“We don’t regret being hawkerpreneurs, but it can be very challenging,” Danielle shares.
When they first started, their shio pan drew attention for their creative flavours, such as maple bacon and Belgian chocolate, which offered a fresh twist compared to the standard plain version available elsewhere.
But recently, the sisters have noticed more bakeries across Singapore offering their own versions of shio pan. Bakeries, such as Bread Talk or Four Leaves’ Epi D’or, have red bean (with a slab of butter) and honey ham variants respectively. “We are obviously intimidated because we were the first to dedicate our whole concept to [assorted filled] shio pan from a hawker stall,” Serene says.
Serene is quick to add that “it’s fair game”, acknowledging that as demand for the Japanese bread grows, it’s only natural for more businesses to try and meet it. For them, staying competitive means constantly innovating and ensuring their unique flavours and quality keep customers coming back.
“It’s tough because some businesses have the manpower and the reach to flood the market faster than we ever could,” says Danielle.
Despite the growing competition, one of the highlights of their journey was the collaboration with Japanese dessert chain Hvala, which has four outlets in Singapore and one more in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. For the younger sister, it was “a dream come true”. She adds: “I’ve been a fan of Hvala for years. I’d go there after exams for a treat, so when they approached us, it felt surreal.”
Hvala initially contacted them to supply shio pan for their cafés, but the sisters’ production limitations made it impossible at first. That’s when the conversation shifted to a full collaboration. Together, they developed a customised menu for Hvala’s newest outlet in Raffles Specialist Centre, which opened on 16 September. The girls work on a consignment basis and get a cut of the profits on sales of their bakes.
Right now, the collab is exclusive to this outlet in Bugis, but the sisters are open to expanding their collaborations with all other Hvala locations. “We are open to working at more locations, but it really depends if we get enough manpower. So for now, this is where we are focusing,” says Danielle.
Now juggling three locations, the sisters rely on some staff to help manage the Hvala outlet, but most days, it’s all hands on deck. Danielle, the head baker, spends her time in the commercial kitchen, while Serene runs the hawker stall. After closing the hawker stall, Serene swings by the café to assist, and the same goes for Danielle.
At the new Hvala outlet, with its signature zen aesthetic and 60 seats, customers can expect all-new heartier shio pan sarnies, priced higher than the ones sold at the hawker stall (which range from $2 to $3.20). These include the Devilled Egg Mayo Shio Pan ($6.90) and Chuck Wagyu Beef Shio Pan ($20.90). The latter features tender beef chuck atop homemade spicy sauce. “We asked a friend’s father who is a German chef for help,” Danielle says.
There are also shio pan sliders, The Three Musketeers ($23.90), which feature a smaller version of the roll with smoked salmon, seared scallops in mentaiko mayo and chicken chashu.
Hvala has worked with the duo to come up with dessert variants such as Tsuki Matcha Cream Shio Pan ($4.90), Milk Cream Shio Pan ($4) and Mini Shio Pans with Adzuki Matcha ($12.90). Unfortunately, fans of Butter Town’s popular curry, sourdough mantou and cakes won’t be able to enjoy them at the Hvala outlet; they will need to return to the original stall for their fix.
“It was such a creative challenge, but also incredibly exciting,” Danielle says on coming up with the menu with Hvala. “This is us dipping our toes outside of the hawker space. But at the end of the day, it’s nice to be recognised.”
Butter Town’s shio pan can be found at Hvala at Raffles Specialist Centre, 585 North Bridge Rd, #01-01 Raffles Specialist Centre, S188770. Open Mon – Fri 8am to 6pm; Sat – Sun 10am to 8pm.
Photos: 8 Days/Butter Town/Hvala
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