Interview: Sky Chiew, CEO of Donut Empire

For those who have been faithfully trotting down to any one of the bright, sunny and inviting Donut Empire outlets, thinking about the people behind Donut Empire might be the furthest from your mind when you have mouth-watering yummy donuts right in front of you. But here we bring you a conversation with the man behind the popular donut chain, CEO, Donut Empire, Sky Chiew.

Gwen: An honour to have you join us, Sky. What was life for you before Donut Empire? I know you also ran several entertainment outlets around the region. Are you still doing that as well as Donut Empire?

Sky: I was in the entertainment business for 10 years and I used to own several clubs and pubs in Malaysia, but not anymore. Right now, I run my club in Singapore, S Club, alongside my Donut Empire business. I chose the food business because I have passion for food and my parents were in the F&B business as well. Besides, I’ve been loving donuts since I was a child.


Gwen: Tell us more about the team behind Donut Empire.

Sky: Our Donut Empire team is made up of 4 key people, whom we dub the Heavenly Four (laughs). In Chinese mythology, the Heavenly Four represent the North, South, East and West of the universe. The Heavenly Four of Donut Empire are key pillars to our company. They are Dennis Peck (43) who is in charge of sourcing raw materials, Mark Lim (37) who is in charge of operations, David Lim (39) who heads the Research & Development team and Ken Goh (36) who heads the technical side of Donut Empire.

The Heavenly Four are overlooked by my brother Steven and me, and we like to think of ourselves as the spirit behind the whole company. In business terms, we are the executive director and the CEO of Donut Empire respectively. Nevertheless, all of us work together as a team. Getting good partners and having a good management system is very, very important in business.


Gwen: What inspired Donut Empire?

Sky: Whilst I was in Melbourne and Jakarta, I saw long queues outside a particular world-famous donut chain. People queued for hours for those donuts and I was inspired to set up a similar chain in Singapore. I was also inspired by my chat with Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong during the Dragon Boat 20th Anniversary in 2007. He suggested I open Donut Empire chains overseas and I was so inspired, I devised an expansion plan very quickly. We hope to expand to 7 other regional countries by the end of this year.


Gwen: In one year, Donut Empire has 11 outlets in Singapore and 2 in Malaysia. Enlighten us as to your strategy for Donut Empire.

Sky: We believe in product quality and that if a product is good, it will sell by itself. I think having a unique product and corporate identity will certainly help businesses. Our donuts are softer and rich with flavour, hence, they can withstand competition from other donut chains. Also, Donut Empire has a personable and down-to-earth identity. We might not have an illustrious background like the other chains, but we have a friendly demeanour and are able to reach out to people from all walks of life.

We also keep coming up with new flavours to please our customers. Also, our donut flavours are suited to the local palate, hence, for our future outlets in China and India, our donut flavours will be different from our donut flavours in Singapore. To succeed in business overseas, we have to be sensitive and attuned to the tastes and preferences of people in other countries.


Gwen: What are some of the things entrepreneurs attempting to enter the Food & Beverage industry take note of?

Sky: Aspiring entrepreneurs should know that having a good product is very important. This has to be followed by a good marketing strategy. Also, having an effective management system is essential to businesses.


Gwen: How about the snacks sub-industry (like your donuts) in particular?

Sky: The quality of products is still the most important factor. We constantly do our homework and I’m very happy with our Research and Development team. Thanks to them, we have new products all the time!


Gwen: Are you worried about the demand for donuts from Donut Empire being affected especially with the world’s current financial situation?

Sky: To be honest, I am not extremely worried about our sales plummeting during the current financial situation, as our products are not luxury products (laughs). Singaporeans love good food and are generally affluent. That is another reason why I chose to be in the F&B industry- no matter how bad the global financial situation may be, people still need to eat and drink.


Gwen: Give us an idea of an average day for you.

Sky: I head to my office in the morning and then go to the various Donut Empire outlets to monitor the showcases and ensure my customers are served well by my valued staff. I’m an active person too, so I go wakeboarding and golfing as well!


Gwen: What were some of your most difficult moments throughout Donut Empire?

Sky: Our biggest challenge is when new companies enter the market and compete with us in the donut business. Also, there are times when we get big orders from well-known companies which require us to work very, very hard. However, all that effort is worth it, in the end.


Gwen: What were some of the successes along the way which spurred you on?

Sky: Achieving my goals always spurs me on. After opening 11 outlets in Singapore and 2 outlets in Malaysia within a year, I aim to have more outlets all over the world. My goal is also to tell the world about Donut Empire and bring pride to Singapore.


Gwen: Any last piece of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?
Sky: Always think big. Plan your path properly and make it work!


Gwen: Thank you for this interview and all the best! [She had to go and try the popular flavour Typhoon Oreo after this interview. It didn't disappoint.]

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