An ambitious Singapore confectionery business, The Cocoa Trees, has unveiled its first self-manufactured chocolate brand, Kaki’s, inspired by local flavours and food trends, writes Neill Barston.

As the business explained, its expansion venture has been a long while in the making, with the retailer and distributor having originally formed back in 2000, and scaled-up its operations.  

Notably, the new Singapore-made range is sold exclusively at The Cocoa Trees stores and online – where it presently offers some 60 international confectionery brands across more than 20 stores in Singapore, including household names such as  Ritter Sport and Lindt.

According to the company, Kaki’s draws upon daily food rituals, from kopitiam mornings to late-night gatherings over city delicacies.

The range includes Nanyang Kopi, also referred to as Bittersweet Symphony, a coffee flavoured chocolate capturing the taste of traditional freshly brewed coffee. Pandan Kaya is inspired by the slow-cooked, hand-stirred kaya used in a classic Singapore breakfast. Teh Tarik and Tropical Notes draws on the pulled-tea beverage alongside regional fruit profiles, including sunny mango, lychee, and a Singapore Sling-inspired blend.

Moreover,  Kaki’s is designed as an everyday snack, a thoughtful gift for friends and family, and a corporate gift snack option for the workplace, as well as a culturally rooted souvenir for visitors to Singapore. Each bar comes wrapped in limited-edition artwork, with local fun facts and short, down-to-earth stories printed on the back. 

said Pamela Loo, Deputy CEO, The Cocoa Trees, commented: “Kaki’s was never meant to just be a snack on a shelf. It was built around the small, everyday moments Singaporeans already share with each other, over coffee, over breakfast, over the little rituals we return to again and again. This is the first time we have built a brand from the ground up, and we wanted it to feel like something that brings people closer, not just something they eat alone.”