Celebrating 100 years: Polar Puffs & Cakes revives discontinued bakes, breaks record for longest sugar roll in Singapore

Homegrown brand Polar Puffs & Cakes is celebrating its milestone 100th anniversary this year.

The family-run business decided to mark the occasion by doing what it does best: baking, and breaking the record for the Longest Sugar Roll in Singapore while they're at it. 

The event took place at Bidadari Community Club on Saturday (June 20), with the creation spanning 100 metres, shared a press release on June 22. 

To put that into perspective, the record-breaking sugar roll measures longer than eight Singapore public buses — typically 12 metres in length — combined.

The feat was officially certified by the Singapore Book of Records. 

In attendance was Guest of Honour Alex Yeo, Grassroots Adviser to Potong Pasir Grassroots Organisations.

20 per cent of the sugar rolls were subsequently donated to five Active Ageing Centres in the neighbourhood.

The remaining 80 per cent were then given to beneficiaries who attended the event, as well as members of the public who signed up for Polar Puffs & Cakes membership that day. 

Speaking to AsiaOne, Micky Gan, General Manager of Polar Puffs & Cakes, shared that each sugar roll is 3.5cm in width.

In total, the 100 metre creation was made with approximately 285 pieces of sugar rolls.

"We baked them freshly in the morning, brought them in separate pieces to put together on-site, and took us four hours to complete," the 49-year-old said.

Micky also shared that their anniversary is a momentous occasion.

"Achieving 100 years of running Polar is an incredibly proud milestone, not just for the family, but also the generations of customers, families who have supported us. It is more about being grateful for our heritage, but we are also very excited about what's ahead of us," he said.

Polar Puffs & Cakes also has plans in the pipeline for more menu items, both new and seasonal, which will be introduced every two months.

"These menu additions include revival of nostalgic products that customers write in to request for us to bring back, as well as collaborations and partnerships," he said.

"For us at Polar, we try to balance innovation with the trusted familiarity, making sure that the new products still carry that quality that our customers can expect from us."

These menu items were selected through customer voting and social media polls.

Some examples include the new and improved Mur Cake ($32.80) — a light pandan sponge and dense chocolate cake, layered with butter cream and topped with crushed pistachio. 

As part of the milestone anniversary, the brand will also be collaborating with chef, restaurateur and social entrepreneur Benny Se Teo on limited-edition pastries. More details regarding this will be announced at a later date.

A century of history 

Founded in Singapore in 1926, Polar Puffs & Cakes is one of Singapore's longest-standing homegrown bakeries. 

It is known for its wide range of traditional baked goods, with one of its most iconic creations being its sugar roll, a light, fluffy pastry rolled and coated with sugar. 

While it is known for its sugar rolls, Polar Puffs & Cakes' first-ever product was actually its curry puff, which remains popular today.

The business is still family-run after all these years, and it is currently led by third-generation owner Dr Chan Kok Yew, 58. It is also one of a few local F&B brands to span three generations and survive World War II. 

The brand started as a single shophouse cafe on 51 High Street before growing into a nationwide bakery chain.

Thanks to its location, which was near Parliament, the cafe was a popular gathering spot for lawyers, ministers and military officers during Singapore's formative years. 

As such, over the past century, the brand has been frequented by prominent figures such as Singapore's founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, former deputy prime minister Goh Keng Swee and war hero Lim Bo Seng.

Polar Puffs & Cakes was also the first employer to establish a prison-based pastry production facility under the Yellow Ribbon initiative. This was launched in 2004 and was officially inaugurated by former president S R Nathan.

Working with New Hope Food Industries, inmates could receive skills training and employment opportunities at Polar Puffs & Cakes to support their rehabilitation and reintegration into society.

Other community outreach initiatives by the brand include Children for Children, GlyphCommunity, Touch Community Services, Asian Women's Welfare Association, Lion Befrienders, St Luke's Eldercare, CapitaLand Hope Foundation and Montfort Care. 

As the brand enters its second century, it plans to invest in healthier products, modern retail concepts, sustainability initiatives and regional expansion.

The brand also hopes to open more outlets in Malaysia and explore other overseas opportunities. 

"The challenge for the fourth generation will be balancing innovation with the familiarity and trust that have defined the brand for 100 years," said Kok Yew. 

AsiaOne has reached out to Polar Puffs & Cakes for details.

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