The S’porean couple behind Freshio Gelato prove that age has no limits
At 73 and 77, most people will be slowing down. But Tan Kian Tat (KT) and his wife, Zheng Yazhu, were just beginning again.
Once the “king of crawfish” in China, retired KT and his wife have returned to work in Singapore—this time making up to 500kg of gelato a month. Fresh Gelatoa gelato business they built from home without touching a cent of their retirement savings.
A path that began far from the kitchen
The KT method began far from any kitchen.
For 15 years, he managed the Chinese crawfish export industry, operating eight factories in different provinces and exporting US$40 million worth of frozen crawfish to Europe and the US in one three-month season.
I was the biggest seller in other countries—they called me the king of crawfish in China.
At that time, his wife, Yazhu, was doing nothing.
He ran two cafes in Shanghai for four to five years, serving Singaporean food and acting as a distributor for the Neapolitan coffee brand Izzo.
When they left China in 2011 to retire after more than 20 years, they simply gave their cafes to trusted workers, who later expanded those locations to five across the city.
Struggle and time to do nothing
Retirement, however, sounds stressful for this career-oriented couple.
After leaving the country, the couple traveled the world for three years before settling in Vancouver, where Uncle KT’s family lived. But the slow pace of retirement was at odds with his personality.
“I am a person who loves work, I have always loved working, traveling here and there,” he said. “In Vancouver, it’ll be like, this week maybe we’ll go down to the USA, and then next week we’ll come back—where else? You can’t do anything and you’re just spending money.”
Looking for a purpose, this elderly couple chose to return to Singapore, where they were born, to spend their best years.
To pass the time, KT drove Grab while Yazhu worked as a McDonald’s barista, but two years of being pushed around by his younger colleagues left him in tears. “They always harass me at McDonald’s,” he told her. “Ask me to throw away the trash, do this, do that.”
Taking a step into business
In 2019, an HDB restaurant was opened in Sengkang North. Using the experience of Aunty Yazhu’s cafe, they are taking a step back—now with gelato.
The choice didn’t just happen. KT understood that cooking at their age would be physically demanding and stressful. Gelato offered something different.
“Gelato is a dessert, it has a time—every time after lunch or dinner. “You make them all in pans, and put them on display. When the order arrives, you just need to tap and go.”
At first, the couple adopted a supplier-based model, buying ready-made gelato to work at Freshio Gelato. But he soon fell short of expectations.
“If you’re a supermarket, they send you the newest collections, maybe made just yesterday,” said KT. But if you’re a small shop, sometimes they’ll send you plain old gelato with ice on it.
In their first store, the business could not afford the rent and operations. Worse, the provider’s flavor options were limited. Thus, in 2021, Yazhu encouraged KT to learn how to make gelato from scratch and breathe new life into the business.
Learning to make gelato from scratch
In the same year, as the lease period of Sengkang North expired and a small 300-square-foot unit was available at City Gate, the seniors decided to move to the last unit.
Before the opening, KT flew to Thailand’s Dream Cones school for a two-week gelato course. At the age of 66, he became the oldest student.
The king could not believe that I was also a registered student. He was thinking, “Am I visiting someone?” The other students were all in their 20s.
KT admitted that his background in food processing and engineering experience gave him an edge. At the end of the lesson, when the teacher did a blind taste test, his pistachio gelato won hands down.
“[The master] He recommended to me the way it was made, the taste and the smoothness, because I understand some food science, quick freezing and chilling, infusion of flavor.”
Back in Singapore, their cramped shop with just two tables became a proof of concept. Customers quickly notice the difference between homemade and ready-made gelato.
The spread of the word. Despite the limited presence of social media, customers come back again and again, bringing friends.
In 2023, regular overcrowding prompted them to move to a larger location at Sunshine Plaza on Bencoolen Street, conveniently located next to 5,000 to 6,000 students from nearby universities such as Singapore Management University, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, and LASELLE College of the Arts.
The competition finally arrived, international companies marketing their “farms” and “dairy treasures,” drawing long lines. But KT and Yazhu remained undeterred, content to offer their S$4.50 gelato at their cozy place.
The science of taste and texture
Making gelato in-house is where KT’s past expertise really shines. As a professional refrigeration engineer, he repairs his equipment and speaks with technical precision about refrigeration facilities.
“You have to understand this to make gelato from scratch,” he emphasized. “What is your ingredient content, because it changes the composition and the freezing point.”
The display fridge maintains -14 degrees Celsius, yet his 35 rotating recipes should always be readily available. This is more complicated than it sounds, especially with alcohol-based flavors.
Making gelato also requires a lot of concentration. Mixing creates heat, so mixes should be kept on ice. Timing is of the essence in everything, especially when you are filing.
A temporary glitch once burned the coconut base, but KT turned the mistake into a “roasted coconut” flavor that customers love. “Sometimes a mistake is a blessing,” he said. However, he couldn’t repeat it consistently, so he left the menu.
Her 16-flavor display always features the classics that kids love: pistachio, hazelnut, vanilla, and strawberry. The remaining slots rotate based on customer requests, such as the black grape flavor created for a regular person who is loved by his son.
When his Italian ingredient suppliers visit, KT gives them a taste of his current gelato first, before it joins the display fridge.
Throughout his business life, he has maintained strict financial discipline. His initial investment of S$50,000 came from funds he could not afford to lose.
I will not stress myself. This is a very small sign to keep me active and busy. If it goes, it goes. If it doesn’t agree, leave it alone—that’s okay.
He warned other elderly people about using their retirement funds to start a business, saying that success is by no means guaranteed and that saving to get back on track is important.
Passing the torch and opening a second location
Today, the Sunshine Plaza outlet is led by KT's granddaughter, Joey, and her friend Lee Qi, recent graduates passionate about carrying forward the Freshio Gelato legacy and reviving its social media presence.
His son Alex also contributes with design ideas, new products, and demographic strategy.
But while the next generation is stepping in, the older couple aren’t ready to retire just yet.
Towards the end of Mar this year, they opened a new store on Kadayanallur Street near Maxwell Food Centre, using a different strategy while Sunshine Plaza is betting on students. Instead, this place focuses on Chinese and Taiwanese tourists who tend to sell the famous chicken rice.
The new Freshio Gelato offers durian desserts and newly introduced yogurt and açai dishes on top of their regular gelato flavors, which KT shared that “customers are snapping from all angles before eating.”
With its mobile gelato machine, Freshio Gelato is also able to provide gelato to any location and event. This includes corporate bookings handled by planners working for private companies and public sector clients, from Changi Airport to hotels in Sentosa.
The business also collaborates with organizations such as the neighboring Foundry charity, the Photographic Society on Waterloo Street, and the YMCA’s graduation events, serving hundreds of guests at a time.
In total, the business processes around 500kg of gelato per month. To this day, KT and Yazhu leave the shop at 2AM, and face the high crowds from 1-3PM and 8-10PM, the times they call dessert prime time.
Freshio Gelato redefined the couple’s retirement
Running Freshio Gelato redefined retirement for an elderly couple.
“It continues to operate and provides another form of income every month,” KT said. But more than money, it means staying important in “international cooperation” with his grandchildren and his small customers.
“If you’re a TikTok, I can make a TikTok,” he said with a laugh. “I learn from new people and I enjoy working with them.”
His advice to older entrepreneurs is practical. Find something to keep you engaged, risk only what you can afford to lose, and never stop moving.
For KT, that substance turned out to be gelato.
- Read more about Freshio Gelato here.
- Read more articles we’ve written about Singapore businesses here.
Featured Image Credit: Freshio Gelato, Divyanshu Mahajan via Google Updates
