Ya Kun Kaya Toast (), often colloquially known just as Ya Kun (), is a Singaporean chain of mass-market, retro-ambience cafés selling toast products (notably kaya toast), soft-boiled eggs and coffee. Founded by Loi Ah Koon in 1944, Ya Kun remained a small family-run stall for decades, but has expanded rapidly since Loi's youngest son headed the business in 1999. The chain has over fifty outlets, mostly franchised, across 14 countries, and is a Singaporean cultural icon, known for its traditional brand identity and conservative, people-centric corporate culture. History In 1926, Loi Ah Koon (黎亚坤) emigrated from Hainan to Singapore, where he worked as a coffee-stall assistant. He later went on to start his own business with two other immigrants. They sold coffee, crackers and toast at Telok Ayer Basin, however, his two partners later dropped out, leaving him to run the stall alone. He married while visiting relatives in Hainan, his wife later settled down with him in Singapore. She worked alongside him and later suggested cutting each slice of bread into half and combining the toast with her homemade kaya, this became their signature kaya toast. Registered in 1944 as Ya Kun Coffeestall (Ya Kun being Ah Koon in Hanyu Pinyin), the stall gradually developed a reputation for delicious kaya toast and friendly service. The couple, their eight children and seven other families lived together in a three-storey shophouse across the road, where the Hong Leong Building now stands. As the children grew up, they began to help stir the kaya, run errands, charcoal-grill the bread and eventually, manage the stall. Ya Kun Coffeestall moved to Lau Pa Sat in 1972, but high rents and renovation of Lau Pa Sat in 1984 sparked a return to the Telok Ayer Market; nevertheless, the stall continued to attract "customers who came every day, some from as far as Jurong or Woodlands". In 1998, the market closed down, so the stall relocated to Far East Square and was renamed Ya Kun Kaya Toast; the following year, Ah Koon died and his youngest son, Loi Boon Sim Adrin (黎文深), took over the business, determined "to keep his father's legacy going". Realising that Ya Kun had a lot of goodwill and potential, Adrin decided to expand the business, the family opened a second store at Tanjong Pagar and, in 2000, began franchising the brand. Ya Kun were incorporated in 2001, and they launched