At IPI’s Food Forward 2025, SMEs, Innovation Advisors and Tech Experts discuss how companies in the food industry can implement innovation to stay ahead of the competition.


Sweetlands Confectionery and Bakery was founded in the 1960s. Under a different name at the time, the bakery enjoyed decades of success as a small local supplier to kopitiams in the Balestier area. However, by 2018, the business was losing steam. Revenue had halved, operations were outdated and the workforce was ageing.

Today, after being acquired by Nicholas Tan, it is a growing modernised brand with doubled revenue—and it is not alone. Stories like this—of innovation, growth and success—took centre stage at IPI’s Food Forward 2025, an event turning innovation talk into action for Singapore’s food sector.

Opening the event, Michael Goh, Chief Operating Officer of IPI, set the tone by urging businesses to think beyond legacy practices. “Innovation doesn’t have to be abstract,” he said. “It can be applied, measured and scaled, especially when you bring the right people into the room.”

 

Tradition meets technology
 

That ethos carried into the Success in Action panel, where companies such as Sweetlands Confectionery and Bakery, as well as Sandhon Trading, walked attendees through their transformation journeys.

Nicholas, Sweetlands’ Managing Director, shared how he took over the struggling heritage bakery in 2019, modernised its operations, and doubled revenue in just two years. The key to his approach was blending innovation and tradition.

“We use real caramel in our brown breads, not artificial colouring,” he said. “It’s about preserving what makes our bread special, even as we automate and scale.”

Transformation, however, was not always a smooth process. “Many of my staff are in their 70s,” Nicholas added. “Getting them to adopt machinery took patience, retraining and trust.”

Soh Yeow Hwa, Executive Director of Sandhon Trading, faced a different challenge—an ageing customer base and inconsistent product quality.

“Most of our buyers are over 60 years old, and who will continue to buy from us in 10 years?” he asked.

With support from IPI and IPI Tech Expert Dr Gan Heng Hui, who was engaged through Nanyang Polytechnic at the time, Yeow Hwa began standardising quality and developing ready-to-eat sea cucumber products for a younger market.

“The challenge lies in breaking traditional mindsets,” Dr Gan said. “Innovation feels like a waste of money to a lot of old-school business owners. But if you don’t evolve, you disappear.”

 

Advisors, not just advice

IPI’s strength lies not just in technical know-how, but in its ability to pair businesses with experts who stay involved through the real work of transformation. That was the focus of the Collaboration in Action panel, where IPI’s Innovation Advisors Isabella Tan, Liew Chee Yin and Harish Methil, as well as Tech Experts Chitra Radhakrishnan and Dr Heng Kiang Soon, shared lessons from the front lines of food innovation.

Moderated by Isabella, the panel addressed key industry challenges from food safety protocols and shelf-life testing to smart packaging, process optimisation and digital tools for operational efficiency.

Keeping in mind the challenges that resource-strapped SMEs face when digitalising, Chee Yin emphasised that the first step is taking stock of what technology is available and what the company needs. “You need to understand your time horizon,” he explained. “Is this technology going to be a problem three, six or 12 months down the road? Don’t waste your time, resources and money solving problems that will not help you grow in the long term.”

Isabella offered insights on international expansion, a recurring theme throughout the day. “When choosing an overseas distribution partner, I always look at how keen they are for my business,” she shared. “Are they driven, and do they desire success for the project? It takes two parties to make things work. You also need access to decision-makers and systems for traceability, especially in the case of a product recall. These things matter more than just the size of the company.”

Their shared message was clear: transformation is not out of reach. It is important to start smart, ask the right questions and bring in the right expertise early.

 

The human side of innovation

Beyond the panels, Food Forward stood out for its candid conversations and peer learning opportunities. 

“It’s good to reconnect with people from the industry and to better understand the challenges faced,” said Angeline Koh, Sustainability and Commercial Lead at Alterpacks. “It also helps to see that maybe you’re not alone in facing these issues, and there are solutions out there. You just need to bounce ideas off each other.”

Lucas Jiang, Agricultural Advisor at the Netherlands Embassy in Singapore, highlighted how crucial events like this are for bringing value to smaller players.

He noted the discussion on export readiness: “Many people don’t realise how crucial detailed information, such as ingredient descriptions, is when trying to export a product. What the panel shared on this topic was truly eye-opening.”

While participants enjoyed the networking opportunities, the event also held one-on-one clinics for companies to consult with IPI's Innovation Advisors and Tech Experts. These sessions allowed SME leaders to get immediate advice on challenges they were facing as they look to grow in the food industry.

As Singapore’s food sector contends with climate pressures, ageing workforces and global competition, events like Food Forward are becoming essential platforms for guidance and collaboration. “You don’t have to face your business struggles on your own,” Dr Gan concluded.