In an alternate reality, the Hays might have been property developers. The pig farmers once owned land in Punggol at what they estimate is now “Compassvale and one-fifth of the Tampines Expressway”. They didn’t any more when the site was gazetted and acquired for residential housing. Musings aside, they faced a real fork in the road in the late 70s and early 80s: swine fever was a concern; pig farming was being phased out. Dairy goat farming came up as a possible alternative. There were five to six dairy cattle farms then but no dairy goat farm. John Hay and a few of his brothers decided to give it a go. By 1988, they made the transition and by 1998, shifted over to their site in Lim Chu Kang. By the early 2000s, only John continued with the farm.
It’s still very much a family business. Says John’s son, Leon, a third-generation farmer, “My dad never wanted or asked me to take over. But I saw him working so hard. It would be a waste if everything suddenly stopped. I grew up with livestock and had the passion for it, so I thought I would just do it.” That was how the erstwhile accountant joined the business in the early 2000s. He works with his dad on the animal husbandry side of things, and also manages other aspects of the business. His wife looks into sales and administration while his mum cooks for them and does the finances. Alongside, a few other farm workers help them take care of their 700-plus goats.
GOOD BREEDING
This story is from the November - December 2019 edition of WINE&DINE.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November - December 2019 edition of WINE&DINE.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
New Blood
The next-generation is breathing new life into the forgotten art of spice-mixing, peppering the traditional trade with renewed ideas and fresh perspectives.
Sharing Is Caring
Compared to its flagship at Serene Centre, Fat Belly Social at Boon Tat Street is a classier and bolder affair, in more than one sense.
Nutmeg's Role In Singapore's History
From tales of it being used to ward off the plague in mid-1300s Europe to one of the ingredients in dessert, we have all known, tasted, or at least heard of nutmeg. But not many know of the spice’s role in Singapore’s history.
New And Improved
The ever-profound chef-owner Kenjiro ‘Hatch’ Hashida finds more room, three to be exact, to express a Ha Ri philosophy at Hashida Singapore’s new location at Amoy Street.
Pairing Spice-Driven Cuisines With Wine
Pairing spice-driven cuisines with wine has long been a challenge but with a little imagination, it doesn’t have to be.
Let Land Grow Wild
Niew Tai-Ran has worn many hats: aeronautical engineering major, investment banker, avid surfer, and, for the last 14 years, winemaker. Discover how this Malaysia-born, Singapore-native is championing the “do-nothing farming” philosophy at his vineyard in Oregon.
The South Asian Misnomer
Incredibly diverse and varied than most know, Indian food is far more intriguing than butter chicken or thosai. Here is a crash course on the extensive cuisine from region to region, recognisable for the seemingly infinite ways of using spices.
Keepers Of The Spice Trade
From its glory days along trade routes to pantry staples all over the world, spices have become so commonplace that we’ve taken them for granted. For these three trailblazers, however, spice is their livelihood and motivation: Langit Collective working with indigenous rural farming communities in Malaysia; IDH’s Sustainable Spice Initiative; and chef Nak’s one-woman mission to share forgotten Khmer cuisine.
Sugar, Spice And Everything Nice
Like food, spices bring vibrancy and variety to alcoholic beverages. Surfacing in unexpected ways on the palate, find everything from cumin to tamarind, cloves to cardamom enriching these drinks.
Building Blocks From The Archipelago
For the smorgasbord of dishes found in Indonesian cuisine, it is a little known secret that the modest bumbu, in all its variants, is the bedrock of such flavourful fare.
