The Journey
A 92-Year Family Story
From a provision shop in Rochor Road to a S$65 million food distribution empire — and the hard lessons of what it means to persevere.
The Grandfather's Vision
The late Mr Ng Lim Song migrated from Shantou, China to Singapore. He opened a provision shop in Rochor Road selling fish fin and dried provisions, building Ng Chye Mong into a trusted name in Singapore's food trade.
A New Generation Takes Over
Nichol and her brother Nicholas joined the family business. Sales were under S$2 million. They began modernising operations, distributing for brands like Kimberly-Clark and expanding into hawker stalls and produce supply.
FoodXervices is Born
The siblings bought out the original family company for S$5 million and rebranded it FoodXervices — signalling a bold pivot toward modernisation. Revenue had grown to S$12 million. Featured in Cleo, Shape, Appetite and more.
Food Bank Singapore Founded
Seeing vast food waste from the industry, Nichol and Nicholas co-founded Food Bank Singapore — a charity that collects surplus food and redistributes it to over 130 beneficiary organisations. It now provides 250,000 free meals every month and operates independently.
The Golden Era
FoodXervices grew to S$65 million in revenue with 5,000 customers including Shake Shack, Marina Bay Sands and Singapore Airlines. The siblings invested in a landmark S$50 million, 250,000 sq ft headquarters, Xpace, in Pandan Loop.
The Pandemic Strikes
"The whole deck of cards just toppled." Xpace opened weeks before COVID-19. Sales plunged 90% overnight. Electricity and logistics overheads alone hit S$500,000 a month. Nichol sold her matrimonial home and injected proceeds into the company to keep it alive.
End of a Chapter — Start of Another
FoodXervices entered voluntary liquidation in April 2026. Featured on the front page of The Sunday Times and in The Business Times. Nichol's response: "We are a family of business owners; we will come back again, and we will re-flourish in a very different shape." The next chapter is already in motion.
"If a family business can no longer feed your family, then what's the purpose? A non-profitable business legacy — you might as well not uphold it."
— Nichol Ng, as quoted in The Business Times
