{"id":47043,"date":"2026-04-17T19:11:24","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T19:11:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bondahx.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/17\/this-senior-couple-learnt-to-make-gelato-from-scratch-sells-500kg-month\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T19:11:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T19:11:24","slug":"this-senior-couple-learnt-to-make-gelato-from-scratch-sells-500kg-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bondahx.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/17\/this-senior-couple-learnt-to-make-gelato-from-scratch-sells-500kg-month\/","title":{"rendered":"This senior couple learnt to make gelato from scratch & sells 500kg\/month"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

The S\u2019porean couple behind Freshio Gelato is proving that age has no limit<\/strong><\/h2>\n

At 73 and 77, most people would be slowing down. But Tan Kian Tat (KT) and his wife, Zheng Yazhu, were just getting started again.<\/p>\n

Once a \u201ccrawfish king\u201d in China, the retired KT and his wife have returned to work life in Singapore\u2014this time scooping out up to 500kg of gelato a month at Freshio Gelato<\/a><\/strong>, a homegrown gelato business they built without touching a cent of their retirement savings.<\/p>\n

A path that began far from the kitchen<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"\"\"\"<\/a>
KT and Yazhu in Paris.\/ Image Credit: Freshio Gelato<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

KT\u2019s path began far from any kitchen. <\/p>\n

For 15 years, he dominated China\u2019s crawfish export industry, running eight factories across different provinces and shipping US$40 million worth of frozen crawfish to Europe and the US in a single three-month season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

I was the biggest exporter\u2014they called me the crawfish king in China.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Meanwhile, his wife, Yazhu, wasn\u2019t idle.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She ran two cafes in Shanghai for four to five years, serving Singaporean food and acting as a distributor for Neapolitan coffee brand Izzo. <\/p>\n

When they left China in 2011 to retire after more than 20 years, they simply handed their caf\u00e9s to trusted workers, who later expanded those locations to five across the city.<\/p>\n

The struggle with idle time<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Retirement, however, felt suffocating for this couple wired for work.<\/p>\n

After leaving the country, the couple travelled the world for three years before settling in Vancouver, where Uncle KT\u2019s family lived. But the slow pace of retirement clashed with his personality.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a workaholic. I always loved working, moving here and there,\u201d he said. \u201cIn Vancouver, it would be like, this week maybe we drive down to the USA, then next week we come back\u2014where to go again? It\u2019s too much of nothing to do and just spending money only.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"<\/a>
KT and Yazhu at Freshio Gelato\u2019s Sunshine Plaza outlet.\/ Image Credit: Freshio Gelato<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Seeking purpose, the elderly couple then chose to return to Singapore, where they were born, to spend their golden years. <\/p>\n

To pass the time, KT drove for Grab while Yazhu worked as a McDonald\u2019s barista, but two years of being pushed around by younger colleagues left her in tears. \u201cThey always bully me in McDonald\u2019s,\u201d she told him. \u201cAsk me to throw rubbish, do this, do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taking a leap into entrepreneurship<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In 2019, an HDB caf\u00e9 lease opened in Sengkang North. Drawing on Aunty Yazhu\u2019s caf\u00e9 experience, they took the leap\u2014this time with gelato.<\/p>\n

The choice wasn\u2019t random. KT understood that cooking at their age would be physically demanding and stressful. Gelato offered something different.<\/p>\n

\u201cGelato is a dessert, it has timing\u2014always after lunch or dinner. Before that big hour, you have a quiet period to prepare,\u201d he explained. \u201cYou make them all in pans, and put them ready on display. When the order comes, just need to scoop and go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Initially, the couple adopted a supplier-based model, buying ready-made gelato to serve at Freshio Gelato. But it soon fell short of expectations. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re a big shop, they send you very fresh batches, maybe made just yesterday,\u201d KT said. \u201cBut if you\u2019re a small shop, sometimes they will send you old gelato that has a layer of ice over it. They don\u2019t even put a date on it, so we don\u2019t know when they were really made.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

At their first outlet, the business barely covered rent and operations. Worse still, supplier flavour options were limited. As such, in 2021, Yazhu encouraged KT to learn to make gelato from scratch and breathe new life into the business.<\/p>\n

Learning how to make gelato from scratch<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"\"\"\"<\/a>
Freshio Gelato\u2019s City Gate outlet.\/ Image Credit: Freshio Gelato<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That same year, with the Sengkang North lease expiring and a tiny 300-square-foot unit available at City Gate, the elderly decided to shift to the latter unit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Before opening, KT flew to Thailand\u2019s Dream Cones school for a two-week gelato course. At 66, he became the oldest student. <\/p>\n

\n

The master didn\u2019t believe that I myself was actually an enrolled student. He was thinking, \u201cAm I visiting someone?\u201d The other students were all in their 20s.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

KT acknowledged that his food processing background and engineering knowledge gave him an edge. At the end of the course, when the instructor conducted a blind taste assessment, his pistachio gelato won hands down. <\/p>\n

\u201c[The master] praised me for the textures, the flavour and the smoothness, because I can understand some food science, the quick freezing and chilling, the infusion of the flavour.\u201d<\/p>\n

Back in Singapore, their cramped shop with just two tables became proof of concept. Customers immediately noticed the difference between house-made and ready-made gelato.<\/p>\n

Word spread. Despite a limited social media presence, customers returned repeatedly, bringing friends. <\/p>\n

By 2023, frequent overcrowding pushed them to relocate to a larger space at Sunshine Plaza on Bencoolen Street, strategically positioned near 5,000 to 6,000 students from nearby universities like Singapore Management University, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, and LASELLE College of the Arts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Competition eventually arrived, with international brands marketing their \u201cown farms\u201d and \u201cdairy heritage,\u201d drawing long queues. But KT and Yazhu remained unfazed, content serving their S$4.50 gelato in their cosy spot.<\/p>\n

The science of flavour and texture<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"\"\"\"<\/a>
KT and Yazhu have experimented with 35 flavours so far that have made it back on regular rotations of their menu.\/ Image Credit: Freshio Gelato<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Making gelato in-house is where KT\u2019s past expertise truly shines. As a trained refrigeration engineer, he repairs his own equipment and speaks with technical precision about freezing points.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou must understand this to make gelato from scratch,\u201d he insisted. \u201cWhat are the contents of your ingredient, because it changes the textures and freezing point.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The display freezer maintains -14 degrees Celsius, yet each of his 35 rotating recipes must remain perfectly scoopable. This is trickier than it sounds, especially with alcohol-based flavours. <\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"<\/a>
(Left): KT making gelato in-house; (Right): Freshio Gelato\u2019s vanilla gelato.\/ Image Credit: Freshio Gelato\/ Sunny Side Up Eats<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Making gelato also demands intense concentration. Blending generates heat, so the mixes have to rest on ice. Timing matters in everything, especially when infusing. <\/p>\n

A moment\u2019s distraction once burned a coconut base, but KT turned the mistake into a \u201croasted coconut\u201d flavour customers loved. \u201cSometimes a mistake is actually a blessing in disguise,\u201d he said. However, he could never replicate it consistently, so it left the menu.<\/p>\n

His 16-flavour display always stocks the classics children demand: pistachio, hazelnut, vanilla, and strawberry. The remaining slots rotate based on customer requests, like the black grape flavour created for a regular whose son loved them. <\/p>\n

When his Italian ingredient suppliers visit, KT makes them taste his current gelato first, before it joins the display refrigerator.<\/p>\n

Throughout his life of running businesses, he has maintained strict financial discipline. His initial S$50,000 investment came from funds he could afford to lose. <\/p>\n

\n

I won\u2019t stress myself out. This is just a very small token to keep myself active and busy. If it goes, it goes. If it doesn\u2019t, let it close\u2014it\u2019s okay.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He cautioned other seniors against using retirement funds to start a business, noting that success is never guaranteed and that having savings to fall back on is essential.<\/p>\n

Passing the torch and opening a second location<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"\"\"\"<\/a>
Freshio Gelato\u2019s Sunshine Plaza\u2019s outlet is now run by KT\u2019s goddaughters Lee Qi (left) and Joey (right).\/ Image Credit: Freshio Gelato<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Today, the Sunshine Plaza outlet is led by KT\u2019s goddaughters Lee Qi and Joey, recent graduates passionate about carrying forward the Freshio Gelato legacy and reviving its social media presence.<\/p>\n

His son Alex also contributes with design ideas, new products, and demographic strategy.<\/p>\n

But even with the next generation stepping in, the elderly couple are not ready to retire just yet.<\/p>\n

In late Mar this year, they opened a new outlet at Kadayanallur Street near Maxwell Food Centre, employing a different strategy while Sunshine Plaza bets on students. The outlet instead targets Chinese and Taiwanese tourists who frequent the hawker centre\u2019s famous chicken rice stall.<\/p>\n

The new Freshio Gelato serves durian desserts and newly launched yoghurt and a\u00e7ai bowls on top of their regular gelato flavours, which KT shared that \u201ccustomers photograph from every angle before eating.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

With its mobile gelato machine, Freshio Gelato is also able to supply gelato at any location and event. This includes corporate bookings handled through organisers serving both private companies and public sector clients, from Changi Airport to Sentosa hotels. <\/p>\n

The business also partners with organisations such as The Foundry charity next door, the Photographic Society on Waterloo Street, and YMCA graduation events, serving hundreds of guests at a time.<\/p>\n

In total, the business moves through roughly 500kg of gelato a month. Till this day, KT and Yazhu leave the shop at 2AM, and face peak crowds from 1-3PM and 8-10PM, timings they call the prime time for dessert.<\/p>\n

Freshio Gelato has redefined the couple\u2019s retirement<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"\"\"\"<\/a>
Freshio Gelato\u2019s new outlet at Kada, which seats 20 pax, opened in late Mar and is run by the elderly couple.\/ Image Credit: Freshio Gelato<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Running Freshio Gelato has redefined retirement for the elderly couple. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just keeping active and providing another kind of financial income every month,\u201d KT said. But more than money, it means staying relevant through \u201cintergenerational collaboration\u201d with his grandchildren and his younger customers.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you TikTok, I can also do TikTok,\u201d he said with a laugh. \u201cI learn from younger people and enjoy working alongside them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

His advice to elderly entrepreneurs stands in practicality. Find something that keeps you engaged, risk only what you can afford to lose, and never stop moving.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For KT, that something turned out to be gelato. <\/p>\n