KUALA LUMPUR, 4 April 2018:
It all started with selling his homemade family ‘pau’ (buns) in Tanjung Bungah, Penang and now Hiro Tan, 54, has developed his Rotiboy product into a well-known brand both locally and abroad.
In 1998, Tan – together with his elder sister who wanted to be known only as L.H Tan, 57 – opened a bakery called Rotiboy Bakeshoppe in Bukit Mertajam.
Fast forward, it now has 40 branches in the country – as well outlets in Indonesia, South Korea, China, Thailand, Dubai and Saudi Arabia.
After two decades in operations – Rotiboy, a name inspired by his naughty nephew – the company would be adding another 40 new branches throughout the country next year.
After appearing as a guest on the Nine11 programme on Bernama News Channel, Tan said: “We are also planning to open branches in Japan as well as in New York in the future.”
Starting with only two types of buns – the butter-filled bun using a Mexican recipe and coffee-flavoured topping buns – he said Rotiboy now produced many different types of bread and pastries daily.
For Tan – who holds a bachelor degree in economics from Universiti Malaya – his experience in selling homemade family buns during his schooling years as well as at the university to finance his studies has helped him in his business today.
– Bernama