Chinatown Business Association sues Nanyang Old Coffee for over S$77,000 in backdated rent for outdoor area
SINGAPORE: The Chinatown Business Association is seeking more than S$77,700 (US$61,000) in backdated rent from Nanyang Old Coffee over its use of an outdoor dining area.
The space in question is a sheltered walkway outside Nanyang Old Coffee's flagship outlet, located at the intersection of Smith Street and South Bridge Road. The cafe has set up tables and chairs for its customers in this area, which is now at the centre of a legal dispute.
According to a lawyer's letter seen by CNA, the Chinatown Business Association is claiming S$77,724.18 in rent, backdated to Oct 1, 2024, with a monthly rate of S$8,636.02.
The association, a non-profit entity comprising business and community representatives, won the tender to manage the Smith Street shophouses in 2024.
In a statement, the Chinatown Business Association said it first engaged Nanyang Old Coffee in October 2024 after taking over management of the area.
"Unfortunately, our repeated attempts to reach out and follow up were consistently ignored," it said.
"Despite multiple attempts to resolve the matter amicably, including a formal letter requesting the removal of furniture and potted plants from the outdoor dining area, the unauthorised use of the space has continued, even so, as of Jun 22.
"As such, the Chinatown Business Association has had to take the necessary steps to address this issue," it added.
The association said it had offered to sublet the space to Nanyang Old Coffee founder and manager Lim Eng Lam, but the offer was not taken up. It said it followed up with Mr Lim three more times in February and March 2025 "but these attempts were ignored".
The association added that it was not restricting the cafe's business operations, nor compelling it to become a tenant. However, it stated that rent is required for the use of the space, as was "required of all other tenants".
Mr Lim confirmed that the association had been in touch with him over the issue since October last year. He told CNA he disagreed with the rental demand and had sought clarification from the authorities regarding the rent issue.
Chinatown Business Association said any proceeds from the lawsuit would be donated.
A case conference between both parties was held at the State Courts on Thursday (Jun 26), where both parties were to discuss the matter.
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CNA
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Apart from hotels, Mireia also supplies organic vanilla to restaurants such as Ce La Vi and Atout to be used in pastries, desserts, drinks, and cocktails. They also sell a myriad of organic vanilla products, ranging from the vanilla beans themselves, to vanilla matcha and vanilla-infused coffee and tea. What started as a S$100 (US$79) company and an experiment with 10 vanilla vines at their HDB corridor in Tampines has now grown into a company worth several million dollars, with over 3,500 plants. Santoso and Setiawan tell CNA Luxury about their six year journey with Mireia. HOW MIREIA STARTED 'It all started because of my wife,' Santoso said. 'She spent over a decade in Europe studying at the Glion Institute of Higher Education in Switzerland, one of the world's leading hospitality schools, and later managing a hotel.' There, immersed in Europe's rich culinary culture and high standards of luxury hospitality, Setiawan was introduced to Grade A vanilla beans through her coursework and interactions with top chefs and restaurateurs. 'She fell in love with this beautiful ingredient and its story,' he said. 'That spark stayed with her long after she returned home." Originally from Indonesia, the couple migrated to Singapore in 2015. 'But when we first came here, we couldn't find really good vanilla,' Setiawan said. 'We noticed a lot of Singaporeans will go to the supermarket, buy vanilla products with a lot of chemicals, and give it to their kids.' The couple, who share two sons aged six and 10, said that while their children were avid fans of vanilla ice cream, they often worried about the potential health effects of consuming too much artificial food. 'We love natural ingredients,' Santoso added. 'So when my wife came back to Singapore, she had the idea of growing our own vanilla plants.' 'We were initially thinking about bringing awareness about organic vanilla to Singapore; that we can grow our own, which is great for health, especially for kids who may love desserts,' he added. But with an education background in real estate and finance respectively, Santoso and Setiawan had no prior knowledge on agriculture. 'Everything I've learned has come from a place of curiosity and passion. I picked things up through a lot of self-learning – reading books, watching videos, and spending countless hours researching and experimenting.' For Santoso and Setiawan, much of their knowledge was also gained through the mentorship and guidance of fellow farmers. The first farmer they met was through a friend of theirs in the coffee industry who knew about vanilla farmers in Indonesia that owned plantations. When they visited him in Indonesia, he demonstrated to the couple how to grow vanilla, from the exact soil mixture to the processing of the pods. Over time through social media, Santoso and Setiawan were also introduced to a global network of vanilla farmers, including those from Hawaii, Myanmar, Madagascar and even Bora Bora, where they exchanged knowledge such as how to crossbreed vanilla varieties in Singapore to get new flavour notes. Currently at their Science Park site, which is their biggest plantation in Singapore, Mireia grows five varieties of vanilla: Planifolias, tahitians, pomponas, odoratas and aphyllas. 'Since vanilla was something we learnt how to grow naturally and process, both of us thought, why not start a business with it,' Santoso said. EDUCATING THE PUBLIC 'When we first started planting, people would ask, 'Why is your vanilla black and not white?'' Santoso recalled, explaining that many assumed vanilla was white – a misconception due to the appearance of artificial vanilla. 'That's why we did workshops for people to share our knowledge and let them taste and see, which is real and fake vanilla,' he said. 'In fact, not many people know that artificial vanilla is actually made from petroleum or cow dung." 'Artificial vanilla usually has only one flavour note, which is sweet. But for real vanilla, there are 250 notes,' he explained. 'So people are confused when they eat the vanilla, they say 'Charles, did you add ginger or cinnamon?', but no it's just the natural vanilla flavour notes.' 'The artificial vanilla flavour is very strong,' Setiawan added. 'The real one is more blended, it's very smooth.' STARTING OUT Their first vanilla seed was planted at the corridor of their HDB flat in Tampines, where they started growing a simple 10 vines. As their mini garden flourished, the pair wanted to grow more vanilla plants, but space was becoming a concern. 'The rental (for land) here is very expensive,' Santoso lamented. 'Actually, vanilla plants don't occupy as big a space as vegetables do, but even finding a smaller space in Singapore is quite difficult; it's one of the biggest chunk of costs that every business in Singapore faces.' Due to the unique climate in Singapore, they also had to learn how to tailor their agriculture techniques on their own. 'Even the farmers we talk to from places like Indonesia or Madagascar were also not sure how to care for vanilla in Singapore because the soil, weather, and humidity are all different,' Santoso said. 'For instance we have to get the soil mixture right for the plants to grow,' Setiawan explained. 'Singapore soil is more clayish. Because in Singapore, to make the island bigger, they landfill the area. So most of the soil is not very good for plants.' 'We had to experiment and mix the soil to see what works,' Santoso added. It was only after two to three years of trial and error did they solidify their processes. Santoso explained that it takes eight years for a vanilla plant to grow from the seed. To shorten the time taken, he cuts the plant till its stem to harvest the fully grown vanilla pod to make way for the plant to grow more vanilla. But even after doing so, it still would take four to five years to harvest the vanilla pods. 'That's why the price for vanilla is not cheap, because it takes a long time to grow,' Setiawan said. 'It's labour and time intensive.' He explained that this long duration makes finding a space to grow plants difficult as well, as some vacant places only offer a two to three year contract, which is insufficient for them. 'This is why thankfully, we have solutions from the hotels, restaurants and institutions, who support us and give us space, for example in their empty garden,' Santoso said. SECURING THEIR PROJECT SITES The couple began to reap the fruits of their labour when they secured a project site at Gardens by the Bay in 2021. 'At the time they were having their 10-year anniversary for their collaboration with the Mexican embassy," Santoso said. 'So the Mexican embassy was also suggesting to Gardens by the Bay that they should have vanilla plants there,' he continued, explaining that vanilla historically originated from Mexico. Gardens by the Bay then reached out to Mireia, asking if they could support the garden with their vanilla plants. 'It's more for knowledge purposes; to see what the actual vanilla plants look like,' he said, adding that they now have two project sites there, including one at the Flower Dome. 'We should be proud that we have our own vanilla here in Singapore, that we can pollinate them ourselves and that everything is natural.' Shortly after in 2022, a pop up market Mireia hosted at Henderson Road caught the attention of an F&B director from luxury hotel Shangri-La and offered to house their plants in their herb garden. 'They wanted to have a farm to table concept for their restaurant,' he said. 'Our plants are still there until now.' Thereafter, more hotels like the Four Seasons, Fairmont and Fullerton reached out in 2023 and 2024, wanting to house their vanilla plants in their gardens. 'We're also a member of the hotel associations,' Santoso added. 'For us we don't really advertise, it's mostly through word of mouth; when we open a booth for instance in Sentosa, maybe the chef or manager comes and gets to know about us.' These hotels often use Mireia's organic vanilla in pastries, cocktails, and cooking. They sometimes use their vanilla coffee and tea products in their drinks. 'Actually vanilla is a basic flavour that can be used for anything; our clients even use it for dog food, and making candles and soaps,' Santoso revealed. He added that some hotel restaurants like Fairmont and Four Seasons have even used vanilla beans in their main courses, like roast lamb or duck. 'They use it to make the dish more fusion style,' Setiawan said. 'They would swap out the rosemary used to roast beef for vanilla instead to give the meat a subtle vanilla taste or fragrance.' 'It also makes it more premium and enhances the flavour profile,' she added. 'It's something more creative.' More recently, Mireia also collaborated with Conrad Singapore Marina Bay hotel for an afternoon tea set called La Vanilla. Available from now till Jul 31, the set features both savoury and sweet treats that use Mireia's vanilla. Some dishes include the Tempura Mushrooms and Vanilla Essence with a shoyu-vanilla dip, the Seared Scallop with mango-jalapeno salsa and vanilla espuma, the Matcha Vanilla Sonata which uses Mireia's vanilla matcha, and the Vanilla Peach Tart. Apart from using vanilla in the restaurant dishes, some hotels have come up with other ways to experiment and raise awareness on farm to table concepts. In May 2025, Mireia held an event at The Fullerton Hotel where they brought their vanilla plants, green vanilla, and vanilla pods to showcase to their visitors. The chef then used the vanilla on the spot, mixing it into their desserts like ice cream. 'This event really allowed people to see what vanilla plants look like and learn what green vanilla is,' Santoso explained. 'Because green vanilla is quite difficult to get since it's only available during harvesting time, which happens to be in April and May.' 'It's really nice that they are supporting us.' At times, hotel chefs also invite the couple to their restaurant, hoping they can share their knowledge of vanilla and help them with their cooking. 'When they don't know where this vanilla comes from or whether it's good or not, they will come to us for help,' he said. Santoso added that they also often have chefs and customers telling them that they can taste the difference in their organic vanilla. 'That kind of feedback makes every early morning and late night worth it,' he said. CHALLENGES RUNNING A TWO MAN SHOW Every day, Santoso and Setiawan make their rounds to project sites across the island, which makes for a rather demanding routine, especially under the hot sun. 'Usually we will check if there are any rotten stems, because the stems need to have a certain kind of thickness for it to grow nicely,' Santoso said about his visits to the plantations. 'We will also take out the weeds and adjust the stems to ensure they don't break because they are very fragile. Once the stems break, we'll have to start the whole plant all over again, so we'll need to keep checking and making sure the stem is protected.' In the beginning, when the couple had no background in agriculture, they said that everything came with a learning curve. 'Figuring out how to grow, cure, and process vanilla in Singapore's climate required endless trial and error,' Santoso explained. 'There were seasons where the vines didn't flower or when we lost pods after months of hard work.' 'We bootstrapped everything financially, so there were moments of doubt and stress, wondering if we were doing the right thing. Also, because vanilla takes years to grow and cure, it tested our patience and perseverance on a deep level,' Santoso added. Santoso and Setiawan however, are the only people in the Mireia team, along with a few volunteers who help out occasionally. 'It's challenging to find people who want to volunteer and help us,' Setiawan shared. 'There's not really enough interest in agriculture in Singapore. People here prefer city landscapes.' 'The cost of labour is also very expensive and people want very high salaries,' Santoso said. 'They rather work a white collar job as opposed to getting their hands dirty picking up weeds.' 'But through every up and down, we've stayed grounded in our purpose –creating something pure, honest, and beautiful from nature, with our own hands,' he added. WHAT'S NEXT FOR MIREIA Apart from searching for more clients, the couple said that they are currently looking for a centre to process their vanilla pods, vanilla coffee and tea either in Singapore or overseas. 'We also hope to attract tourists to come to Singapore by showing them we can process vanilla from start to finish,' Setiawan said. 'I think in Asia, not many people really can do end-to-end vanilla production,' she added. 'In countries like Indonesia and Madagascar, there are a lot of people who grow, but outsource their processing.' The couple shared that they are also keeping an eye out for new clients and have noticed Singapore does in fact have spaces for plantations. 'Some are quite abandoned; like at schools, hospitals and warehouses. There's still a lot of space that is not used optimally that maybe nobody knows how to use,' Santoso said. 'I think there is also consensus that Singapore is not a very agricultural place so people tend to think products from overseas have better quality,' Setiawan added. 'We are here to support the country, we don't want Singapore to keep depending on others for resources,' she explained. 'I think Singapore needs to be proud of locally grown produce.' When asked about urban farmers in Singapore, Setiawan said: 'Based on our experience, we need to have a lot of support from the government and other parties.' 'We're really thankful that we get support from the hotels, or institutions that really know how hard it is to have a farm like us,' she added. 'When they know our story, about how genuine we are and they want to support and help us, it's really a blessing.'
