Skylight is a name that for decades has maintained a tradition of offering prized seafood such as abalone, sea cucumber and fish maw, long considered by the Chinese as delicacies fit for an emperor.
The company was founded in Singapore in 1966 and the brand Skylight was subsequently born in 1973. The inspiration for the brand name came about when the founder, TJ Ngan, discovered that divers always harvest abalones very early in the morning and return to the factory just when the sky lights up.
Abalones harvested at these hours are the freshest since the ambient temperature is at its optimal to maintain their freshness without having to freeze them.
Skylight abalones are sent to factories near seaside for canning immediately after they are harvested before dawn. This catch-to-packaging process minimises freezing and storage, thereby sealing in the natural freshness of the abalones. Skylight trusts this practice deeply by making this a uniform practice worldwide, which have made its brand a success.
The concept of sustainability came early for the brand. Skylight has been working closely with abalone farms since the 1990s in many countries to hatch and breed abalones for commercial purposes. By diverting demand to farmed abalones, wild abalones in the ocean will not be over harvested and have a chance to reproduce for future generations to enjoy. Skylight does not condone indiscriminate fishing practices as it recognises the need for environmental balance to help maintain not only the business but nature as well.
Skylight also looked beyond the traditional food and beverage market, which resulted in several first-mover initiatives. Skylight pioneered the idea of gift packing canned products as premium gifts for all occasions. It also started the trend of making these gift packed products available in Singapore’s postal offices. It was a bold idea then that took off till today.
Today, Skylight has the widest range of farmed and wild-catch abalones in South East Asia, supplying to both local and overseas restaurants and hotels. Skylight products can now be found not just in Singapore but also in Australia, Brunei, Canada, China, Dubai, European Union, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Thailand and USA.