Meet the founder

Pang Gek Teng, 35, affectionally known as Gek to many, is the founder of Surrey Hills Grocer, an Australian-inspired grocer, experiential lifestyle, and dining destination in Singapore.

Gek began her career as a banker but soon found that there was more to just waking up daily to an alarm clock.

This set her on a journey in search for a greater ‘purpose’ in life. She went on to establish a few small businesses in Singapore, including a local watch brand, Daybook Watches (that was stocked in Tangs Singapore), before closing them and booking a one-way ticket to Melbourne to find new perspectives and inspirations for her next venture.

Living on a tight budget in Melbourne spurred Gek to become smarter and more innovative with her time and resources. She started SURCH (which stands for surprise lunch), a farm-to-table, western grain bowl concept and sold door-to-door to fund her accommodation and living expenses. Using fresh farm ingredients, SURCH was the first to brand itself as a sous vide protein bowl concept in Australia. The idea took off and Gek went on to grow the brand into three thriving outlets over the next five years.

In 2019, Gek made the decision to sell SURCH to a company that could scale the business and bring it to greater heights. However, the plan could not materialise due to the serious Australia bushfires and Covid-19 pandemic.

Returning to Singapore, Gek continues to be greatly inspired by her many good years in Melbourne. She enjoyed the carefree, free-spirited, unpretentious, and authentic way of living during her time down under, and that gave her an idea to establish Surrey Hills Grocer in Singapore to re-create that same spirit and experience for locals.

Leveraging on her close connections and friendships with the Australian farmers and makers, Gek established the first Surrey Hills Grocer outlet in Singapore at Upper Jurong in late December 2021.

A humble founder behind the thriving Surrey Hills Grocer concepts, Gek embodies the qualities of an inspiring female entrepreneur who fearlessly takes risks while remaining grounded.