Whampoa Hoo Ah Kay (Brief Biography)

Hoo Ah Kay came to Singapore in the year 1830 when he was a 15 year-old boy, to help his father in the family business. Hoo Ah Kay was born in Huangpo (Whampoa), Canton (Guangdong). His father had set up a provision shop located at the junction of Bonham Street and Boat Quay, supplying beef, bread and vegetables. Hoo Ah Kay inherited the business after his father's death. The company, Whampoa & Co., had adopted the name of his birthplace and as Hoo Ah Kay grew in fame, his company's name became synonymous with his own.