When Rebecca Forwood first arrived in Singapore nearly 20 years ago, she discovered there was a real gap in the market for good quality fresh fish and meat,. “I quickly realised my business The Fishwives would work well here as there were not many places you could buy Australian and New Zealand products”.
Rebecca and her two sisters grew up in Hong Kong with their Chinese father and Australian mother. Immersed in the wonderful flavours of Hong Kong, they had a strong appreciation of fresh fine food and healthy home cooking.
This appreciation of good quality food turned into a successful business for Rebecca’s mother in the early 1990’s. “My mother started The Fishwives in Hong Kong, importing fresh New Zealand King Salmon directly from the farmers,” says Rebecca. It was a small business with a loyal following of locals and expats who couldn’t get enough of the delicious fresh salmon.
When her mother moved back to Australia in 1998, Rebecca took over the business, before moving to Singapore with her husband in 2000 and starting a family.
“In those early days in Singapore, I ran The Fishwives from home and people thought it was a rather odd business I had selling fish from New Zealand,” laughs Rebecca.
However, business boomed and on ‘market day’ when the ice-packed fresh fish arrived by plane from New Zealand, there was a steady stream of customers picking up their salmon orders.
“Back then, my customers were predominantly expats who just wanted delicious fresh fish. In those days, no one really questioned how their food was produced, and I felt a real responsibility to educate my customers about the importance of hormone and antibiotic free food; I worked hard to promote the ‘no nasties’ ethos and am really proud of my work in that space.”
Over the next few years as customers grew to appreciate ‘clean’ food, Rebecca realised that there was a demand for so much more than just salmon, and started sourcing quality beef and lamb. Her ethos has remained the same: “good clean food that contains absolutely no nasties” which means that it is produced without the presence of any growth hormones, antibiotics, vaccines or heavy metals.
“With each new product I found and added to our offering, The Fishwives grew and I have loved every new addition,’ enthuses Rebecca. “Our reputation hinges on the quality of our products and I’m 100{d2c05350095ed942d62ca1635aad234a702e9575e5f9632e6c89e76dec25dfbf} committed to ensuring all our products are fully traceable with authentic and quality provenance.”
The Fishwives’ range now includes a wide variety of fish, seafood, red meat and poultry, and also artisanal cheeses, dips, organic teas, artisanal breads, homemade pastas, FODMAP-friendly pasta sauces, wine and pantry ingredients.
The Fishwives is open 7 days a week at #01-05B, 501 Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 259760 and online at www.thefishwives.com. Email: info@thefishwives.com
