Donny Lee Brings Singaporean Flavors to Switzerland as the Pandan Pioneer
- Unique Wisdom
- May 26
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 2
From Singapore to Zurich, Donny Lee’s journey is a celebration of adaptability and heartfelt living. By integrating diverse cultures and pursuing his passions, he exemplifies how home can be an evolving experience. Donny’s story encourages us to carry home within us, wherever life leads.
I’m currently living in Switzerland and am in between jobs. I left Singapore in 2002, right after finishing my national service, to be with my now-husband. I was 22 at the time and felt a great sense of relief to be able to leave Singapore and pursue the life I wanted—to be free.
Before migrating, I had already been in a long-distance relationship with my partner for five years. We met in 1997 in Singapore and he moved back to Switzerland after 1.5 years of internship. We kept in touch through long-distance calls, emails, and even postal mail, which seems so surreal now.
Living abroad initially came with its challenges. I had to learn how to cook, clean, and do laundry—tasks that seemed pretty basic but were new to me, as I didn’t need to do much household chores growing up in Singapore.
Reflecting back, I can now say that national service and being away from home, whether for work or study, helped with my growing-up process.
The biggest challenge when moving to Switzerland was communication, as I had to learn German, especially since I was staying in Zurich. Interestingly, there are many similarities between Switzerland and Singapore. I wanted to leave Singapore to explore different cultures and ways of life, so having the right mindset made living here easier.
Welcoming differences with open arms and an open mind has been key.
Staying in touch with friends and family in Singapore became easier as technology advanced. In the beginning, staying connected meant writing emails and making long-distance calls to family.
I wasn’t very involved with the Singaporean communities until recent years when I felt more settled in Switzerland. Starting Pandan Treasures helped me reconnect with my fellow Singaporeans and my roots. Receiving feedback from fellow Asians about how the pandan flavor brought them back to "home" always brings a smile to my face.
Sharing the Taste of Home and Finding Joy Through Pandan Creations
I started making Pandan Kaya because I was missing home, and it was one of the foods my mom used to make fresh when I was a child. (See feature story: A Sense of Home: A Delectable Connection).
After sharing my creation with friends in Switzerland and receiving great feedback, I decided to make Pandan Brioche and then Pandan Madeleines to bring the pandan flavor to Switzerland. One product led to another, and in June 2016, I launched Pandan Treasures to officially share my passion for pandan with Switzerland.
There were many moments that gave me the "push" to start selling my creations. One significant piece of advice came from my late grandfather, who was an entrepreneur himself.
He learned that I made Pandan Kaya in Switzerland and urged me to sell it professionally as well. To keep myself motivated, I stay consistent. Since Pandan Treasures is still a side business, I can only commit time and energy after my regular working hours and on weekends.
It’s often the small things that make a big difference. Recently, I was doubting myself on how to scale up my business when I received kind feedback from a client about the flavorful Pandan Kaya she bought from me, which reminded her of home in Malaysia.
These comments helped me pull through my down times. I still very much enjoy baking and cooking, so finding joy in the process also helps me feel fulfilled and appreciated.
I think everyone has a unique journey, and my biggest compliment was when I attended a gathering at the Permanent Mission of Singapore in Geneva. Several groups of people started calling me "The Pandan Man," which almost brought a tear (of happiness) to my eyes.
Spreading Joy Through Kindness, Courage, and Continuous Growth
Photo Credit: Donny Lee
Visionary Thinking:
It has to come intrinsically. I truly want to bring joy to others so that they can share this kindness with others. When I see my clients happy and how they share my pandan delights with their friends and family, it makes me really happy.
Courage:
I’m an introvert, and doing sales on location, especially when I was selling my pandan delights at a local market, was a huge step out of my comfort zone. However, I knew I needed to take that step to progress.
Resilience:
There are so many challenges, from testing and refining recipes to creating content for social media. It’s a lot of trial and error. I’ve managed to tell myself every now and then that it’s part of the journey. Learn from the flops and adjust for the next try so that it will be a success soon.
Curiosity:
I’ve met so many people—some are clients, and some are fellow entrepreneurs I’ve connected with on Instagram. These people have made an impact on me when we share "war stories" and words of encouragement.
Optimism:
This is something I still very much need to learn. Having a partner who is positively optimistic helps. :-)
Adaptability:
There are a lot of setbacks and changes, but having the right mindset helps. For example, testing a recipe or creating a new product rarely works on the first try. It’s a lot of fine-tuning to suit the taste of the local market. Even after finalizing and testing it with a group of friends, the recipe usually needs to be adjusted again. So, I treat feedback and even criticism as a form of continuous improvement.
Joy:
As mentioned above, I feel the most joy and fulfillment when I can feel the happiness being shared and the sense of joy and kindness spreading further.
Collective Strength:
The Singapore Global Network and the Permanent Mission of Singapore have been very supportive of my side business and have always empowered me to grow and develop further. There are also many people who have helped me along my journey, as mentioned above (Curiosity).
Celebrating Progress, Embracing Support, and Trusting the Process
Celebrate every small milestone. No matter how small it may be, celebrate that you’ve taken that step. Most people have ideas or even give great speeches about their plans, but if they’re not put into action, nothing will happen. Celebrate yourself and celebrate that courage every day!
Challenges come and go. Sometimes, it helps to chat with friends or even fellow entrepreneurs. Surround yourself with ambitious people and share your struggles. Never underestimate your network.
The most important lesson is to "Try." Having the mindset of trying and learning from each trial will help you develop and progress.
Have a support group—it doesn’t need to be something formal or professional. Recently, I had a simple coffee chat with a fellow Singaporean entrepreneur in Switzerland, and throughout our conversation, we helped each other by reminding ourselves why we do what we do. This is very motivating. :-)
For the next generation of riders, I have a feeling that I need to learn more from them instead. Being tech-savvy and using technology to earn their income is truly impressive. I think no matter what we do, it’s important to be happy in our work.
I’m grateful for having such an open-minded and supportive partner/husband. He has changed my life for the better, and I’m truly grateful for every day with him.
Personal Motto: Everything happens for a reason. Trust that it will be positive. :-)
Stay Connected
You can learn more about my work at www.pandan-treasures.ch or follow me on Instagram at @pandantreasures.