One of Southeast Asia’s Most Buzzworthy Snack Brands Lands in Australia — And It’s Already Flying Off Shelves

In 2009, Jonathan Shen packed his bags, mapped out his future, and headed for Australia with ambitious plans. He applied to several universities and was accepted into a university in Melbourne. On his first day, as fate would now have it, he never showed up. Instead, he chose to follow a different path, one that would eventually lead to building one of Southeast Asia’s most buzzworthy snack brands.

Fast forward 15 years, and that instinct has come full circle. Today, he’s the CEO and Co-Founder of The Golden Duck Co., a gourmet snack brand that just landed on the shelves of 650 Woolworths and Metro stores across Australia.

The Golden Duck Co. started in a home kitchen in Singapore. Co-founders Jonathan Shen and his close friend Chris Hwang put together their very first batch of Salted Egg Yolk Potato Ridges by hand, with no machinery. “We scooped the finished chips after we baked it, put it into brown, vintage-looking packaging. Then we set up an IKEA-made booth and sold at a pop-up in Suntec City in Singapore.”

They had barely 100 packets ready to sell on their first day. The next day, they already had repeat customers return, asking for 10 or 20 packs at a time. By lunchtime, they were completely sold out.

It wasn’t until they opened their fourth store in a downtown mall in Singapore that Jonathan Shen and Chris Hwang realised they had not just created a snack, but a brand people deeply connected with.

“This was maybe a year into the business. We’d opened stores before and we had put out the news online via social media, so it felt pretty routine at that point.”

But what happened that morning was anything but routine.

Shen arrived at 7am to start setting up, which is when people started arriving. By the time the store was set up around 9am, there was a line of around 100-150 people long that spiralled around multiple stores in the basement area of the mall. Shen says, “it was totally unplanned, unexpected, and mall security had to get involved. We sold out at 11am that day.”

“That was the moment we knew we had something special.”

The Golden Duck Co. is far from your average snack brand. For the past decade, they’ve been turning iconic Asian street food into gourmet snacks, starting with their now-famous Salted Egg Yolk Potato Chips, which quickly became a cult favourite in Singapore. These were soon followed by uniquely inspired creations like Chilli Crab Seaweed Tempura, Tom Yum Goong Gourmet Mix, and the fiery Mala Hot Pot Fragrant Mix.

Since then, the brand has grown rapidly, with its snacks currently being sold worldwide in nearly 20 countries. Now, with their recent launch in Australia, Shen, his co-founder, Chris Hwang, and their team are bringing a new Spiced Potato Crisp canister range to local shelves, featuring:

• Truffle Wagyu – rich truffle notes with hints of seared steak (vegetarian-friendly)
• Sour Cream & Sriracha – creamy with a fiery kick
• Kombu Seaweed Butter – savoury seaweed meets smooth buttery indulgence
• Himalayan Pink Salt – clean, classic, and undeniably addictive

Each crisp is gluten-free, non-GMO, preservative-free, and vegetarian-friendly made with real ingredients and no shortcuts. A few flavours contain dairy, adding depth to their taste. It’s gourmet snacking, designed for modern food lovers, especially those with a palate for Asian-inspired tastes.

Since landing on Woolworths shelves at the end of April, according to Shen, the response has been better than expected, with some stores already selling out of the most popular flavours. It’s a strong start for the two co-founders, and a sign that Australians are more than open to trying something bold, different, and proudly Asian. The full range is also available in selected Asian grocers nationwide, bringing the brand to even more snackers across the country.