Sun Ray Cafe was established on 17 December 2010 in Singapore, starting out as, in the owner's own words, 'a noob in this industry' before growing over more than a decade — through economic headwinds, competition and COVID — into its current shape. It was among the first specialty coffee cafes in Singapore before cafe-hopping became popular, and began roasting its own coffee in 2013 on a small electric roasting machine.
Sun Ray Cafe is also one of Singapore's first pet-friendly cafes, and by its own account is the oldest pet-friendly cafe in the country today — a Singapore Food Agency licensed venue where customers' pets can dine alongside them in air-conditioned comfort. Alongside coffee, the cafe expanded into baking its own breads and cakes.
In 2016, the roastery and bakery side of the business became Parchmen & Co, a sister brand focused on coffee, tea and pastries, which later also took on training services following wins in international coffee and tea competitions in 2017. Sun Ray Cafe itself remains the only outlet in the group with a full hot kitchen and full-time chefs. As of October 2024, the wider group operates six locations across Singapore, including Sun Ray Cafe at Serangoon Gardens, Parchmen & Co at Tampines, and Parched/Pacto by Parchmen outlets at Ubi, Woodlands MRT, Jalan Besar Community Club and Chinatown.
Before Parchmen & Co, before the group's six locations, there was Sun Ray Cafe — established on 17 December 2010 and, by its own telling, started by people who were complete novices in the cafe industry. Over more than a decade, through economic headwinds, growing competition and the disruption of COVID, it grew into the business it is today.
Sun Ray Cafe was doing specialty coffee before Singapore's cafe-hopping culture existed, and in 2013 it took the leap into roasting its own beans on a small electric roasting machine — one the team still keeps, waiting for the day it's retired into a company museum. That early, hands-on approach to coffee became the foundation for what the business does today.
Sun Ray was also one of the first pet-friendly cafes in Singapore, and today it holds the distinction, by its own account, of being the oldest pet-friendly cafe in the country. As a Singapore Food Agency licensed pet-friendly venue, customers can bring their pets to dine alongside them in air-conditioned comfort — a detail the cafe treats as central to its identity rather than an afterthought.
In 2016, the roastery and bakery side of the business spun off into a dedicated sister brand, Parchmen & Co, built around a focused passion for coffee, tea and pastries. After the team picked up wins in international coffee and tea competitions in 2017, training services were folded into Parchmen & Co as well. Despite becoming part of a wider group, Sun Ray Cafe has held onto something the rest of the group doesn't have: it remains the only outlet with a full hot kitchen and full-time chefs, serving dishes like Sirloin, Chicken Panini, Egg Benny, Chili Crab Pasta, Cayenne Chicken and Baked Salmon.
The cafe describes itself as 'very old and un-renovated' — a look the team is upfront about, framing it as a reflection of humble beginnings and evidence that the business has grown debt-free. Even its branding history shows the wear: the logo has changed a few times over the years, old design files have been lost along the way, and the very first version was hand spray-painted onto the cafe door by the original staff.
As of October 2024, the wider group — now built around the Parchmen & Co, Parched by Parchmen and Pacto by Parchmen names — operates six locations: Parchmen & Co at Tampines, Sun Ray Cafe at Serangoon Gardens, Parched by Parchmen at Ubi (Aspial One) and Woodlands MRT Station, and Pacto by Parchmen at Jalan Besar Community Club and, from around November 2024, Chinatown near Maxwell MRT Station.
Sun Ray Cafe's online menu is designed to be scanned in-cafe via a QR code, reflecting real-time availability of dishes rather than functioning as an ordering platform — the site explicitly notes it isn't for placing orders.
The cafe's own account of its history is candid about the mistakes made along the way, set against a backdrop of economic pressure, local and imported competition, and a changing labour market. As the team puts it, they continue to plough today's profits into tomorrow's growth — a slow, deliberate approach that's carried Sun Ray Cafe from a rough start to its place today as the founding cafe behind a small but growing Singapore hospitality group.