Twelve Cupcakes abruptly shuts down, no prior notice given to union & 80 affected staff

October 30, 2025• byEric L.

[Editor’s Note: The following article has been updated to include The Food, Drinks and Allied Workers Union (FDAWU)’s response to the closure.]

Singaporean cupcake and dessert business Twelve Cupcakes has ceased operations after being placed under provisional liquidation.

The chain announced its closure on its website, which stated that its last day of operations was Oct 29, though it did not provide any further details about the shutter.

According to its website, Twelve Cupcakes has 20 outlets islandwide. A Google search at the time of writing showed that the majority of the stores were listed as open, though two outlets at Victoria Street and Northpoint City were marked as “temporarily closed.”

Their story was sweet, until it wasn’t

Twelve Cupcakes founders — Image Credit: DanielFoodDiary

Twelve Cupcakes was founded in 2011 by former radio DJ Daniel Ong and Miss Singapore Universe 2001 winner Jaime Teo. It became Singapore’s largest cupcake empire just three years after its launch, with 43 locations across Singapore and other Asian markets.

The duo’s love story was one of the main drivers of the brand’s success, but their 2016 divorce announcement after nine years of marriage marked the beginning of Twelve Cupcakes’ downfall. According to an article by ladyironchef, the pair sold their business to Indian tea production company Dhunseri Group in 2017 for S$2.5 million.

However, things took a turn for the worse, as both Ong and Teo were charged S$65,000 each in 2021 for underpaying their foreign staff over three years, a TODAY report wrote. The bakery chain was also fined S$119,500 earlier in Jan 2021 for underpaying eight foreign employees from 2017 to 2019.

The Food, Drinks and Allied Workers Union (FDAWU) announced plans to unionise Twelve Cupcakes following the 2021 controversy, stating that it aims to protect employees and partner with management to recover from the episode.

“Irresponsible but also lacked due process”: FDAWU

In a media statement, the FDAWU wrote that they were not given any advance notice and were only informed the same day that Twelve Cupcakes made the announcement online and to their workers. The union also shared that about 80 affected workers are still struggling to secure alternative employment on short notice, leaving their livelihoods and the payments owed to them in uncertainty.

“Despite Twelve Cupcakes being a unionised company under FDAWU, the business owner did not engage the union early to discuss alternatives or support measures for its workers. While the business owner’s final decision may have been a commercial one, its execution was not only irresponsible but also lacked due process,” the media statement wrote.

“The sudden notice is completely unacceptable and unfair to both the workers and the union,” added FDAWU General Secretary Sankaradass.

The union shared that it has immediately mobilised its team to provide support and has called on the appointed liquidator to collaborate with the union, so that benefits under the collective agreement are duly considered as part of the workers’ preferential claims.

The FDAWU will assist affected members and workers with salary-related claims and job assistance, as well as connect them to the Labour Movement’s network, such as NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute).

The union concluded its statement by stating that it will continue to monitor the situation and render further support and assistance to affected members and employees where required. They can also contact them by email at fd***@******rg.sg or by calling 6737 6088.

Vulcan Post has also reached out to Twelve Cupcakes, but has yet to receive a response.