Our Story

Song Kee’s journey began in the 90s as “Sone Kee Fruits & Veges,” and by 2002, it had evolved into “Song Kee Garden.” The founder, with an Asian background, identified a gap in the New Zealand market – the limited availability of Asian fruits and vegetables. This realisation led to the inception of Song Kee.

How We Started

As someone of Asian descent, the founder noticed the scarcity of Asian fruits and vegetables in local markets. With a vision to introduce these delicious, exotic flavours to New Zealanders, Song Kee embarked on its mission. It all began with the first imports from Thailand, featuring garlic and pears from China, and soon expanded to include Korean pears, making Song Kee an industry leader in Australian Lychee imports in NZ.

Our Name

The name “Song Kee” has its roots in a small fruit & vegetable shop founded in 1991 at 468 Queen Street with no name at that time. Then it was inspired by the founder’s name – Song, and incorporated the Kee (Ji) symbol drawing inspiration from the popular business names in Guangdong and Hong Kong, much similar to Lee Kum Kee.

Our Expansion

In 1992, Song Kee opened its first supermarket on Fanshaw Street. In 1997 and 1998, Song Kee started importing garlic due to its high cost in the local market, further expanding its offerings.