How this Changi farmstay keeps things buzzing with their bee colonies & nature experiences

When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted his landscaping business, Country Cousins, Clarence Chua was faced with an urgent need to relocate his foreign workers.

His search led him to a shophouse in Siglap—which, by chance, came with an empty rooftop.

Immediately, a flood of ideas rushed to his mind, and together with his wife, Candice Li, he decided to turn it into a rooftop garden.

Clarence Chua and Candice Li / Image Credit: House of Melissa Evelin

It was during this process that he discovered a nest of bees when moving an old garden shed.

“I knew nothing about bees then, so I got someone to shift it, but he was not able to come on time. So I tried to shift the bees myself.”

Several bee stings later, he successfully relocated the hive, but despite the painful experience, something else had taken root: a budding fascination with bees. 

Determined to learn more, he started teaching himself—online and by trial and error—how to rescue and keep bees, eventually offering bee relocation services.

After being encouraged by a friend, he decided to pivot and start The Sundowner, offering rooftop farm experiences at Siglap—but that was just the beginning.

As The Sundowner grew in popularity, the business expanded its offerings, with the House of Melissa Evelin farmstay being its newest addition.

Building a new home

The idea for the House of Melissa Evelin came when Clarence and his wife realised that their rooftop space was too small to accommodate larger groups.

This prompted a year-long search for a new location that could house a larger apiary.

“We searched across shopping centres, empty rooftops, even existing farms. Many landlords were afraid of our bees,” lamented Clarence.

That was until the Civil Service Club reached out to them—coincidentally, they were looking to offer nature activities to guests at their Changi Village chalet.

Seizing the opportunity, the couple said “yes” to the offer and began transforming the chalet into a farmstay in 2024.

Despite the potential for a million-dollar renovation, they managed to complete the project within S$80,000, which included a small investment from an investment banker friend.

Clarence clarified that he initially sought out contractors, but was shocked by the quotations he received. “The quotes from contractors were just too high—If we went with them, we would have spent five times the amount!”

He decided to—quite literally—take matters into his own hands and DIY different parts of the project, from carpentry to painting, to save costs. Together with a group of part-timers, the chalet was successfully revamped, and the House of Melissa Evelin launched just two and a half months later.

If two and a half months seems like a short time, that’s because we knew exactly what to do, as we had built up The Sundowner from scratch in the same way four years ago. 

Besides air conditioning, electricity, and plumbing, we did most things ourselves, so the main obstacle was inexperience. Who [among us] has ever built a hotel before? But we had the can-do spirit to just try.

Sustaining itself in nature

At this point, you might be wondering: Who is Melissa Evelin?

She’s actually a fictional character created by the couple, who is a British naturalist and traveller—a story that plays into the colonial-style interior of the chalet.

The farmstay opened to much fanfare, with, according to Clarence, full bookings almost every weekend since last Christmas. It continues to see “strong, growing demand.”

Many of its customers also overlap with The Sundowner, as both businesses cater to the same target market—young families with more disposable income.

However, with any business in Singapore, the pressure to earn amid rising costs is one that many entrepreneurs continue to grapple with, especially when it comes to rental costs.

Located in less central areas, The Sundowner and House of Melissa Evelin benefited from more affordable rents, which allowed them to grow their audience sustainably.

“In contrast, if we wanted to start an unproven business, for example, in Orchard Road, and rely [on] its prestige to attract a crowd, we would have failed for sure, due to high rent. And the landlord will just be laughing all the way to the bank,” explained Clarence.

Currently, staffing also accounts for 20 to 30% of their costs; however, unlike other hospitality businesses, they intentionally avoid maintaining a roster of full-time employees, with only one full-time staff member on their team.

When asked about their decision, Clarence shared that one key concern is the risk of not being able to sustain full-time salaries during periods of lower demand, which might lead to layoffs.

This helps the business remain flexible and maintain healthy profit margins of around 15 to 20%.

Pursuing the green dollar

The House of Melissa Evelin reached operational breakeven in March—a milestone Clarence credits to the business’s adaptability. But the journey is far from over.

To drive continued growth, the team has introduced weekday discounts to boost off-peak stays and developed a suite of new activities that could cater to large group events, such as weddings and birthdays.

They are also supported by the SG Eco fund from the Ministry of Sustainability and Environment, which offers financial support for their permaculture tours and nature experiences.

Looking forward, although the House of Melissa Evelin currently operates on a short-term lease due to potential future plans for the area by the Singapore Land Authority (SLA), Clarence hopes that The House of Melissa Evelin can continue offering their farmstays and experiences in Changi in the long run, and play a part in conserving the area.

Pure commerce is not green. We believe that combining doing good for nature, with attracting locals tourists to do the same, is a way towards a profitable future. It’s more about passion than profit. 

We cannot take this concept and simply transplant it to another neighbourhood in Singapore. The vibe and narrative is just off. We hope this will show to [the] SLA the value of conserving these seafront chalets, instead of razing this area of natural and cultural history.

Featured Image Credit: The House of Melissa Evelin