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Him Heang
Since 1948, Him Heang has operated from one shop, selling pastries its founder invented — including the Tambun biscuit that became Penang's most famous edible souvenir. Three generations of the Seow family have resisted every form of modernization: no branches, no franchising, no certification, no change.
Him Heang (馨香餅家) has operated from a single outlet at 162A Jalan Burma, George Town, since 1948 — and shows no intention of opening a second. In a heritage food sector where competitors like Ghee Hiang (義香, est. 1856) pursue expansion, certification, and export, the Seow family has built what local media call the “Gucci of traditional biscuits” through a deliberate strategy of constraint.
The brand is credited with inventing the Tambun biscuit — a mung bean pastry that has become one of Penang’s most recognizable edible souvenirs. Him Heang also produces tau sar pneah, beh teh saw, and other traditional Hokkien and Teochew pastries, all made in-house at their Jalan Burma premises.
The founding story remains largely undocumented. The Seow family is exceptionally private — they avoid media interviews, decline to give full names, and maintain minimal public presence. This secrecy extends to their production methods: Him Heang has no HACCP or ISO certification, no factory tours, and no branded café. Where Ghee Hiang invested RM200,000 in a heritage shophouse renovation and launched new cookie lines, Him Heang’s response to modernization has been to change nothing.
Three generations have maintained this approach. Online ordering serves West Malaysia only. The brand’s entire commercial presence amounts to a single shopfront and a reputation built through word of mouth over nearly eight decades.