DOPA

What we know

• Leonard Ong, a Nanyang Technological University materials-engineering graduate, left an engineering career and a series of F&B jobs (including at the now-closed café On The Table and at Lowercase Cafe) to invest S$150,000 opening his first outlet, DOPA DOPA, on South Bridge Road in 2018 (Vulcan Post, 21 Sep 2023 — page marked '[sponsored-tag]')
• Named the brand after dopamine because, in Ong's words, he 'wanted a space where people, regardless if they are staff or customers, are happy' (Vulcan Post, 21 Sep 2023)
• Deliberately avoids common supplier nut pastes in favour of developing its own in-house nut butters, which Ong says made the R&D process harder but distinguishes the gelato from competitors (Vulcan Post, 21 Sep 2023)
• Stores its gelato in Pozzeti display freezers — the traditional open Italian gelato cases — rather than tubs, and revises its recipes monthly to refine flavour and texture (Vulcan Post, 21 Sep 2023)
• Now sells its own nut butters in take-home jars alongside the gelato, per the business's own site (dopadopacreamery.com, fetched 21 Aug 2026)