The Teh siblings – Phyllis, Lavra and CH – often find themselves clarifying that The Art of Salmo specialises in trout, not salmon.

Flashing a mischievous grin, CH, 25, admitted that the word ‘Salmo’ was indeed confusing, but that after some clarification, customers were happy to give trout a try.

Salmo is a classification for European fish from the Salmonidae family which includes salmon and rainbow trout, the centrepiece of the siblings’ business.

Former events manager Phyllis, 32, knows that looks matter and that trout is more visually appealing because of its bright colour. “People associate bright colours with freshness.”

She said they also cut the trout into thick slabs rather than the usual thin slices common to Japanese sashimi. “This makes the bite better and tastier.”

The siblings order only Grade A Norwegian sea-farmed trout from certified farmers.

“Overfishing is damaging our ocean,” CH explained. The siblings hope that having the option to purchase farmed fish will help reduce the incidence of overfishing in local waters and allow local fish species to recover in health and capacity.

“Every batch is inspected for freshness and quality before it is delivered,” explained CH.

If even one slab of fish is not up to grade, the whole batch is rejected, Phyllis added. They order in advance so that fresh fish is flown in every three days and immediately prepped and delivered to customers.

The siblings are no strangers to the high standards that come with the territory – their father was a wholesale fishmonger once too. But in those days, the business was unreliable and he struggled to provide for his children. So, he let go of that dream.

“He was very surprised when we went back to the same business, selling fish,” laughed Phyllis.

However, unlike their dad who had to rely on conventional means to run his business, the siblings have taken their products online instead. “Online is the new trend for shopping. Even the auntie and uncle are buying online,” Phyllis said.

When they launched in 2019, people were hesitant to buy fish without inspecting it personally first. Then, the pandemic struck and many were grateful they could still have fresh fish delivered to their homes. Those customers have remained loyal to them due to the high quality and convenience that Art of Salmo offers.

CH explained that to appeal to a wider local consumer base, they market Malaysian flavours like umai and tempoyak as part of their Norwegian trout offerings. These options have done relatively well.

But success did not come easy, especially for Phyllis.

She had originally launched the business with a friend. But when the friend pulled out, she was forced to go it alone, an endeavour she found so stressful, her hair began falling out. It got to the point that she wanted to call it quits.

Seeing the toll this was taking on her sister, Lavra, 28, decided to put aside her own entrepreneurial plans to help Phyllis regain her confidence in the business.

Together with CH, the siblings said they would help Phyllis run the business for as long as it took to make Art of Salmo self-sustaining.

The Salmo siblings are a tight trio fuelled by a deep affection for each other and a genuine love for high-grade delicious trout.

“I am so grateful to have them with me. They gave me their full support,” Phyllis said.

Follow Art of Salmo on Instagram and Facebook to place your orders or to find out the venue of their next pop-up booth.