Anita Lee’s social enterprise Time To Gold empowers elderly people—predominantly those in their 60s and 70s—while keeping the art of traditional Cantonese dessert-making alive, and came about during the height of the pandemic when a lot of older women were forced to prioritise childcare over work that didn’t offer family- friendly policies.

“I wanted to fill the gap,” says Lee. “I provide flexible hours and family-friendly measures for elderly women so they can secure a job with decent pay and at the same time take care of family. I also realised that if these elderly women wanted to find a job, most of the time it would be cleaning or packaging—low- skilled, repetitive work [lacking] job satisfaction, which is worrying for their mental well-being. I believe they deserve more.”

To offer these opportunities, Lee set up a centralised food factory, hiring retired elderly people, some with previous experience as hawkers selling these traditional desserts on Hong Kong’s streets, to create Cantonese sweet treats ranging from rice cakes to sesame rolls, which are then sold through Time To Gold’s four retail outlets. The social enterprise also offers catering services to corporations and hosts dessert-making workshops for students, where elderly people can pass on their knowledge.

“By offering these women a job opportunity in this industry, I’m empowering them. They can showcase their skills, be fulfilled and boost their self-esteem. I’m trying to provide financial support as well as mental support,” says Lee.

Cheung adds, “Self-fulfilment is very important. It’s of course important to get paid but there’s also the mental satisfaction, because we are all human beings.”

Of the impact that such empowerment can have, she continues: “More than 90 per cent of our models are new to the industry but are bold enough to get out of their comfort zone and try something new, and it has an influence. They become conscious that they are a model now and pay attention to their fitness, exercise more, eat well; and some change their wardrobe, putting on lighter or brighter colours, which changes their mental state and can also influence their peers. There’s also the intergenerational communication. It gives them topics to talk about with their families,” says Cheung, particularly when their campaigns are highly visible on outdoor billboards or buses.

“But also, when they go to a casting or shoot, they meet younger people outside their family circle, which they wouldn’t otherwise, and they are on common ground. They are co-workers. This intergenerational communication is a beautiful thing.”

Lee has seen similar positive impact. “We are trying to revitalise traditional snacks and pastries, so we often ask [our employees] to recreate them.” Recently, her employees made traditional rice cakes, cha guo, into cartoon shapes that were highly Instagrammable and picked up traction on social media, leading to a television interview. “They never imagined that they would be on air and customers would be eating their cakes and posting them online, and this makes them feel so proud.

“Before working with the elderly, I had doubts over whether working was a good choice for them. Wouldn’t it be tiring? Why aren’t they enjoying life?” says Lee. “But when I started working with them, I realised they are very energetic—mentally and physically—and capable, and sometimes staying at home is not what they want. They want to be in the community, be engaged, have a career, show that they are capable. It also changed what I used to think about getting old.”

This story is part of our Front & Female In Conversation column, which appears monthly in the Tatler print magazine and is a series of discussions between women who are making an impact in their respective regions and fields.

NOW READ

Wealth With Sophia: Unleash your inner investor and start growing your money

Asian female surfers fighting against sexism, body shaming and imperialism within their sport

Meet the women revolutionising the sexual wellness industry, dismantling its misconceptions and making products that actually do the job