SINGAPORE - You may have read that a new Ikea museum is coming up next year, and is being constructed on the exact spot where the brand’s very first store in Almhult used to stand. One reason the company wanted to build a museum was the demand from fans. It’s true. There are many who have made the pilgrimage to visit Ikea’s corporate centre, Tillsammans, just to see the mini exhibition on the company’s history, titled Ikea Through The Ages, which was originally meant for employees only.

It makes sense to open a corporate museum if you think about how powerful and attractive brands have become. After all, football fans trek to the home grounds of their favourite clubs to check out those museums. Car companies such as BMW, Mercedes Benz and Toyota boast museums that have become popular draws in their cities of Munich, Stuttgart and Nagoya, respectively. And major beverage brands — Guinness, Coca-Cola and even Tsingtao — don’t shy away from giving visitors a taste of their drinks and rich history at the same time. But there are more unusual and strangely compelling corporate museums like these below to consider visiting next time you’re abroad.

THE HERSHEY STORY, PHILADELPHIA, UNITED STATES. Who doesn’t like chocolate? Sure, some may opt for the more popular Hershey’s Chocolate World theme park, but The Hershey Story is just as fun in its own right. It traces Milton Hershey’s rags-to-riches story, with exhibits such as those showing how he built the largest chocolate factory in the world. One of the cool things you’ll find here is the cheque that Hershey issued to the White Star Line to make reservations for himself and his wife on the Titanic. However, she became ill and they had to cancel their trip back to the US, and, well, we all know how that journey turned out. It’s extra special for children, who can choose to explore the space as chocolate factory apprentices. The real highlights here are the Chocolate Lab that allows you to create your very own treats, the tasting room for sampling chocolates from all over the world and the museum store where you can bag a mind-boggling variety of choc souvenirs that will make your dentist weep. While it may not be as wild as Willy Wonka’s establishment, it’s a great option to do some learning versus simply chomping on chocolate.

L’AVENTURE MICHELIN IN CLERMONT-FERRAND, FRANCE. You’ve been to the Musee du Louvre, the Musee d’Orsay and even the Palais de Tokyo, but how about checking out this particular museum? It’s not just petrol-heads who want to view the entire collection of Michelin tyres and buy their very own squishy Michelin man as a souvenir. Besides tyres, it also showcases the evolution of transport from bicycles to aeroplanes. There are interactive elements and insights into the history of the town and the Michelin groups. Plus, there are lots of maps and guides to pick up — including those for the much vaunted Michelin-starred restaurants.

BANG & OLUFSEN MUSEUM, STRUER, DENMARK. We all love looking at Bang & Olufsen products, so it’s an audiophile dream-come-true at this museum residing within the larger Struer Museum. The pyramid-shaped building houses more than 300 products from the brand started in 1925 by engineers Peter Bang and Svend Olufsen. Historical memorabilia such as pamphlets, photos and films highlighting the evolution of the multimedia industry complement the gadgets on display.

O’SULLOC TEA MUSEUM, JEJU, SOUTH KOREA. Regular visitors to Seoul would probably be familiar with the o’sulloc chain of tea houses, in particular its stylish outlet in Insadong. True green tea lovers, however, should make their way to Jeju Island to see the o’sulloc Museum, with its unmissable tea cup statues.

Here is a shrine to the beverage, where you can wander through its teacup gallery tea vessels and utensils from prehistoric times to Korean dynasties as well as tea sets sourced from different parts of the world. You can examine tea leaves from China, Japan and Korea and take in the lushness of the surrounding green-tea fields from the rooftop deck before sipping on their famed green-tea latte at the cafe. The museum is also linked to beauty brand Innisfree’s Jeju House (no prizes for guessing the key ingredient used in Innisfree’s products).

SHISEIDO CORPORATE MUSEUM, KAKEGAWA, JAPAN. Those who know their stuff when it comes to beauty will want to make a stop here. The Japanese beauty giant, which counts brands such as Tsubaki and Cle de Peau under its umbrella, opened a museum in 1992 to celebrate its 120th anniversary. Diehard Shiseido junkies will delight in uncovering products such as Edo-era make-up kits and seeing the evolution of Shiseido’s packaging, posters and advertisements over the decades. Besides the museum, there’s a beautifully designed Art House worth visiting. It doesn’t hurt that the museum grounds are dotted with sculptures and flowers to make this an extra photogenic outing.

COLMAN’S MUSTARD MUSEUM, NORWICH, ENGLAND. A slightly more left-of-centre option, this museum is a brick-and-mortar ode to one of the most famous mustard brands in the world. Technically, the name is a little more grandiose than the actual venue: It’s more of a mini-exhibition within a store rather than a museum. Nevertheless, it’s billed as one of Norwich’s “most popular and cherished heritage attractions” (excluding, we suppose, the grounds of its recently promoted football club). Located in the Royal Arcade near Norwich Market, it gives an overview of how founder Jeremiah Colman started his mustard empire and how the good stuff is made. It’s also a chance to take home some “Norwich gold”, as they say, whether it’s mustard bath packs, mustard chocolates or mustard scone mix.

DENG-FENG FISH BALL MUSEUM, DANSHUI, TAIWAN. We kid you not. Here is a museum opened in 2004 dedicated to those bouncy orbs. Apparently, Deng-Feng is the company behind the famed Danshui fish balls and fish cakes, when it used to be Weixiang Fish Ball shop, and the museum occupies the space where the legendary store used to be. Visitors get to learn about Danshui’s local fishing traditions with exhibits ranging from fishing vessels to equipment. Feel free to get your hands dirty by rolling your own balls.