MCI (P) 089/12/2021. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. Copyright © 2022 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.
Gourmet & Travel
7 Singapore start-ups create local snacks with Asian flavours
Nuts, potato chips and health food given a local spin by home-grown start-ups are flying off the shelves.
[dropcap size=small]T[/dropcap]he passion for all things Singaporean has sparked a new trend in the snacks industry, with items such as a coconut curry lime-infused nut mix and sesame and onion- flavoured shortbread cookies.
At least five home-grown snack companies have popped up over the past 11/2 years, concocting creative local flavours for nuts, granola, potato chips and cookies.
Newcomers on the scene include the month-old Provisions, which makes gula jawa (coconut sugar) brittle, curry shortbread cookies and curry-coated cashew nuts.
Nutchies, a year-old cashew nut company, offers flavours such as chilli.
The slew of start-ups is likely to be encouraged by the success of early birds such as Irvins Salted Egg, which is known for its salted egg-coated potato chips and fried fish skin. Over the past two years, Irvins has expanded to six outlets. Last month, it opened its first overseas outlet in Manila.
(RELATED: Enough with the Overdone Salted Egg Yolk Trend, Already.)
Another early bird is The Golden Duck Co, which started in 2015 and sells salted egg yolk snacks at six outlets, including Chevron House and Parkway Parade.
Despite having to compete with major brands in supermarkets, these start-ups bank on the strong snacking culture here and target tourists looking for unique food souvenirs.
Most of these companies started as pop-up stores, which are frequented by young adults who are more receptive to trying snacks with new flavours, even if they are pricier. Many of these snacks, produced in small batches, are two to three times more expensive than supermarket brands.
One company, Yolky Chips, has seen demand for its salted egg yolk and truffle-flavoured potato chips double over the past six months since it started in May last year. A few hundred packets are sold here each month. Co-owner Mas Raihan Sulaiman, 43, says he and his business partner, Mr Branden Chung, 42, started their company after seeing how Irvins Salted Egg created waves in the snacks scene.
“Everyone loves to snack,” he says. “Once you hit the right product formula, it is easy to grow the business.”
He adds that locally made snacks have the potential to expand overseas because of Singapore’s “high level of food safety regulations”. Yolky Chips is stocked in lifestyle shop Naiise’s Kuala Lumpur outlet.
Nutchies offers cashew nuts in nine flavours, including wasabi. Co-founder Kenneth Ho, 30, says: “Cashew nuts used to come in limited flavours. With these new flavours, they can be re-invented as a fun party snack.”
Monthly sales have doubled to 7,000 to 10,000 packs since it started in September last year.
Beehivee Crispies, meanwhile, is modernising traditional flavours with its kuih rose, or honeycomb cookies, which are studded with sesame seeds and come in chic tin boxes and re-sealable paper packs. It sells about 50 packs a month.
Co-owner Foo Cher Fang, 36, who uses his mother’s kuih rose recipe, says: “In Japan, the Tokyo Banana cake is a distinctive food souvenir. By revamping kuih rose, I can fill the gap of having a Singapore heritage snack for tourists to take home.”
(RELATED: New online retailer Handpicked rolls out Singapore-made artisanal noodles.)
Provisions co-owner Nicholas Tan, 33, also sees tourists as a crucial part of his business plans. He says: “We hope tourists can find out more about Singapore through these snacks that are more representative of the diverse flavours here.”
Even health snacks now come in local flavours. Amazin’ Graze, which has a four-month-old kiosk in Raffles City Shopping Centre, sells about 20 types of granola, nut mixes, nut butters, chia seeds and flax seeds. It has another retail shop in Kuala Lumpur and an online presence in Hong Kong and Dubai.
About half its products come in Asian flavours. For example, Coconut Kaya Granola, which has baked rolled oats and nuts coated in kaya made with organic molasses, was launched last month. Popular nut blends come in flavours such as coconut curry lime and tom yam kaffir lime.
Mr Hayden Leow, 28, Amazin’ Graze’s director, says sales have grown by 10 to 15 per cent month on month, with about 5,000 packs of granola and nuts sold in Singapore monthly.
Its products will be stocked in major supermarkets here in November.
Last month, it received $800,000 in funding from a Singapore-based private investor, which will allow it to move to a bigger central kitchen in Kuala Lumpur and boost production by up to tenfold.
Getting more awareness in the snacks market is a key challenge, says Mr Leow. “Imported health food from Western countries tends to be bland and unexciting. Snacks in familiar flavours resonate better with Singaporeans and help to break down the barrier to trying health food, which has a niche appeal.”
Story first appeared on The Straits Times.
HEADER PHOTO Don Wong for The Sunday Times / The Straits Times
Mooncake Trends 2022: The most creative mooncake packaging and bo…
Former Meta head chef Kevin Wong to start his restaurant Seroja …
Three-Michelin-starred restaurant Zén to open casual outpost in S…
Mooncake Trends 2022: 10 unique mooncake flavours to try this Mid…
Mooncake Trends 2022: The Best Tea-infused Mooncakes To Savour
Chef Paul Longworth of one-Michelin-starred Rhubarb Le Restaurant…
The best luxury holiday experiences to tick off your travel bucke…
Nancy Silverton’s pizzas are back in Osteria Mozza Singapore: Her…
Zero waste rum cocktails to sip on from 13 bars in Singapore
Dutch chef Sergio Herman to make Asian debut, headlines revamped …
Best luxury glamping spots in Southeast Asia for your nature-fill…
This whisky bottle by The Macallan and Bentley Motors is pure art…
MCI (P) 089/12/2021. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. Copyright © 2022 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.