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When Anna Ng and Isabel Lee first met on the Singapore Administration College (SMU) six years in the past, they instantly hit it off. Past being simply good associates, they’re additionally now enterprise companions to one another.
“We each share the identical ardour and curiosity for wholesome consuming and well being meals, and had been all the time looking out for brand new well being tendencies. We frequently bonded over açaí bowls, however again in 2016, there weren’t many choices and so they had been usually costly and never of the highest quality,” stated Isabel, co-founder of An Açaí Affair.
“We felt prefer it was an awesome product that Singaporeans would doubtlessly get pleasure from, and it was a waste that not many individuals knew about it. Therefore, we began An Açaí Affair with the goal of constructing açaí bowls extra inexpensive and accessible to the plenty.”
They began up An Açaí Affair, which is now Singapore’s largest açaí-specialty cafe, after they had been each nonetheless of their second yr of college. They ran it as a aspect hustle for the following two years till they graduated in 2019.
Moreover internship stints, they didn’t maintain every other company jobs so helming this enterprise is just about their first full-time job.
Açaí was just about unknown again then
The truth that açaí wasn’t precisely in style or trending after they first began up, was a double-edged sword.
They needed to ramp up schooling efforts on açaí and its well being advantages as a result of most Singaporeans had been unfamiliar with it. In addition they wished to interrupt the stereotype that wholesome meals is boring or bland, as a result of açaí bowls are literally scrumptious superfoods.
Throughout our first one to 2 years, the principle wrestle was the shortage of product consciousness. There was a variety of explaining and educating to do, however we had been very glad that almost all Singaporeans had been very open-minded and prepared to do this new product.
I imagine that ultimately, the product speaks for itself. Folks maintain coming again as a result of it’s so scrumptious and refreshing, and it has so many well being advantages. We largely used social media to boost model and product consciousness, however we [also] usually needed to stand outdoors our shops and provides out free samples, converse to potential prospects, reply their questions et cetera.
– Isabel Lee, co-founder of An Açaí Affair
Sharing extra about açaí berries, Isabel defined that they originate from the Amazon forest in Brazil. It’s a dense, darkish purple berry that resembles a berry.
They’re wealthy in antioxidants and neutralise the damaging results of free radicals all through the physique, and promote swish ageing. They’re additionally wealthy in nutritional vitamins and minerals, particularly calcium and beta-carotene, which promote wholesome hair, pores and skin and nails.
To make sure freshness and high quality, they work instantly with the native communities who wild harvest the açaí. Its single-origin açaí berries are the truth is, handpicked from the area of Cametá, in Pará, Brazil.
“We serve natural açaí in the purest and least diluted kind, freed from synthetic liquids/sweeteners. Which means our açaí bowls have one of many lowest energy and sugars per serving, making it even higher in your physique,” added Isabel.
Innovation is of their DNA
After they first began in 2016, they solely had 4 açaí bowl variations on the menu, however they’ve since expanded their choices to 10.
Each the co-founders work intently within the analysis and growth (R&D) course of for his or her merchandise. They’d conduct a number of style checks and frequently tweak it, earlier than they finalise their açaí mix.
The method may be very enjoyable as a result of we get to do a variety of style checks and experimentation with [different] flavours.
We’re additionally always developing with new objects for the menu/seasonal açaí bowls based mostly on new meals tendencies and inspirations we get from totally different sources. Some examples are blue pea lychee sorbet and pear sorbet.
– Isabel Lee, co-founder of An Açaí Affair
She confused that it was essential for them to always innovate their menu so An Açai Affair can retain a powerful worth proposition, which is to supply distinctive açaí bowl variations that aren’t provided elsewhere.
As such, they make a aware effort to remain on high of meals tendencies to remain related, in addition to safe collaborations that excite shoppers.
These are simply a few of their enterprise methods that they stick with with the intention to stand out from the extremely saturated and aggressive F&B trade in Singapore.
They broke even in simply eight months
However at 20 years outdated, how did the younger duo even handle to safe funding to begin up?
We bootstrapped in the beginning, and spent about S$60,000 to S$70,000 on the preliminary renovations, R&D, and start-up prices. We each took a mortgage from our relations for the preliminary [investment], and fortunately, we managed to interrupt even and repay them after the primary eight months or so.
– Isabel Lee, co-founder of An Açaí Affair
Nonetheless, funds stay an enormous enterprise problem immediately, particularly with the rising prices. They should maintain their costs inexpensive, take care of rising overheads, in addition to overcome manpower shortages.
Regardless, enterprise progress has all the time been good. In 2019, the co-founders, now 26, had been nominated for the Spirit of Enterprise Award below the start-up class, which awards younger entrepreneurs within the native entrepreneurial scene, which was vastly encouraging to them.
That very same yr, it was additionally reported that its flagship retailer at Kallang offered 150 bowls a day on common.
They opened their first outlet at Katong within the fourth quarter of 2016 and have steadily opened two to 4 new retailers from 2018 to 2022 (besides 2019). Its most up-to-date outlet openings are positioned at Punggol and Robertson Quay, that are launched within the second half of this yr.
“Each new outlet that we open is a large milestone for us. After we first began out, we undoubtedly by no means anticipated it to develop to the place it’s immediately — 12 retailers and counting!” expressed Isabel.
When establishing new retailers, they make it a degree to decide on an accessible and top-of-mind location, corresponding to in style malls and shophouse stretches.
As they develop and open extra retailers, in addition they make sure that they preserve their requirements — when it comes to meals, customer support and enterprise operations.
In actual fact, An Açaí Affair have had some retailer closures as a result of underperformance, such because the retailers at DUO and Telok Ayer. “[We] need to take this in stride and transfer on,” stated Isabel, reflecting their ‘fail quick and transfer ahead’ mindset.
A powerful progress in supply orders throughout COVID
The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted most companies, notably these within the F&B sector.
Fortunately, they weren’t closely affected by the dine-in restrictions as their enterprise is “very grab-and-go”, relying largely takeaways and supply orders.
“The one time we had been affected was in the course of the closure of dessert institutions mandated by the federal government [during the circuit breaker period], however fortunately, most of our landlords had been somewhat useful with rental reduction and rebates.
Throughout this lockdown interval, in addition they began introducing islandwide supply, and employed riders and drivers whose jobs had been affected to ship their merchandise. On the identical time, in addition they briefly opened in two cloud kitchens at Tampines and Clementi to higher handle their rising supply orders.
Through the years, we’ve expanded steadily together with the expansion of the açaí trade in Singapore. I’d say increasingly more Singaporeans eat açaí often now, and it’s turn out to be a staple meals of their diets.
And people who don’t eat it often have a minimum of heard of it, or tried it a minimum of as soon as. It’s a really totally different scene in comparison with 5 years in the past, when most likely just one or two out of 10 Singaporeans have heard of it.
– Isabel Lee, co-founder of An Açaí Affair
As An Açaí Affair continues to develop, the founders undoubtedly have abroad enlargement on its enterprise map. That is one thing they’ve been serious about even earlier than the pandemic hit.
“We’ve set our sights on nations like Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines, the place we undoubtedly have potential to develop,” stated Isabel. “Anna and I are additionally always looking out for different enterprise alternatives, [even beyond the F&B space].”
Featured Picture Credit score: An Açaí Affair
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