MADE IN SG
The home-grown artisanal brands we love.
Although less than a year old, Loaded Gun Kitchen is burgeoning in popularity, especially among millennials, thanks to its bold-flavoured vegan dips. With flavours like Sweet Miso Cashew Cream and Kombucha BBQ Pinto Bean Smoke-Out, the dips can not only be paired with carrot sticks and crackers, but also used as condiments, sauces and marinades.
Operating out of her Dunbar Walk home, Chan Fang Lynn was inspired to start the business after eating only plant-based foods for a month. “At some point, I no longer craved salty snacks or meat-focused foods, and found myself wanting more plant-based whole foods – nothing out of a packet. The biggest takeaway for me was how much flavour could be derived purely from plant-based ingredients, and I wanted to share this discovery,” explains the 30-year-old.
She currently takes care of every aspect of the brand – from sales, logistics, marketing, partnerships and, of course, the cooking. Recently, she’s also added vegetable patties to her product range. While she intends to add new flavours of dips to the mix in the future, she is focused on refining her current recipes.
“The biggest challenge
I faced was when the hot weather affected the fermented ingredients used, and changed the textures and flavours of the dips. I was forced to rethink my whole cooking process and incorporate new techniques. This resulted in bigger flavours, and I dare say my dips are now even better than what I launched with.
“I believe in constantly improving on the recipes. Many people assume half the battle is won when a recipe is finalised, but no product is ever perfect.”
Started by Rachel Tang and her husband Azri, both in their 30s, A Tale Of Two Bandits offers customised “alternative” jewellery. Some of its more popular offerings include wedding and engagement rings.
“We made our own wedding bands, and when we saw people’s responses towards our rings and thought about the satisfaction we got from the process, we decided to share the love with others who appreciate this type of jewellery,” says Rachel. She credits her crafting skills to whatever she was taught in school (her major was jewellery design) and to the “accumulation of trial and error at the jeweller’s bench”.
The biggest challenge they’ve faced so far is garnering interest in the type of designs they offer. But if their orders are anything to go by, they’re not too worried.
“We cater to people who know they deserve something different, and who understand that jewellery does not always have to be feminine or pretty. Every commission we receive is a step towards overcoming the misconception people have of our products.”
Currently, the couple are toying with the idea of a readyto-wear range. “We’ll see. It’s not half as fun if you don’t get to know potential clients and understand the story behind their ideal jewellery.”
Founded during last year’s circuit breaker, Chubbyco. offers an assortment of essential oils and home products. The brainchild of Wang Ying Jie, 27, its name is inspired by her previous experience of being chubby, and is “a reminder of the importance of self-acceptance and self-care for a healthy mind”.
Ying Jie formulates the bath salt soaks, room sprays and cuticle oils in small batches, and all the products are free from parabens, sulphates and phthalates. While she concedes that she faces the typical challenges of running a small business, she is optimistic about the brand’s longevity because of its affordability.
“The competition with bigger brands has become very apparent. However, what separates our business model from theirs is that I put my heart and soul into every product. In addition, because of lower overheads, our products are affordable as we do not need to transfer large operating costs to our customers,” she says.
Though she runs the business on the side (she has a fulltime marketing job in the tech industry), she has plans to grow it and expand the product range.
“My hope is for small local businesses to continue to produce outstanding, quality products and services, with the goal of achieving growth and sustenance in the industry collectively.”
There are two things Lingwu prides itself on: a selection of sleek leather accessories and its sustainability practices. Founded in 2010 by Goh Ling Ling, the brand offers quality, thoughtfully constructed clutches, top-handle bags, shoulder bags and hobo bags, and operates on an ethos of “buying less and buying better”, producing only made-to-order pieces so there is no excess.
Says the 47-year-old selftaught leather goods designer: “We believe in slow fashion and minimal leather waste, so we focus on reworking leftover materials into a collection."
The actual production of the bags happens in Indonesia and, while she currently has three employees on the team, she didn’t always have much help.
“The biggest challenge is finding the right people to work with. I’ve run the business largely on my own for the past 10 years, from design and production to quality control and sales. It can be difficult (to (find people who are a good fit).”
That said, what kept her going when things got tough was the increasing appreciation towards local designers and their work. “Singaporeans have become more willing to invest in our products. It helps that local designers are getting better at their craft, and are more confident of their products.”
Each shampoo and conditioner bar you purchase from Patrichory is handcrafted lovingly by Patricia Wong, 55, in her Ang Mo Kio home. Launched last year, the brand specialises in natural haircare, made with plant-based ingredients such as Ayurvedic herbs, quinoa protein, plant keratin, and essential oils with antimicrobial and antiinflammatory properties.
Patricia takes great care in ensuring that the ingredients used are naturally derived and eco-friendly certified. The brand’s current offerings include four types of shampoo bars for different hair types as well as irritated and flaky scalps, one conditioner bar, a solid hair mask, and hair powders for both dark and light-coloured hair.
“I’m really proud of the fact that I’ve been able to bring some of the best ingredients to my kitchen lab – old-school, evergreen herbs and oils, as well as some of the latest technologies provided by plant-based science,” says Patricia.
The bars take some getting used to, but they also purposefully slow down the process, encouraging mindful indulgence as you massage your scalp and work the lather into your hair. The naked packaging also means you’re generating less plastic waste.
“Right now, I’m doing my best to expand the brand's reach because every bar in the bathroom is one less plastic bottle used,” she says.
The chocolates at Mr. Bucket Chocolaterie are handmade at its store (#01-15, 23 Sin Ming Road) daily, and are available in the form of bonbons, chocolate bars, drinking chocolate and chocolate liqueur. Established by founder Jerome Penafort, who is in his 30s, with head chocolatier Cheri Chen and creative lead Deborah Phan, the business offers artisanal treats and only works with farmers in the region.
"We buy cacao beans directly from the farmers, which means that there are no middlemen and the full price is paid to them directly. Cacao production in Asia has been falling over the last few decades because they haven’t been paid enough,” says Jerome. He explains that unlike commercial chocolate, artisanal chocolate usually contains no more than three to four ingredients, and is meant to highlight the flavour nuances of where the beans were grown.
But that’s not all that’s Asian about the business: The brand also offers eclectic fusion flavours such as Double Soy Sauce Caramel (which contains light and dark soy sauce from Kwong Woh Hing) and Mala (made with a mala spice mix by local zi char eatery Hao Zhang Ji). While the team is focusing on widening their product range and curating more experiences to engage with customers, their long-term goal is to change the perception of chocolate from Asia.
“There is a common notion that Asian chocolate is inferior in quality compared to its Western counterparts. We want to change that by creating chocolate treats that provide a unique flavour experience.”