Majority of the components are made from scratch / done lovingly by hand :)
Every launch is a lesson learnt: did I get the right ingredients? Did I use the right whisking machine? Did I add too much powder thinking the more flavourful the better? Can I start working on it earlier? Did I bake them for too long? Did I send the wrong items out for delivery instead of collection?
So so soooo many things happened along the way over the past 4 launches that made me stressed and anxious, like how I overbaked the whole batch of ladyfingers, how I decided to add more Milo powder thinking it will be tastier but turned out like diabetes for most people, and how I sent out some customers' pearls for delivery when they were meant to be left at home... so I had to rush out a whole new batch just to ensure my customers can collect in time.
The worst was still my first launch when I wasted so many tubs of mascarpone cheese (and they are the most expensive ones D:) because they were beaten at too high a speed. I failed the first batch not knowing what happened, so I tried again thinking it was probably the cheese's problem, but the same thing happened and I had already used up 4-5 tubs of cheese. BY THEN I HAD ONLY 1 TUB LEFT and nothing done. So I went out to purchase more, but lo and behold, I travelled to 3 different supermarkets and THEY WERE ALL SOLD OUT. By then I had the thought of cancelling this whole thing or telling my customers that it was gonna be postponed cos I don't have the ingredients. But I finally found them on the 4th try, switched to a smaller whisking machine and I finally succeeded. But $XXX gone just like that... and it was only my first launch, so imagine the disappointment haha :(
Something that looks so easy to do really isn’t when everything is done from scratch - I can easily buy ladyfingers off shelves but I choose not to. I can also buy ready-made pearls but I choose to make them myself. Packing them individually into jars is also harder and more time-consuming than it looks because you really have to settle everything jar.by.jar.
It is also a struggle whether I should price them higher - I see small portions of tiramisus selling at crazily high prices outside and I can now understand why but I would think twice before purchasing because... it is really very small :( And I don't want my consumers to think the same way, I want my products to be really value-for-money, but that means my profit margin is really low.
HOWEVER, rants aside... at the end of every launch I feel very satisfied even though my whole body especially my arms and legs feel like death hahaha. Getting feedback (good and bad) and going through all the 'fails' really help me work things out better for the next round!
Finally thank you my friend, Amelia, for being my dedicated deliverywoman!! This little business wouldn’t have kickstarted if she didn’t agree to help me drive around Singapore because I don't have a car lollll.
Anyway, the next pre-order is likely in mid-November and I also have some exciting plans for Christmas... so stay tuned!! Do support if you can :D
@whippingeggs
@whippingeggs
@whippingeggs
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