As we approach the end of the year, a time of reflection and renewal, I want to share with you the heartfelt journey of Angie's Tempeh. Over the past four years, I have shared a passion for handcrafted, plant-based Tempeh, a journey filled with highs, lows, and unwavering commitment.
You might have noticed my silence on social media and the temporary closure of our online store. Behind this pause was a challenging reality that I faced. Maintaining the factory operations in Singapore became increasingly difficult. Rising costs and operational challenges were very hard to navigate, pushing my business to close our factory at Admiralty.
I (Angie) started Angie's Tempeh shortly after graduating university in 2018 because I was a vegetarian and felt like there was a serious need for high quality, nutritious, plant-based protein in Singapore that I could eat daily as a staple.
The market tempeh was alright, but I wanted something better as a protein source, especially if I was to eat it every day. That was when I decided to fly to Bogor, Indonesia to learn how to make tempeh the authentic way from the Tempeh masters.
Tempeh is not an easy product to make because of the laborious fermentation process that is both physically and time-consuming.
Moreover, there are no commercial off-the-shelf equipment to make tempeh, so everything has to be made by hand.
But the quality of my tempeh was amazing and slowly, my online store for tempeh started to get more customers.
There was once a time when I wanted to give up the business around 2019. It was because the amount of labour and time I put into making the tempeh was too much for me to handle as one girl who is not strong enough to lift up 25kg sacks of beans at once.
Moreover, I was single-handedly doing all the operations, and delivery on my own. It was too much and I almost gave up.
Thankfully, I met my business partner Andrew right before COVID-19 happened and together, we worked out how to streamline processes and better manufacture the tempeh.
With his help, we managed to grow the business and supply the tempeh to the rest of Singapore.
We gained a lot of media attention from our meaningful endeavor to make quality plant protein in Singapore :) One of the products that we have been very proud of is the Tempeh Bak Kwa, and it even was placed in the Grand Finals of Enterprise Singapore's Asia's Great Snack Challenge competition.
In the last few years, running our factory in Singapore became increasingly tough due to rising costs, lack of capital to grow, and operational challenges, leading to the difficult decision to close our factory at Admiralty.
It was a period of deep reflection and tough decisions. The decision to close our beloved factory was one of the hardest I've ever had to make. It wasn't just a business to us; it was a dream, a community, and a shared mission for healthier, sustainable eating.
In the last few months, we have been working on solutions to continue the company. One of the ways that we can continue delivering tempeh to our customers is to team up with a larger company that already has a factory such that we can save on our high overhead expenses.
After many months of work, I am excited to share that Angie's Tempeh has embarked on a new partnership with Monde Nissin Singapore. This alliance isn't just about business; it's about sustaining our shared dream and continuing to bring you the Tempeh you love, with less burden and more joy.
Our operations will still remain in Singapore as we believe in serving this country and the customers that have come to depend on Angie's Tempeh for their plant-based protein needs.
Your support during these times has been our greatest strength. It’s your belief in us that has kept the dream of Angie's Tempeh alive. We are here because of you, and we move forward with gratitude and renewed energy! ☺️💓