On 23 March 2021, Channel 8 (8视界) held an interview with Zac, the founder of The Kettle Gourmet! The Mandarin transcript and the interview is in an article by 8world here.
Source: 8world
The exclusive interview uncovered many things about The Kettle Gourmet. Read on to find out about The Kettle Gourmet’s intriguing origin story, how the early days of The Kettle Gourmet were like for us and what’s in the future for The Kettle Gourmet.
Origin story
On the show, Zac shared how his late father, a venture capitalist, influenced him to bootstrap and start the Kettle Gourmet with just $100. He started with only having a simple landing page and The Kettle Gourmet logo.
Zac introduced the new localised popcorn flavours from The Kettle Gourmet back then: Chilli Crab,Kaya Butter Toast, Chicken Floss and their predecessor flavours Chicken Rice, Teh Tarik and Bak Kwa that The Kettle Gourmet used to sell.
He also explained how his “accidental start-up” transformed into a business that constantly filled up corporate pantries.
“Accidental start-up”
Zac shared how The Kettle Gourmet started was when he and his friend were watching a movie in 2017, they smelt the aroma of Nasi Lemak in a theatre- and Zac had this brainwave of: “Hey, why don’t we combine the two together and make Nasi Lemak popcorn!”
Fast forward 4 years, our best seller is the fragrant Nasi Lemak popcorn and experience the perfect mix of flavours, aromatic rice infused with the taste of coconut and a distinct taste of sambal at the end. Try our Nasi Lemak popcorn here now to see why its our most popular flavour!
Constant growth
Zac built up The Kette Gourmet, using the money made from the company’s early sales and reinvested it into suppliers, packaging and ingredients, and as the orders kept coming in, it steadied The Kettle Gourmet’s cashflow.
Year after year, The Kettle Gourmet has seen a yearly growth of 80% in turnover thanks to Zac and his team’s hard work.
Growth in a time of crisis
Because of The Kettle Gourmet’s digital-first strategy, The Kettle Gourmet has seen a growth in sales by 247% in the pandemic.
Zac analyzed the situation in the interview: Retail sales have taken a big hit because of the pandemic and because people had to stay home, tourists could not come to Singapore anymore, big companies collapsed.
But The Kettle Gourmet was digital-first, and our popcorn could be purchased from our website, through social media inquiries and online e-commerce platforms like Shopee and Lazada , and the usage of social media and influencer marketing and so there was a surge in sales.
The Kettle Gourmet rebranded during the pandemic, introducing our Snack Monsters in our new wacky packaging!
The Kettle Gourmet now
At The Kettle Gourmet, we infuse popcorn with familiar local flavors such as Chili Crab, Kaya Butter Toast, Nasi Lemak and chicken floss. Our popcorn will make you go “EUREKA!” Want to have the traditional kaya butter toast in a bag of popcorn or try out the iconic spicy chilli crab without the hassle and mess of cracking open the shell? We got it in our Crazy Asian Bundle!
We also have the perfect garnish sprinkled all over rice and your food, chicken floss, made into popcorn! Enjoy all these familiar flavours all packed into one bag popcorn for you! If we have managed to grab your attention by now, do check out our online store to discover more specialty local flavours just for you.
And yes, now, The Kettle Gourmet’s popcorn is available in the following platforms: Shopee, Lazada、GrabFood、Foodpanda、AirAsia Food, our website as well as Fairprice Finest.
The future of The Kettle Gourmet
Are you hungry for more? Zac also revealed the upcoming localised popcorn flavours from The Kettle Gourmet, Pulut Hitam (Black Glutinous Rice) and Curry Fish Head, which still needs fine-tuning. He hopes to release the flavours in the coming months. Do stay tuned for when these flavours launch by following us on Instagram and Facebook!
Want to find out why so many people love our popcorn and why The Kettle Gourmet grew by 247% over the pandemic? Check out our Assorted Singles Bundle that features all of our flavours now!
