They are saying that love is good, and that is very true for Elijah Tan and Limin Wong.

The couple first met whereas at church in 2012 and located pleasure in visiting cafes collectively. However their bond solely grew nearer years later, due to one candy deal with: a Nutella tart that Elijah baked to fulfill Limin’s cravings.

Little did they know that that very tart can be the beginning of a aspect challenge that they might embark on collectively, which has now grown right into a full-fledged pie model, Elijah Pies—the model just isn’t solely common on Instagram but in addition successful amongst vacationers.

How one pie began all of it

As a baby, Elijah was no stranger to the culinary world, having fond reminiscences of serving to out at his grandmother’s “cai fan” stall and following his mom’s affect as a terrific prepare dinner.

Whilst a college scholar, the place he studied enterprise operations and analytics on the Singapore Administration College (SMU), he determined to take an internship at F&B firm Les Amis Group, working in an operations function at their pizza model, Peperoni.

It was additionally throughout this time that Limin craved a chocolate tart, and being the candy accomplice that he’s, Elijah determined to strive making it for her, main him to start out experimenting with totally different recipes at dwelling.

In the end, this led him to create a Nutella tart that not solely earned the approval of household and friends but in addition marked the beginning of Elijah Pies.

The enterprise slowly grew traction via phrase of mouth, and so they quickly began receiving orders from strangers after beginning their Instagram web page. This spurred Elijah to step up and hire a licensed shared kitchen to fulfil these orders, though he was nonetheless a scholar at the moment.

When what began as a ardour challenge for my girlfriend become a doable enterprise enterprise, I had extra severe concerns on startup prices, like rental, gear, packaging and logistics.

The journey of constructing the enterprise from scratch was a mixture of pleasure and uncertainty, and I needed to be disciplined in planning my time to make sure I handle my research properly and fulfill orders on time. 

Elijah Tan, co-founder of Elijah Pies

After graduating from college, Elijah formally registered the enterprise in 2016 and started renting his personal central kitchen.

Whereas they continue to be tight-lipped about their monetary figures, Limin famous that the income that they’d earned at that time was “simply sufficient” for Elijah to concentrate on rising the model full-time.

A turning level in unsure occasions

Then again, Limin got here from a background in branding and advertising, the place she labored at luxurious retail manufacturers comparable to Chanel and Dior for nearly a decade.

Regardless of her busy schedule, she at all times supported Elijah in working Elijah Pies in her spare time, from conceptualising social advertising launches and replying to buyer enquiries to serving to him within the kitchen.

Nonetheless, in 2021, Limin made the choice to depart her company profession and be part of Elijah Pies full-time, because the enterprise reached a turning level in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Throughout COVID-19, we determined to supply free islandwide supply as our approach of giving again to our clients. The response was overwhelming, particularly in the course of the ‘circuit breaker’ [period] after we have been confined to our houses and [the] curiosity in supply for “consolation meals” soared. 

Limin Wong, co-founder of Elijah Pies.

The rise in demand has not solely allowed the corporate to increase its product choices, but in addition given it an opportunity to department out its income streams, retailing to cafes and eating places and providing baking workshops.

Nonetheless, one may marvel, as recipes are sacred to many companies, is the couple involved about potential copycats? To Elijah and Limin, it’s all a part of their plan to retain loyal clients.

“Along with offering a private, hands-on expertise for our clients, we additionally needed to be clear concerning the high quality components we use and the baking methods in our pies to offer them confidence in buying from us in future,” defined Elijah.  

Opening their first bodily store

Elijah Pies has since grown to be a preferred on-line bakery. Based on Elijah, their Instagram following was round 5,000 in 2019, however on the time of writing, it has grown to over 72,000.

Their reputation has additionally allowed them to open their first dine-in idea in 2023 at Tanjong Pagar. However why did it take them eight years?

Based on the couple, they needed to take a extra “cautious and calculated method” to opening a bodily location.

They took time to rent and practice service workers, construct a menu and decide to a rental house that’s “moderately priced” and will attain their goal market, which took a 12 months of scouting.

Nonetheless, the highway to opening their dine-in idea was not a chunk of cake.

Elijah shared that the enterprise encountered a contractor who supplied “shoddy workmanship” and ultimately deserted the challenge midway—which value a two-month delay in opening their cafe.

“We’ve examine renovation nightmares in Singapore, however we by no means imagined being victims ourselves,” lamented Limin. Regardless of the nerve-racking scenario, the couple determined to take the reins within the renovations, all whereas getting ready the cafe for opening and juggling day-to-day operations.

They persevered, and Elijah Pies efficiently opened their cafe in Could 2023.

Extra to go round

Based on Limin, the cafe has served a whopping whole of over 50,000 dine-in clients since its opening. Elijah Pies has additionally established company partnerships with high-end manufacturers like Maison Van Cleef & Arpels, Dior and Hugo Boss.

She added that the model is trying to elevate the general buyer expertise with a loyalty programme and personalised occasions comparable to an in-store “non-public dessert omakase.”

Elijah additionally famous that the cafe has additionally attracted the eye of worldwide clients. “As we’ve got began to accumulate clients from Japan and Korea at our cafe, we goal to discover getting into international markets by beginning pop-ups and ultimately having a everlasting location abroad,” he shared.

Nonetheless, with the worldwide F&B scene turning into extra aggressive, what’s Elijah Pies’s secret recipe for long-term success? Reflecting on their eleven years in enterprise, right here’s what Elijah and Limin should say:

Whereas Elijah Pies’ development journey was not at all times candy, the couple behind it remained centered on one aim: making certain that everybody might get pleasure from a slice of their pie.

• Study extra about Elijah Pies right here.
• Learn extra tales we’ve got written on Singaporean companies right here.

Featured Picture Credit score: Elijah Pies