It's a remarkable thing to be in the F&B business in Singapore for ten years. To most, you're the most dependable place for a cupcake, but you've definitely shapeshifted and adapted your way to stick around for so long. What are some of the biggest milestones for Plain Vanilla over the past decade?
Opening our doors for the first time in December 2011 was a first big milestone for us! I remember the day (and the thrill of it) pretty vividly. Then with our second, now flagship, store at Tiong Bahru, we went from a 150 square foot space to 1400 square foot premises — and that allowed us to do so much more. The years that followed were monumental: we rolled out a range of bakes that epitomised some of what we love to eat, launched our small but highly curated homeware selection under Plain Vanilla Home, started working with Allpress Espresso to serve what we believe to be the best coffee in town and created a deli menu with all our favourite salads and sandwiches that we serve daily in stores. Last year, in response to the Circuit Breaker, we launched our online bakery offering islandwide delivery and, in April this year, we launched our fifth store in the heritage neighbourhood of Neil Road.
The intention was always for Plain Vanilla to be a lifestyle brand and I'm very proud of the work we have done to grow ourselves in that aspect. Several years ago, we launched Plain Vanilla Foods: a range of grocer-style products that includes small batch cookies and granolas that we currently retail at Isetan supermarkets. It means a lot to us to know that we are able to reach more customers and have them take a part of our bakery experience home to enjoy.