Interview with Stephanie Chia of The Chocolate Museum
March 31, 2010 by Gwendolyn Regina T
Yum. Next up is Stephanie Chia of The Chocolate Museum. As one of the top 10 finalists of the Martell VSOP The Ultimate Start-Up Space competition, she stands to gain a space in Clarke Quay from which she can launch her business. Let us hear her thoughts.
(For a quick overview of the prizes the ultimate winner stands to gain, read this.)
Describe your idea and how you think it stands out from all the finalists.
The Chocolate Museum plans to usher a new line of specialty chocolate brands into the Singapore market from South America, Europe and North America. To redefine the chocolate eating culture in Singapore, we have created a unique dessert concept that pairs chocolates with wonderful things like wine, spirits, coffee, tea and even flowers! Being not just a retail outlet, we also hope to create awareness about the history and culture of chocolate such as the way cocoa beans transform into yummy chocolate bars.
[View her 60-second video submission for TUSS.]
How did you come up with this idea? Did you already have this idea before hearing about this competition?
I have always been a harsh critic of chocolates, despite loving these little gems. I would go in search for a good bar of chocolate during my travels around the world, just to satisfy my craving for something new. I have even been as far as a cocoa plantation in Belize where I was exposed to the chocolate manufacturing process and experienced the sheer amount of effort that went into it.
Stephanie looks at a coffee plant in a cacao plantation in Belize
I was planning to ship some chocolates from South America to Singapore, together with a group of friends, when this competition came along. And I thought, hey, there just might be others like myself who would love to know about these specialty chocolate brands. So The Chocolate Museum was a natural progression of expanding the chocolate network from friends to all chocolate lovers in Singapore.
Why do you think you should win the top prize for The Ultimate Start-Up Space?
Because we’re adding a new element to Clarke Quay! With a colourful mix of themed restaurants, bars, entertainment night spots and a trendy crowd that is always on the look out for something novel, Clarke Quay is the perfect hub to experiment with the bold and innovative. So with a new variety of chocolate brands and an intriguing chocolate-pairing dessert concept, why shouldn’t we win?
Tell us your team’s background and what you are doing now.
Steph and Johnson of The Chocolate Museum team
Like myself, my partner Johnson shares a love for good chocolates. Having done his undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley and post-graduate studies at Yale University, Johnson has a strong finance background and is someone whom I can’t do without on this team. We have worked together on several projects before and our great working relationship has helped to push the Chocolate Museum idea forward.
If you win, tell us your plan moving forward to turn your idea into reality. And would executing on this idea be a full-time commitment on your team’s part?
We are in touch with our suppliers who are just as excited as we are to have these chocolate brands on the Singapore market. I think the main thrust in propelling this plan forward is to convey the idea that it is easy to pair a good quality chocolate with everyday beverages we drink. And when chocolates and beverages are paired in the right way, this could be a heavenly dessert combination! Getting your own start-up going will definitely be a full time commitment.
If you don’t, what are your plans then?
It would be a waste not to get the space at Clarke Quay. But this just means that we’ll have to tweak our plans slightly.
What is our Plan B? We will start a chocolate distribution business via an online chocolate store, before venturing into retail as a next step. Given our large support base of more than half a thousand fans on our Facebook Fanpage (whom we have so much to thank for), we’ve got a good network of interested chocolate lovers who would absolutely love a share of our first shipment of chocolates.
At Hawaii’s most famous Macadamia Nut Chocolate Factory.
Do you think the space offered at Clarke Quay by Martell VSOP is a differentiating factor for your idea’s success? Why or why not?
The success of our business plan depends upon how we can successfully shape the chocolate eating culture in Singapore. But having the space at Clarke Quay is an ABSOLUTE plus that would create visibility for our brand name because of the patron profile at Clarke Quay and the bustling traffic there. And don’t forget, it’ll be great to have Martell VSOP as our partners since cognac pairs darn well with chocolates!
Thanks for your time, Stephanie! All the best.
The Chocolate Museum can be found on Facebook. You can also check out their radio interview.
Read: 8 Tips to Setting Up Your Food and Beverage Business in Singapore
Check out all our interviews with the TUSS finalists:
Bon Soir – Dark Dining All Things Green And Beautiful The Chupitos Bar Amnesia Hemeryx OliveScreens YOUnique The Chocolate Museum
About The Author
Gwendolyn Regina T - Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief
Apart from SGE, Gwen is also a Partner at Thymos Capital, where she focuses on early stage investments in technology firms. She has had two exits out of her investments via the firm, one of which is iHipo. A frequent judge for business competitions both locally and overseas, she graduated from the National University of Singapore. Gwen also spent some time in Silicon Valley and studied in Stanford University under the NUS Overseas College programme. Gwen is a mentor at Spanish incubator Tetuan Valley, Polish incubator Gamma Rebels, the Singapore Ambassador for the Sandbox network and the Singapore curator for StartupDigest. She enjoys languages, travelling, dance and adventure sports. Gwen can be found on LinkedIn and Twitter.
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