There’s no doubt that Singapore is a hotbed for innovation, fueled by visionaries and forward-thinking entrepreneurs who are always one step ahead of the game. This month, we spoke to a handful of individuals who identified market gaps ripe for enhancement – from how we enjoy coffee to the current state of F&B retail – and took it upon themselves to transform something good into something even better. The result: Brands that inspire and excite, proudly bearing the “Made in Singapore” distinction.
What sparked the idea of Huber’s Butchery all those years ago and what were your original goals for it? What has the journey been like 17 years later?
I joined the family business after studying and working in Australia. However, my father’s butcher’s shop, Swiss Butchery, had other shareholders in the business who did not wish for my brother, Ryan, and I to continue running the business as they had other plans for it. Without a certain future in the company, Ryan and I, who felt like we had the necessary knowledge and capability, decided to strike out on our own by opening a meat factory manufacturing meat products and servicing the B2B market, while my father’s company serviced the B2C market. My original goal was to turn it profitable within two years and be known as a reliable supplier of top quality meats and services in Singapore. I still have the original business plan I did before the company opened and I’m glad we have surpassed every projection and milestone I listed in the plan.
The journey hasn’t been smooth, but it has been extremely rewarding. I never thought we would be quite this successful, and not just having this business, but three beautiful children who give me plenty of reasons to be happy and to continuously strive to be a better person.
(Related: Singapore's New Guard - Dawn Teo, Amara Holdings)
Being an industry leader in your field is no small feat, especially since the brand has been around for close to two decades. Can you share some lessons and challenges that proved beneficial in the growth and success of Huber’s Butchery?
It is important to set up a solid foundation from the start. This included systems, processes, and checks to ensure that we never compromise on food safety and that our quality standards remain consistent. We are a family business so we run it with family values and treating staff like family members, greeting them by name every day, going above and beyond to help each other and having frequent communication. This family culture helped us to increase staff motivation and service levels.
Over a year after we started Huber’s Butchery, a court case was started against us by the shareholders of my father’s ex-business, Swiss Butchery. We fought the case for six years till 2014 and during that time, our company couldn’t borrow any money from the bank. I couldn’t borrow any money personally nor even get a credit card. We had to learn to manage our finances and cash flow very well, and could only spend money we had earned.
Huber’s Butchery entered 2024 with a strong push for innovation and evolution. Can you walk us through some of the notable changes that have been applied to the business and how this charts the course for the company in the next few years?
We decided to give our store in Dempsey a refresh, which includes getting a Green Mark certification showcasing our commitment towards sustainability. We changed our air-conditioning and lighting to energy efficient models, put in solar panels that would at least power our bistro and the two electric vehicle charging stations, which is the first in Dempsey. We have started recycling stations and arranged for the recycling truck to pick it up when full. This service is also open to other tenants in Dempsey to use. We have installed a food digestor machine which turns our food waste into compost, which we then use in our herb garden – with the herbs being used in our bistro dishes. We have been sourcing from ethical farmers, but will place a greater emphasis on farmers who practice sustainability on their farms.
Apart from always innovating and creating new products like our recently launched Bone Marrow Butter and Mangalica Lardo, in May 2024, we became the first butchery in the world to retail Good Meat’s cultivated chicken. Having three young children, I want to leave them a world that is repairing itself through good practices and if there is a more sustainable way to grow delicious meat, then I am happy to support it.
We have installed 24/7 refrigerated self-collection lockers outside our store so that customers can still put in an order if delivery slots are full and pick it up, this applies to customers who wish to pick up after the store has closed at 7pm. The lockers have dual temperature zones, being able to handle both chilled and frozen items. Beside it, we have a vending machine dispensing staple pantries like sausages, ham, and drinks so that customers can pick it up when picking up their orders or after finishing dinner at any of the establishments at Dempsey.
We are launching our cheese and cold cut platter online service in August 2024. Many people don’t know that we have one of the largest cheese selections in Singapore, with over 200 types of cheeses from all over the world. This is accompanied by a wide array of homemade and imported cold cuts. Customers will be able to customize their own cheese and cold cut platter and get it delivered to them or pick it up in store or at the lockers.
We are in the midst of building a state of the art factory that will be both innovative and sustainable. This will allow us to increase our range of products and services as well as export regionally.
(Related: Singapore's New Guard - Leon Foo, MORNING)
How do you plan to attract a new generation of Huber’s Butchery customers? And since brand loyalty is not something that’s easily achieved today, how do you intend to keep engaging clients who have been with you since the start?
At the moment people are spending a lot of time consuming content on social media platforms. We are continuously trying to reach out to them and have created a Huber’s Butchery YouTube channel to do cooking videos and “How to” videos pertaining to meat. We have about 20,000 subscribers with one of our videos , “How to cook steaks the traditional way” having over 6 million views. We are generating content on Facebook and Instagram as well to be consistently in front of people’s eyes so that they are reminded to come to Huber’s to shop. Ultimately, customers have less time and especially after Covid, they prefer convenience, and therefore, we are exploring ways to make ordering with us easier as well as offering next-day deliveries.We also have a membership loyalty program, which we hope to improve this year to encourage repeat purchases. This includes inviting them to members-only events like tastings, exclusive launches, etc.
As an entrepreneur who has enjoyed relative success in your chosen path, what advise do you have for other young entrepreneurial hopefuls in Singapore, particularly those who are feeling lost and stuck?
I would encourage every entrepreneur to have a mentor. I was lucky to have my father as a mentor and my brother to continuously bounce off ideas with. I recently went to the Entrepreneur Organization’s (EO) introduction session and could see how joining such an organization will help young entrepreneurs since they will be placed in focus groups where problems and feelings can be confidentially shared. Many experienced entrepreneurs further along their journey will gladly share their experiences and offer guidance.
We need to remember that everyone makes mistakes. The worst mistake is not to even do it at all. So I encourage people to be decisive and take action, then you will find out if it is right or wrong. If it’s wrong, you will learn from it, fix it and improve for the future.
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