Trial and error

Navigating the industry for the first time took plenty of trial and error. Serina revealed that they worked to refine and elevate their recipes with the help of a pastry chef. They also invested in a commercial batch freezer to scale up. Once they developed a wide range of flavours, they began reaching out to various malls and eventually connected with one that “believed in what we were trying to achieve” in 2017. Serina shares that although the brand was registered as a Singaporean company, the first store was set up in 1 Mont Kiara shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur, where they were based.

Transitioning from a home kitchen to a brick-and-mortar store was overwhelming and hectic. Despite this, Serina found it “incredibly rewarding and memorable” to see the first Kind Kones outlet materialise. “As we were no longer operating out of a home, we had to learn the ropes of operational processes and it took us some time to understand how to put them into place,” she explains.

In 2019, the duo moved to Singapore and set up Kind Kones’s production facility in Tampines and the brand’s first Singapore outlet in Forum The Shopping Mall. Creating a production facility was also a “massive learning curve” for the team. Driven by the idea of leaving behind a meaningful legacy, the duo continued pushing through. Today, its products are distributed across 50 supermarkets and specialised grocery stores in Singapore and Malaysia. On top of classic and innovative ice cream flavours, the brand also offers a range of sweet treats including baked chocolate donuts, chocolate cake, and flourless sweet potato brownies.

On top of learning the ropes of a new industry, the couple also had to learn to work together as partners. Of the eight years spent of working together, Serina reveals the first few years were the toughest. She continues: “Back then, we were both wearing multiple hats and handling every aspect of the business.”

For Serina, it was hard to separate work from personal life, constantly feeling as if the business was consuming the relationship. Fortunately, as the team grew, they learnt to separate their roles more clearly, improving on disconnecting from work once they got home. On the importance of work-life balance, she adds: “No matter where I’m stationed, I make sure to wrap up around 4:30 pm as that’s usually when the kids get home.”

Choosing a plant-based lifestyle

Being in the industry since 2017, Serina has seen many changes in the plant-based community, away from an “exclusive vegan label” to a less daunting “plant-based lifestyle” one. Serina shares how this shift instigated inclusivity, propelling the industry’s commercialisation by appealing more to the masses. “One doesn’t have to be purely vegan but can choose to live a plant-based lifestyle to the extent at which they feel comfortable,” she explains.

When it comes to plant-based ice cream, Serina highlights that demand has skyrocketed especially over the last four years. Today, you’ll be able to find a bigger selection of dairy-free ice cream options in supermarkets including Fairprice Finest and Cold Storage, as compared to a few years ago.

With such a large growth in demand, the brand continues to stay relevant in the industry thanks to its innovative ice cream flavours. Serina believes that while many brands try to “imitate regular ice cream” by creating products that taste like dairy, Kind Kones puts the spotlight on plant-based ingredients, embracing and enhancing its flavours. “This plays a big part in why our ice cream tastes the way they do,” she says.

Big things are in store for Kind Kones. Serina shares how the brand hopes to expand its presence beyond Singapore and Malaysia, considering various markets around Asia, including Bangkok, Bali and Dubai.

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