Dare to Be Different

Mention teh tarik, chicken rice, bak kwa and chilli crab, and chances are, most of us would have similar images of these local F&B delights in our minds.

Not TP’s Diploma in Accounting & Finance alumnus, Zac Chua, though.

His fast-growing start-up, The Kettle Gourmet, is putting a twist to our traditional dishes and drinks so we can enjoy them in an entirely new way – through popcorn.

“When I started The Kettle Gourmet, I wanted my popcorn brand to stand out and not feature the tried, tested and tired flavours of sweet or salty,” said this young entrepreneur.

“I asked myself, why not be extreme? Why can’t popcorn feature familiar flavours that we Singaporeans can relate to?”

His out-of-the-box strategy has proved to be a hit, not only with customers who order his products online but with corporate clients, such as Google Singapore, Courtyard by Marriott and SATS, just to name a few.

“It’s crazy really. When The Kettle Gourmet started in July 2017, sales averaged around 50 bags of popcorn a week,” said Zac.
“Today, I have 11 employees and we’re moving about 300 to 500 bags daily!”

Grateful for the opportunities that TP has helped provide him during his student days, Zac feels it’s his time to give back to TP.

“TP linked me up with Marcus and Sheena from TP’s Baking & Culinary Science course, to help them gain industry experience at The Kettle Gourmet,” said Zac.

“They helped create our latest popcorn profiles – Chicken Rice and Chilli Crab.”

With such creatively yummy recipes, we can’t wait to see what other flavours Zac and The Kettle Gourmet will come up with in the future!

by Ashraf Aris