How this entrepreneur’s keto meal service became a hit during the pandemic
In March this year, before long before the miasma of a partial lockdown settled over Singapore'due south F&B scene, Constant Tong officially launched his keto meal subscription service. The timing of this endeavour, among an unfolding pandemic, appears to have been propitious.
While established businesses foundered nether COVID-19'southward tectonic effects, Ketomei flourished. According to the company, information technology raked in more than than S$i one thousand thousand in revenue from 1,600 subscribers in less than a year.
But Ketomei's breakout profit – which doubled in April and May – can't exist solely ascribed to the convenience its meal delivery service brought, during a flow where dining out was verboten.
In fact, Ketomei's sales figures connected to climb even afterwards the "circuit breaker." Tong surmises that this is partly due to a burgeoning local customs committed to the loftier-fat, low-carb keto (brusk for ketogenic) diet.
Touted as a quick and effective weight loss method, carbohydrate deprivation engenders a process called ketosis, where the body breaks down fat. Tong himself is a votary of the keto lifestyle, having dabbled in it to shed belly fat while shuttling between the U.s.a. and Singapore for work.
But sticking to a low-sugar diet in his home country, where consuming starchy staples is de rigueur at hawker centres, proved to exist a Sisyphean task.
"I would make three rounds of the nutrient courtroom, where I was repeatedly asked if I wanted rice or noodles. What'southward the point in forgoing both?" recounted the spry 53-year-old, who claims that being a keto adherent helped him to lose weight and feel energised.
READ> The Singaporeans making rice and noodles healthier, but just as delicious
A NUMBERS GAME
A dearth of dining options to satiate Singapore'due south growing ambition for the keto lifestyle was revealed through rudimentary market place research. "I performed a Google keyword assay of the word keto, and discovered that information technology had a loftier search volume and depression contest," shared Tong.
Parsing data is non new to the 53-twelvemonth-old veteran of the tech sector, who has made the rounds as an employee of gaming manufacture heavyweights such equally Electronic Arts in the U.s.a. and Razer Inc.
He's both worked for and started a slew of venture-backed companies in the fintech space – including a Prc-based platform dispensing trading tips. Shortly after a brief stint leading Razer Inc's mobile wallet app project, he reverted to the appellation of CEO.
The seasoned entrepreneur shelved his initial plans to launch Ketomei in Cathay – his visitor's proper name is a portmanteau combining "keto" and the Standard mandarin term for beauty, "mei" – every bit he did not feel confident of capturing the market place with limited capital.
"China is pretty open to overseas brands, so I felt it would be better to establish ourselves in Singapore earlier moving into the market place," he explained. So, with about South$100,000 in savings, he founded the company locally, piloting its services to a clutch of subscribers in January.
Ketomei's business concern model is fairly lean. Customers select a one-, three- or vi-week plan that comprises two daily meals from Monday to Saturday. The keto-tailored fare – which features microwavable options such as v-spice beefiness with konjac noodles and Japanese-fashion chashu pork collar with cauliflower rice – is prepared in cloud kitchens, blast chilled and tagged with nutritional data. These are delivered on a weekly basis, via riders the company directly engages to circumvent high courier fees.
Tong revealed that their direct-to-consumer service closely references American meal commitment start-upwardly Freshly, which was recently caused by Nestle Us for a whopping US$1.5 billion (S$2 billion).
Not unlike the analytics-led startup, engineering science has worked in Ketomei's favour, from allowing them to create an engaging online user experience, to orchestrating deliveries efficiently. The entrepreneur also plans to develop a breathalyser-style device that detects a state of ketosis.
"We can brand this available globally, with sales data giving united states of america insights on which state to launch our service in," he explained.
As well a benefaction is Ketomei's incisive digital marketing strategy that targets its largely female person, millennial clientele through collaborations with a well-preened stable of Instagram influencers, as well as American-Singaporean keto cookbook writer Kelly Tan Peterson.
As Ketomei's nutritional advisor who holds the rapt gaze of a sizeable social media following and hosts webinars elucidating the keto lifestyle, Tan Peterson brings clout to the nascent brand. This month (December 2020), it further established its presence nether the flippant marquee of Mr Globe Singapore 2020. Tong expects this to be quite the upshot enlivened past "many screaming ladies drawn to the swimsuit segment."
READ> Top fitness tips from Singapore successful entrepreneurs and company chiefs
Be YOUR Brand
A bold identity is primal, if Tong's five months in cult-favourite Razer Inc have taught him anything. "Razer'south branding is very strong, and they have cultivated a passionate fanbase, which is powerful," he shared. Working closely with Razer Inc CEO Tan Min-Liang – who is purportedly an inveterate gamer – he added, underscored the importance of authenticity.
Though inappreciably a long-serving employee, Tong contends that his quick deviation from the firm isn't linked to scurrilous rumours about its toxic working culture, allegedly perpetuated past a bellicose CEO.
Rather, he says he left to pursue other opportunities. "I enjoyed working with Min, an inspiring guy who was professional every time we met. You accept to be on your toes though; he'll permit you know if you've said something stupid," he offered.
Tong appears to be the antonym of a advised superior, with his mild-mannered eyebrow and slightly faltering voice communication. The doting father-of-1 admits that his shut relationship with his teenaged girl, with whom he shares a Spotify playlist and attended a Billie Eilish concert ("I was the oldest guy in the room"), helps him relate to younger employees. He also enjoys watching anime and sussing out free mindfulness apps that are to his dismay, spiked with zombie sounds. He hasn't broached the keto lifestyle with his wife though, for fright of reprisal.
Dad humour bated, Tong has lofty aspirations for Ketomei. He says that his former roles in large corporations such as Singapore Airlines have helped him appreciate what it takes to scale a business. A Ketomei in China is still on the cards.
"You can literally open a kitchen in Shanghai, which has a population of about 20 million, and being logistically advanced, tin can route deliveries to Zhejiang and Jiangsu. The GDP of these three provinces is higher than that of Bharat's," he shared. He further lent that he plans to raise funds for Ketomei'south overseas expansion, starting in Southeast Asia.
For now, the keto advocate is on track to expand his brand in Singapore. Having outgrown cloud kitchens – whose high rental fees whittle away at profit margins – the company is moving into a larger primal kitchen in the West. He'southward besides set to release a new gourmet carte with items such as deadening-cooked short ribs and duck confit, and is planning a catchy K42 claiming to rails customers' weight loss goals over a period of vi weeks.
"Moving forward, we will focus more than on educating people on the keto lifestyle, and then they tin can brand informed decisions," he ended.
"Moving forward, we will focus more on educating people on the keto lifestyle, so they tin can make informed decisions." – Abiding Tong
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Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/people/constant-tong-ketomei-meal-subscription-235851
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