A sit-down session with Joan, founder of The Plain Wheat Bakery
Next up on our Bootstrap Launchpad series, we’re thrilled to work with The Plain Wheat Bakery. We sat down with Joan – founder, chief baker and lady boss of The Plain Wheat Bakery. We got to hear a little more about her business and some tips and tricks for new business owners. Find out how Joan balances having a business but still remain as a good steward to both our environment and community!
Bootstrap: Tell us a little about yourself and how The Plain Wheat Bakery came about!
Joan: I learnt early on that baking is a huge passion about mine. I started experimenting with my first bake 15 years ago and it was none other than cookies. Let’s just say it wasn’t the most successful. But my curiosity and desire to make great bakes and bring wide happy smiles on people’s faces kept me going and improving. Now I send simple joys to people in a box on weekends!
It started in 2020, when the pandemic hit. It came with the realisation that it is now more important than ever before to take care of our environment and ensure we have a sustainable lifestyle and future. I started looking into how to turn my passion into something meaningful as well and took on the challenge to start baking sustainably. I am conscious about where my ingredients come from, and how to reduce the use of plastics and carbon footprint while ensuring quality and affordability, which is no easy feat given Singapore has a small agriculture industry. Fortunately, about 50% of the ingredients used in my bakes are produced or manufactured in Singapore. I hope more people will support local businesses and play a part in ensuring a more sustainable world.
Bootstrap: What are some of the life lessons/learnings you’ve learnt from starting this business?
Joan: Balance. Ensuring that I provide the best quality while keeping it fresh and using as much locally sourced ingredients as possible. This is a passion of mine for years and this has become a platform for me to reach out to people who loves my bakes and do my part in increasing awareness of sustainable efforts. Balancing that out with running it to cover time, effort and cost is definitely challenging. Learning to take it one step at a time, and being patient with myself.
Bootstrap: How would you describe the experience as a bootstrapper and how can Singaporeans be more supportive of local businesses?
Joan: Be prepared to have sleepless nights wondering what more you can do with the limited resources you have. It is definitely worth it and a joy to be able to do this. As a bootstrapper, it is also important to reach out for help and support other fellow bootstrappers and local businesses as well. Throughout this experience, I’ve come to realise there are many talents and local businesses in Singapore. Whenever I can, I choose to purchase from a home based business.
Bootstrap: What are some of The Plain Wheat Bakery specialties?
Joan: If you miss having a moist, dense banana bread with a cup of coffee in Bali, having some gooey chunky chocolate cookies as you walk down NYC, or a refreshing strawberry watermelon cake in Sydney, we have it! We bring you tasty treats made in Singapore. Simple joys with simple ingredients.
Bootstrap: What would be the perfect afternoon tea routine for you?
Joan: Ondeh ondeh and kopi for sure. Sometimes I get fancy and crave for cookies with a pot of English breakfast tea.
Bootstrap: What would be the perfect afternoon tea routine for you?
Joan: Ondeh ondeh and kopi for sure. Sometimes I get fancy and crave for cookies with a pot of English breakfast tea.
Bootstrap: What are you looking forward to with this collaboration with Bootstrap?
Joan: It is a great pleasure to be collaborating with Bootstrap! I am hoping this is a beginning to many more local collaborations within the community.
Hearing from Joan got us really excited as we too strongly believe in striking a balance in all that we do while remaining empathetic towards others as well. Making a conscious effort to purchase from local businesses that are mindful about their business ethics and environmental responsibility is definitely a great first step!
So now that you’ve heard from Joan, are you also craving a little for a nice tea time snack? Great news for you as we have multiple bundle types that have both yummy bakes and comforting brews for you to choose from.