Longer-lasting Vegan Goods for Overseas Market

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For many years, Jane Tan had a personal mission: to find a delicious birthday cake for her god-daughter. While this might sound like a simple task, Jane’s god-daughter had developed allergies to nuts and eggs, and sensitivities to dairy and gluten at a young age. Hence, finding a cake for the little girl to eat safely was no easy feat.

A trip to the US made Jane realise how vegan-friendly ingredients might just be the solution she had been seeking. A trained baker and pastry chef, she decided to take up the challenge of creating the ideal cake for her god-daughter. She spent nine months perfecting a recipe for a vegan-friendly cake that was both delicious and safe for consumption. Being able to witness the little girl's joy at indulging in desserts safely led Jane to establish RÓA, a bakery championing the belief that “dietary restrictions should not be a reason to miss out on delicious treats”.

Jane learned about IPI in July 2021 when she attended the “Scaling Up your Product in the Consumer-Packaged Goods (CPG) Space” event, which IPI had co-organised with Innovate 360. She wanted to share her allergen-free pastries with a larger market, finding ways to increase the shelf life of her products and expand her customer base to the retail and export markets. She desired a packaging solution that could extend product shelf life without altering her recipe and production processes.

After having several discussions with IPI to map out her pain points, Jane realised that the optimal solution was to revamp her product formulation and develop the appropriate packaging. The next step in her journey was to find the right partner to help her, preferably one with holistic capabilities in formulating and packaging. IPI connected her with the Food Innovation & Resource Centre (FIRC), a food innovation centre in Singapore that offers technical solutions and resources to food enterprises.

While Jane had fruitful meetings with the FIRC, she was concerned about the marketability of her products as she had not established a stable customer base yet. As part of her plan to introduce her products overseas, Jane had been trying to form partnerships with two airlines, Jetstar and Scoot. Understanding her concerns, IPI's Adeline Chan—Senior Innovation Manager, Innovation & Technology—went above and beyond to put Jane in touch with both airlines.

“Giving the right assistance at the right time to our partners and wanting to succeed together with them are my greatest motivation in going that extra mile for them,” explains Adeline, demonstrating IPI’s spirit in creating opportunities for SMEs to grow.

Adeline’s facilitation sparked successful discussions between Jane and the airlines, boosting Jane’s confidence in the market potential of her products. Jane was now ready to kickstart her collaboration with the FIRC.

Playing to their respective strengths in baking knowledge and food innovation, Jane and the FIRC have been working closely to reformulate RÓA's products while ensuring that the taste, texture and allergen-free ingredients remain intact. Starting with non-filled cookies, they are developing a recipe that will naturally make the cookies more resistant to spoilage without compromising taste and texture. They aim to create cookies with a shelf life of eight months and source for packaging that is suitable for the reformulated cookies.

Moving forward, Jane will bake her cookies according to the reformulation in RÓA and partner with an original equipment manufacturer to scale up production. As she continues innovating with the FIRC, she reflects on their collaboration so far and notes the comprehensiveness of FIRC’s support. “From product development to testing, the FIRC covers a wide scope of work that you can tap into and provides you with valuable recommendations.”

Jane also expresses gratitude for IPI’s commitment to helping small businesses. “The advice given was targeted, useful and the connections made were helpful,” she shares. “I look forward to more partnerships with IPI in the near future.”

Sub Title

RÓA, a bakery founded by Jane Tan, overcame the challenge of creating allergen-free, vegan baked goods with extended shelf life to reach retail and export markets, thanks to IPI Singapore’s expert connections and guidance.

Impact Title

Enabling Market Expansion with Innovative Product Reformulation

Sub Title

Enabling Market Expansion with Innovative Product Reformulation

keywords

FOOD & NUTRITION

Innovation

Product Development

Market Expansion

Featured image

Legacy ID

150639

Sub Heading

Extending shelf life for allergen-free vegan treats to reach new markets.

At a glance

RÓA

Client

Food & Nutrition

Industry

Innovation Marketplace, Advisory Support

IPI Service

Food Product Reformulation & Packaging

Key Technology

Add Impact

With IPI Singapore’s support, RÓA is poised to enter retail and export markets, including potential partnerships with major airlines. The extended shelf life of its vegan baked goods opens new distribution channels and customer segments, positioning the brand for significant growth beyond its original base.

Market Expansion

Collaboration with the Food Innovation & Resource Centre (FIRC) enabled RÓA to reformulate its non-filled cookies for a naturally longer shelf life, without compromising on taste, texture, or allergen-free qualities. This innovation ensures product integrity while meeting the demands of overseas markets.

Product Innovation

IPI’s facilitation led to valuable connections with technical experts and airline partners, accelerating RÓA’s journey toward market readiness. These partnerships provided Jane with both the technical resources and market access needed to scale her business.

Strategic Partnerships

Glance Title

At a Glance

Sub Title

RÓA partnered with IPI Singapore and FIRC to reformulate vegan baked goods for extended shelf life, enabling entry into retail and export markets.

How it happened

Jane first learned about IPI Singapore at a co-organised event in July 2021 focused on scaling consumer-packaged goods. After engaging in several discussions with IPI to clarify her business needs, IPI facilitated introductions to both the Food Innovation & Resource Centre (FIRC) for technical support and to airline partners for market access. Adeline Chan from IPI played a pivotal role in connecting Jane with these partners, providing timely and targeted assistance. The collaboration progressed from initial meetings to joint product reformulation efforts and ongoing innovation, with Jane preparing to scale up production and pursue further market expansion.

The challenge

RÓA’s original vegan baked goods had a limited shelf life, restricting their ability to be distributed through retail or exported to overseas markets. Extending product freshness without altering the core recipes was a critical challenge.

Shelf Life Limitations

Without a stable customer base or established partnerships, RÓA faced difficulties in accessing new markets, particularly in forming collaborations with airlines and retail distributors. Navigating these barriers required strategic connections and market validation.

Market Access Barriers

Impact For

FOOD & NUTRITION

The challenges title

The Challenge

The challenges description

As a passionate baker and founder of RÓA, Jane Tan was driven by a personal mission to create safe and delicious baked goods for individuals with dietary restrictions. While she succeeded in developing vegan-friendly, allergen-free recipes, Jane faced significant business hurdles in scaling her offerings beyond her immediate customer base. Her ambition was to expand into retail and export markets, but she encountered a critical barrier: the limited shelf life of her products. To access larger markets, especially overseas, Jane needed a solution that would extend the shelf life of her baked goods without compromising on taste, texture, or the integrity of her allergen-free recipes. She also required a packaging solution that would preserve product quality during transportation and storage, all while maintaining her existing production processes. Additionally, Jane had yet to establish a stable customer base and was concerned about the marketability of her products, particularly as she sought to form partnerships with major airlines for in-flight offerings. Navigating these challenges required not only technical innovation in product formulation and packaging but also strategic connections to potential partners and customers in new markets. Jane needed expert guidance and access to resources that would enable her to overcome these barriers and achieve her growth ambitions.

The Solution Title

The Solution

The Solution Description

IPI Singapore connected Jane Tan and RÓA with the Food Innovation & Resource Centre (FIRC), a leading food innovation centre in Singapore, to address the technical and market challenges she faced. Through its Innovation Marketplace and advisory support, IPI facilitated in-depth discussions to map out Jane's pain points and identified the need for both product reformulation and advanced packaging solutions to extend shelf life for export readiness. IPI's team, led by Adeline Chan, provided targeted advice and leveraged their network to introduce Jane to key partners, including FIRC for technical collaboration and two airlines, Jetstar and Scoot, to explore market opportunities. This holistic approach ensured that Jane received comprehensive support, from product development and testing to establishing valuable business connections. With IPI's facilitation, Jane and FIRC began co-developing new recipes for non-filled cookies, aiming for a naturally longer shelf life of up to eight months, while maintaining the brand's commitment to taste and allergen-free ingredients. The partnership also included sourcing suitable packaging and preparing for scaled-up production with an original equipment manufacturer.

Testimonial Section

Testimonial title

IPI Perspective

Testimonial description

"Giving the right assistance at the right time to our partners and wanting to succeed together with them are my greatest motivation in going that extra mile for them."

Testimonial Name

Adeline Chan

Testimonial Designation

Senior Innovation Manager, Innovation & Technology

Testimonial title

Client Perspective

Testimonial description

"The advice given was targeted, useful and the connections made were helpful. I look forward to more partnerships with IPI in the near future."

Testimonial Name

Jane Tan

Testimonial Designation

Founder, RÓA

Testimonial title

Partner Perspective

Testimonial description

"From product development to testing, the FIRC covers a wide scope of work that you can tap into and provides you with valuable recommendations."

Testimonial Name

Jane Tan

Testimonial Designation

Founder, RÓA

Business impact Heading

Business Impact

Business impact title

RÓA is set to expand into new markets with longer-lasting, allergen-free vegan products.

Impact scores

Counter Text

Target Shelf Life

Total count

8 months

Counter Text

Airline Partners Engaged

Total count

Counter Text

Product Reformulations

Total count

Overview

RÓA is a bakery established by Jane Tan, a trained baker and pastry chef, inspired by her personal mission to create safe and delicious cakes for her god-daughter with multiple allergies and sensitivities. After months of perfecting vegan-friendly recipes, Jane founded RÓA to ensure that dietary restrictions would not prevent anyone from enjoying delectable treats.

Business Impact category

Data source

prod

Area Of interest

Foods

Slug

baking-longer-lasting-vegan-goods-for-overseas-markets