The Edible Company
“Who’s sick of the stale flavoured,
over-processed boxed cereals that
taste like cardboard? Us!”
The Edible Company is a purveyor
of handcrafted granola, a popular
Western baked breakfast food
consisting of rolled oats, nuts, honey
and the occasional puffed rice. Started
by freelance documentary editor
Genevieve about six months ago, The
Edible Company is a culmination of
her frustrations with the “crap that
was lined at the supermarket aisles
and all the mass media on fast food
and quick food” and the realisation of
the mortality of life. About nine years
ago, after my father went through a
triple heart bypass, Genevieve decided
to revamp the type of food her family
consumed. The first order of business:
breakfast.
“I started feeding my family with one
granola flavour for a couple of years as
well as giving it as Christmas gifts to
friends and family.”
That was how her first flavour was
formed – an Almost Perfect Cranberry
Almond mix. After all, cranberries are
a Christmas tradition. Her granola
concoction proved to be so popular
that Genevieve decided to come out
with another flavour – Maple Honey
Nut – at the behest of some friends
who wanted a version without fruits.
The third flavour – Coconut Gula
Melaka – came about when she looked
in her fridge one day and realised the
massive amounts of Gula Melaka, or
coconut sugar, she had inside.
“Being a small food producer in
Singapore has more obstacles than
victories. The red tape is incredible
and, I think, very unique to a country
that probably has lesser restrictions
for overseas brands than local.”
Genevieve’s major bugbears are the
high rental costs for kitchen space
and the strict licensing requirements.
What that means for The Edible Food
Company is that they cannot purchase
ingredients in bulk, which eats into
their margins. Genevieve genuinely
hopes that the government supports
and backs small food producers so
and condiments,
Joey was working
in the National
Parks Board as
a conservation
officer. Working so
close with nature
reawakened a
latent interest in
him Man’s relationship
with nature. Blend
this with a drive to
start his own business
and that was how
GSH Conserves was
catalysed.
GSH Conserves
“I have always been fascinated with
nature and in the last few years, I also
started to become interested in how
food gets on our tables, especially
how the food affects the earth’s
biodiversity and societies. It got me
thinking about food production.”
Before working on GSH Conserves,
a producer of Asian-flavoured jams
that the local food industry can grow
and prosper.
“Everything is handmade right down to
the hand-chopped almonds and handshaved coconut chips! Freshness is key.
Having things made just a few days or a
few hours ago will only mean that there
is no to lesser crap being put into it.”
The Edible Company is a one-woman
show and while her husband, a
full-time chef, occasionally lends
a hand, Genevieve handles all the
backbreaking work herself, whether
it be prepping for a pop-up store or
juggling stockists and online orders.
She admits it is overwhelming but
she’s definitely not complaining.
The Edible Company
www.theediblecompany.com
The Edible Company granola is
available at Wheat Baumkuchen, The
Cereal Pantry, Strictly Pastry
and Naiise.com.
“Eating locally produced food usually
means fresher produce. Choosing
local produce also supports local
businesses. Finally, producing
and eating locally improves our
food security as it reduces our
dependence on imports.”
“I want to play a small
role in renewing our
respect for the food
we eat. The fruits that
I use to make my jams
and condiments must
be growing in our region.”
Singapore imports over 90 percent
of our food around the world. The
remaining 10 percent is mainly
focused on three main areas: eggs,
leafy vegetables and fish. Shifting
the scales towards the local food
production side helps to boost our
economy and reduces our reliance on
external sources at the same time.
Having said that though, more and
more food growers and producers
are emerging in the country, which
can only bode well for the future.
Joey wants to lead the charge in
changing the way Singaporeans view
their food choices.
Joey sources his ingredients as
close to home as possible and
enjoys using tropical fruits from
Malaysia and Thailand, the sort
uncommonly used in jams, to c Ʌ