Hungry for Hummus or Business?

We’ve seen the success stories of home cooks in the glamourous MasterChef series. How many people can give up their day jobs to pursue their passion for food? We cajoled the unflappable former flight attendant Teo Liwen two weeks before her wedding into introducing her Holymoleydips start-up journey and making tasty vegan treats for participants at DBS Asia X.

You switched roles from being a flight attendant to an aspiring entrepreneur a year ago. Was it a huge psychological tug of war? Why make such a bold move?

It was! I met with lots and lots of obstacles to a point that I was questioning if I was just very unlucky. It was a steep learning curve for me. But because of my stubborn nature or what I’d like to think of as perseverance, it has shaped me to become more resilient. I started to see every situation in a more positive light. So now when I meet with a problem, I see it as a challenge to improve.

I have always believed in putting myself out there. You’ll never know if you never try. Once I came to terms with the worst thing that could happen — losing all my money and starting from zero again — I was very excited!

Why did you choose to produce hummus among so many other popular food items?

It all started with me having to satisfy this major craving that I had for a long time. After leaving my job as a flight attendant, I lost the privilege of being able to readily purchase my favourite food items from different countries. And I was craving for this particular hummus that I would always get when I used to travel.

I realised that our local supermarket chains don’t carry a good range of hummus. Most of the store-bought ones are either filled with preservatives or nasties, which isn’t what good hummus should be made of. These sparked my interest in making my own. After receiving positive feedback from my family and friends, I had the confidence to start Holymoleydips.

How well do you think your products will score in a toothbrush test, i.e. customers use it at least twice a day?

Maybe twice a day on average. Hummus is very versatile and you don’t have to restrict to eating it with pita bread and crackers. You can make hummus scrambled eggs and a delicious chocolate hummus banana oatmeal smoothie for breakfast. And it could be hummus cheese toastie or yummy pizza and pasta using hummus as the sauce base. The possibilities are endless.

How do you intend to scale your business?

I was introduced to High Pressure Processing (HPP) technology a few months back. It allows the products to have an increased shelf life without the addition of preservatives and harmful chemicals. My plan is to include HPP in my production line because the current shelf life of the dips is pretty short.

Even though most of my customers can finish consuming the dips before the expiry date, an increased shelf life gives me more opportunities to scale and to widen my reach across different retailers.

How do you think out of the box to make your products stand out from others in the market?

Two main factors — the taste and the quality of ingredients in my dips. There’s always a common misperception that healthy food can be bland and boring. Instead of marketing it as a health food, I want the taste and ingredients to stand out so that the products can speak for themselves. I don’t scrimp on the quality of ingredients and that makes a whole lot of difference. Customers are very smart and well-travelled, so they can taste the difference.

If they like my dips, I will also let them know that the dips are made without any preservatives and artificial flavouring. They are vegan, low in GI and dairy-free too. Some customers are newly converted hummus fans because they finally believe that healthy food can be tasty. That motivates me to create new and healthy products.

Can you attempt to draw the steps you take to produce hummus?

Are there any aspects about your business that tugs at you and keeps you up at night?

I get super excited when I have a surge of ideas. And it’s funny how ideas will only come when I’m in bed and ready to end my night. I just have to note them down in my phone immediately. I also value constructive feedback from customers. I will take time to ponder over how I can apply their suggestions to my creations.

Can you share more about your experience at the DAX U talk* where you discussed your business and showed the audience how to prepare a simple pizza with hummus.

It was my first time speaking to a live audience. I was nervous but thankfully Aaron the moderator guided me with easy questions. It also helped that the participants were very engaging and enthusiastic.

I shared why and how I started Holymoleydips. I also shared the challenges I faced and how I overcame them. Some of the participants also shared their experiences as vegans.

I chose to make hummus pizza for the demo so that the participants could see how to whip up fuss-free meals at the comfort of their own home. It doesn’t take up much time. I genuinely love the combination of hummus and the other ingredients like mushrooms and cheese on a pizza, so I wanted to share that with the audience. It looked like they enjoyed the session and the food tips. The pizzas were gone in no time.

Someone suggested durian hummus. Is that something that you’ll even consider producing?

I used to say a big ‘No’ to that. It is one of the most requested flavours. I love durian but you know durian and hummus just don’t gel. But after seeing so much demand for that during the DAX U talk, I might just experiment with that. After all, we never know if we never try, right?

Would you change anything about your decision to start your own business?

Definitely not. In fact, I’m very glad that I did it. It was not an easy journey but I learnt a lot through it all. And I am still learning to be better every day and at every opportunity.

What’re the top three tips you can give to aspiring entrepreneurs?

1. A quote by Randy Pausch never fails to put me back on track when I face an obstacle. He said, “The brick walls are there for a reason. They are not there to keep us out, but to give us a chance to show how badly we want something.” Prove to nobody but yourself how much you really want it to work out for you. It’s going to be worth it whether you fail or succeed.

2. Always rise above your challenges. I dislike being drowned in negativity. Things will happen but you can choose how you react. Yes, you’re allowed to be sad or angry but don’t take too long to snap out of it because it’s not helping. Instead of harping on the problem, find solutions.

3. Make it a point to have a break too. Having the drive is great but the least you want to happen is to feel burnt-out too quickly. Take time out from your hectic schedule for personal enrichments. You will see the difference once you get back to work again.

Teo Liwen is the founder of Holymoleydips, a start-up that was created to share her love for hummus with everyone. She spoke at DBS Asia X, the bank’s innovation centre, as part of DAX U — a series of learning clinics to promote an innovation culture. Enjoy a one-time 5% discount for pre-orders (min. S$50) at www.Holymoleydips.com when you use the promo code DBSASIAX5 before 30 September 2018.