Remember the times when we had to go out and buy groceries to cook or travel just to tapau food? With the rise of food delivery platforms, those days feel like a distant memory now.
We have reached a new level of convenience where our food can be delivered right to our doorsteps. On top of that, we're spoilt for choice with a wide variety of cuisines and flavours, making it easy to enjoy quality meals wherever we are.
While there are many food delivery platforms to choose from in Singapore, one homemade brand stands out for taking convenience to the next level by adding a personal touch to their brand ethos.
The Singaporean brand we are proud to showcase in this SG60 series is Grain.
No more wondering on what to eat
It all started with the dreaded question we ask ourselves every day: “What should we eat today?”
In 2014, four guys – Yong Yi Sung, Ernest Sim, Gao Rifeng, and Isaac Tan – came together to solve the daily hassle of thinking about what to eat and sourcing for meals. Although the four co-founders come from diverse professional backgrounds, they shared a common believe that ordering food should be as easy as a few taps on your phone. So, they devised a plan to create an online platform to deliver food to Singaporeans from a “cloud kitchen”, a delivery-only kitchen that operates without a dine-in area and focuses solely on cooking and fulfilling online orders.
Starting with less than S$100,000 in startup capital, they launched Grain the same year, specialising in clean food deliveries. Unlike other food delivery services that rely on restaurant partners, Grain operates on a full-stack model, managing everything from menu creation to delivery. This includes having their own in-house chefs, research and development personnel, and delivery team.
Grain offers a range of healthy food options, from individual meals to buffet catering for corporate events and private functions. By controlling the entire process from start to finish, Grain is able to ensure that quality and consistency are always maintained.
Hitting profit within four years
After only a year, Grain achieved an important milestone by crossing the S$1 million revenue run rate. Seeing the potential of their business, investment firm Openspace Ventures funded the brand with S$2.5 million in January 2016, followed by another S$1.7 million later that same year.
With this funding, the brand was able to grow and adapt its processes to align with modern trends. The company secured an additional S$1.7 million from another venture round led by First Gourmet, FoodXervices, and Majuven in February 2018.
By December 2018, Grain announced that they had achieved profitability, which was a significant milestone for them, as it proved that they were a sustainable business.
Expanding to Thailand
Building on its success in Singapore, Grain decided to expand its presence to the ‘Land of Smiles’. In 2019, the startup was successful in raising US$10 million (S$13.6 million) in a seed round led by Thailand's Singha Ventures.
The funds were used to accelerate growth in Singapore, expand into cities in Thailand, and build infrastructure to support its goal of reaching US$100 million (S$136 million) in revenue.
Running a startup is like “jumping off a cliff”
Even though the brand had a promising start, it was not all smooth sailing. In an interview with Aspire, one of the co-founders, Yi Sung, revealed that they were unprofitable for a long time. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the company had to revamp the business multiple times, as the venture-backed business relies on rapid growth.
“There’s a saying that describes running a startup as ‘jumping off the cliff and then building a parachute before you hit the ground. And it’s true,” Yi Sung shared in that interview.
However, they remained steadfast in their three core philosophies: transforming their customers’ needs, caring for the people they work with, and building only products they themselves would love to use.
If there is one thing to learn from Grain, it is that understanding your customers’ needs and staying committed to quality can set your brand apart. We applaud the brand’s efforts in making delicious, healthy food readily available whether it is on-demand, or for weddings and catering events.
