They nearly closed twice. Now, S’pore’s 1st bespoke artisanal caterer serves 100K guests/yr.

Through a series of pivots, The Plattering Co. navigated challenges & scaled successfully

For years, catering in Singapore had largely remained functional, focused on trays of food and stainless steel warmers rather than presentation or experience.

Then came The Plattering Co., which bills itself as the city-state’s first artisanal bespoke caterer. Founded by long-time friends Yasmin Sim, Pearl Chan, and Jessica Lim, the trio crafts grazing tables, floral arrangements, and immersive food displays that prioritise presentation as much as taste.

Ironically, catering wasn’t even their original focus—a pivot from their other business led the trio here, and the gamble seems to have paid off: today, they serve over 100,000 people a year.

We spoke to Yasmin and Jessica of The Plattering Co. about how the business came about and how it’s reshaped Singapore’s catering scene.

An unexpected start

The journey to becoming a premium catering brand serving over a hundred thousand people a year began with something far simpler: a home juicer.

In 2014, at the height of the juice cleanse trend, Yasmin and Pearl started experimenting with cold-pressed juices. They first shared them with family and friends, but orders soon started to pick up. Jessica later joined the duo to help manage operations.

As demand grew, they formally established their cold-pressed juice business as Juix Up, quickly outgrowing their home setup and moving into an office space. Within a year, they had outgrown that too, expanding operations from a small unit in Marine Parade to a factory in Mandai.

Beyond direct-to-consumer sales, the trio even secured B2B deals, including a retail stocking at an airport chain.

However, the speed of growth outpaced their financial planning. Overheads ballooned while utilities climbed, and big recurring orders didn’t come in as consistently as they had hoped.

“We didn’t do our numbers properly,” Yasmin admitted, noting they were mentally prepared to cut losses if things didn’t improve.

But a turning point soon came in 2018, when a regular customer asked if they could provide food—specifically, banana walnut muffins—to go along with their breakfast juices. Pearl, who loved experimenting in the kitchen despite having no formal F&B training, said yes.

She carefully plated the muffins and drinks in a crate, paired them with a chalkboard display and sent them along with the juices. “Unexpectedly, the client immediately fell in love with the muffins and the whole presentation,” Yasmin recalled.

The same client soon began requesting more elaborate offerings—salmon platters, cheese boards, and styled grazing spreads. At a time when such curated platters were still relatively novel in Singapore’s catering scene, according to the trio, Yasmin agreed to give it a try.

I’m a person who never gives up on a request. If someone asks for something I will never say no, I will just say, ‘okay, let me let me let me try to do it for you.’ Yasmin Sim, co-founder of The Plattering Co.

There was no business plan, no pitch deck, no formal strategy. The founders simply responded to demand, refining their offerings as they went. In Mar 2018, that approach led to the launch of The Plattering Co.

They grew fast, but everything came to a halt almost overnight

For The Plattering Co., Pearl’s eye for aesthetics quickly became the brand’s signature. Wooden boards replaced stainless steel trays, fresh florals softened tablescapes, and colours were intentionally curated—food wasn’t just served, it was styled.

Some of the brand’s now-iconic concepts began in personal moments, like the doughnut wall, inspired by Pearl’s wedding. During the event, she displayed doughnuts on pegs, turning them into both a decorative feature and an interactive treat for guests.

The team has since adapted similar concepts for clients, including the Pretzel Pipe Wall, nasi lemak bar, and taco bar, bringing creativity and interactivity to every event.

Meanwhile, Yasmin and Jessica focused on operations and finances. By 2019, the growing brand had moved into a 1,000 sq ft shophouse at Cavan Road, carving out a niche in artisanal catering. They also began gradually building a team to support day-to-day operations.

But everything came to a halt just a year later, when COVID-19 wiped out corporate buffet catering overnight, with orders cancelled en masse. The revenue stream that sustained them vanished almost instantly.

Yasmin even floated the idea of selling toilet paper—anything, just to generate cash flow. The stress was immense, and another glance into the possibility of closing down hit the trio.

Nonetheless, the team decided to push forward for the sake of their employees’ rice bowls. Ideas were thrown around, and the team came together to brainstorm for ideas.

They pivoted quickly. Some of the new offerings they introduced included premium decorated breakfast boxes and bento boxes. Each came with heartfelt greeting cards to clients as a show of support in the midst of the pandemic. 

When dining restrictions capped gatherings at four to five people, they also redesigned menus into smaller six-to-eight-person platters, leaning into B2C aggressively.

In 2021, the trio also launched creatively styled gift hampers under a new brand, Sage and Gifts. Rather than conventional festive baskets, these were curated food experiences packaged with the same bespoke aesthetic as The Plattering Co. “For a period, we became a bespoke gifting business,” Yasmin recalled.

The pivots helped the business not just survive but thrive. By 2022, annual revenue had nearly quadrupled compared with pre-COVID levels. That same year, the founders sold off Juix Up and moved into a 2,000 sq ft central kitchen in Bedok to meet growing demand for their catering and gifting businesses.

Since then, The Plattering Co. has served more than 100,000 people annually across catering setups and drop-off orders. The pandemic, which nearly shut them down for a second time, ultimately forced the reinvention that accelerated their growth.

In 2024, the founders made another strategic decision: they divested the hamper brand as well, consolidating resources to focus squarely on their core catering identity.

Scaling the business vertically & building complementary arms

The same year, the founders recognised that they had reached a pivotal stage in their growth journey.

Aware that scaling the business would require deeper operational expertise and structured leadership, they made the strategic decision to bring on board a Managing Director with 13 years of extensive experience in food systems and enterprise-scale business transformation to drive the next phase of expansion.

Today, The Plattering Co. operates across roughly 11,000 sq ft, including halal and non-halal central kitchens, floral operations, and warehouse facilities. The team numbers 35 to 36 people, with around 30% in the kitchen, and their customer base is split roughly three-fifths B2B and two-fifths B2C.

Acknowledging that The Plattering Co. occupies a premium segment, often catering to big occasions, the founders have expanded the business into multiple arms to reach a wider demographic.

They launched sister brand Caterwow to serve the halal and the mass market in 2024, alongside Singapore Food Services to provide white-label and OEM food services.

Another arm, Wildflower ArtCo., manages floral styling for weddings and events, while Kaizen Supply Chain oversees the operations of the company’s brands and offers supply chain logistics services to industry peers.

However, scaling a visually driven brand also presents its own challenges. Maintaining consistency in execution, especially replicating Pearl’s intricate handmade setups, grows increasingly difficult with large volumes of orders.

As such, the team has implemented thorough training sessions for staff to make sure that set-ups are in line with The Plattering Co.’s standards, while automating internal operations helps to streamline order flows and delivery planning.

They are also exploring AI-assisted processes to ensure structure and standardisation even when founders are not physically present.

All these free up time for their team to work on set-ups instead.

Every setup involves meticulous planning—from the type of flowers selected to the size of platters and colour of tablecloths.

Catering, Jessica pointed out, is often under-appreciated in its operational intensity. It requires packing cutlery, holders, tables, plants; coordinating delivery; full setup; tear-down; washing—all within tight timelines. The premium pricing reflects not just the food, but the labour choreography behind it.

“The greatest sense of achievement after each setup comes when guests stop to take photos before they eat,” Jessica said.

Operationally, manpower remains one of the biggest challenges. Hiring the right fit and aligning kitchen, logistics, and office teams around shared values is always a work in progress.

Yasmin emphasised that even washers and drivers must understand their importance in delivering the final experience to clients. In this regard, the trio ensures that they maintain a strong work ethic amongst their team members while maintaining a strong sense of meaning in the workplace.

What’s next for The Plattering Co.

Despite suffering losses in 2020, The Plattering Co. had built enough reserves to weather the storm. 

Looking back, Yasmin attributes their survival not to perfection but to adaptability and to clarity of the brand’s direction.

The co-founder stressed the importance of humility regardless of success. She believes in continuous growth, emphasising that “If you’re not growing, you’re actually dying.” 

That philosophy drove them to expand kitchens even when sales were stable. It also drove difficult decisions—like selling off both the juice and hamper businesses—rather than being sentimental about ventures that no longer aligned.

Above all, she advocates staying authentic. “Trust your beliefs. Trust your values. When you allow external influence to override your conviction, you lose clarity and direction.”

The Plattering Co nearly closed twice. Instead, it evolved from a home juicer in 2014 to a premium artisanal catering brand serving over 100,000 people annually.

Looking ahead, the trio plans to continue being a “trendsetter” and being at the forefront of their craft. They would also be open to expanding to overseas markets if the opportunity arises.

• Find out more about The Plattering Co here.
• Read other articles we’ve written on Singaporean businesses here.

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