The world wide web is a hotbed of wonderful discoveries, especially when it comes to new products that you won’t be finding in any retail stores so soon.
Here are two Singaporean web-preneurs who are dishing up delectable items such as low-carb chocolates and made-to-measure cocktail dresses and evening gowns – perfect for that special occasion, or when you just want some much-needed indulgence
Cacao7
Founder and chocolatier Megan started making her brand of ‘sinless and guiltless’ boutique chocolates about seven months back.
Her low-carb chocolates, which replaces sugar with an all-natural sweetener and uses a minimum content of 60 per cent cocoa, is really pure bliss as you allow each square to melt in your mouth. The sweetener is a patented low carbohydrate formula made from all-natural that has 75 per cent lower calories, 75 per cent lower Glycemic Index and 75 per cent lower carbohydrates than ordinary sugar. There are also no chemical or artificial sweeteners, since she believes these have harmful side effects upon consumption.
With every chocolate piece made by hand in small batches with no preservatives or soy lecithin added, Megan assures parents they can safely feed these treats to their little ones.
Megan tells us more about her chocolates and her passion for making them:
Diva: Why do your chocolates contain such a high cocoa content, such that even the milk chocolate has a minimum 60 per cent of cocoa?
Megan: There is a reason for these high cocoa percentages.
The first is to ensure when we eat chocolate, we get as much of the great-tasting superfood, Cacao, and its health benefits, as possible.
Secondly, to lower the carbohydrate content in our chocolates, versus say, a 25 per cent milk or a 40 per cent semi-sweet.
In a 40 per cent Semisweet Chocolate, the 40 per cent cacao content is made up of cocoa butter and cacao liquor, with the remaining 60 per cent made up of mainly sugar and other ingredients. And in a 25 per cent Sweet Chocolate, 75 per cent of it is made up of mainly sugar and other ingredients!
We always need to ensure proper fermentation and drying of the cocoa beans. By ensuring that the farmers ferment the cocoa beans well, we are able to make chocolate bars above 70 per cent cocoa content. Above 70 per cent, if one’s cocoa bean is not fermented well, the sugar will not be able to hide the bitterness of badly fermented cocoa beans. We are also proud to offer a 100 per cent bar to show the quality of our cocoa beans and our roasting process, which affects acidity.
Many inferior brands have a low cocoa/high sugar content to hide the bitterness and acidity of the inferior cocoa used.
Diva: Why did you decide to make your own chocolates?
Megan: I have a B.Acc and MBA, and was in investment banking based in Singapore and Middle East. I guess I landed in this venture while I was searching for healthy, low carb, yet premium finest-grade chocolates for myself and my two children.
Diva: Did you make the chocolates because of your children?
Megan: Our chocolates are not specifically or purposefully targeted at children, although I think it is definitely a great way to lower the high levels of sugar they consume in their diets these days.
Children love chocolates and many parents reward their children with these treats. As a parent, I could not bring myself to give them chocolates loaded with harmful sugar and always ended up buying cheese!
I see my low carbohydrate chocolates as a great product suitable for people of all ages and who lead different types of lifestyles – the health conscious, fitness fanatics, sophisticated food and wine connoisseurs, as long as the person understands the harmfulness of sugar and makes an effort to avoid it or cut down their intake of it.
It is also suitable for diabetics due to the 75% lower glycemic index and carbohydrate content (compared to sugar).
The chocolates retail at www.cacao7.com. Prices start from US$18.00 or SG$25.00. There are three types of chocolates to choose from: 85% Dark, 70% dark, 60% Milk. They come in Bars, Tasting Squares, Mood Buddies, Bon Bons (truffles, caramels, pralines, solids, nuts) and Home Chocolatier Gems.
Belinda Ang Studio
As with most online start-ups, Belinda Ang began her vision with her passion for clothes and started her online store offering customised evening gowns but with ready-to-wear convenience.
Looking for ready-to-wear evening gowns off the racks was a bit of a headache, since Belinda often found herself having to do a bit of nip-and-tuck after purchasing them.
She decided to enrol herself in courses to learn about designing and dress making, before finally launching her own label this April that offers occasion and evening wear. What makes her feminine clothes special is the fact that a customer can ask Belinda to make changes to the item so that the fit is satisfactory.
Customers can call her to make an appointment to try on the dress that they fancy, and they are entitled to tweak the dress to their liking. Be it altering the length or adding extra lace, Belinda says that "anything is possible."
In a sense, Belinda’s service is traditionally couture at heart.
Her inaugural Spring Summer 2010 collection retails between $400 to $2000, but Belinda believes that these prices reflect the level of detail, attention and service rendered to each customer as she customises her perfect dress.
Colours available are a basic palette of soft cream, gold and grey, brightened with splashes of sweet pink, lilac, emerald green, buttercup yellow, crimson red and gentle black.
She uses materials such as silk charmeuse, chiffon, wool-blend, silk dupioni, Thai silk, Swiss voile, satin, French lace, tulle lace, Swarovski crystals, pearls and beads.
The Belinda Ang inaugural collection comprises of 18 hand-finished designs and is available exclusively on the Belinda Ang website (www.belinda-ang.com).
