"Sistersfield was birthed out of a passion for a healthier-made range of baked goodness made from organic ingredients."

 

Beverly and Teresa are two entrepreneurial sisters among the growing community of young food producers in Singapore. We give you the inside scoop on their founding story, daily life, and goals!

Roslyn: Many people are interested in healthy eating, but few end up starting businesses centered on it. Do tell us more about your founding story!   

Beverly: I grew up in a huge family, with 10 siblings. When I first started baking and cooking for them last year, my siblings started appreciating my food. I soon felt an urge to share my passion with others. 

I also started this around a time when I realised healthy eating can be fun and really nice! It's not just about awful and boring food. Personally, I was into cutting down on my food intake and in losing weight. I started to get very positive feedback from people around me. Friends and family started to see the change, and they even started asking me for advice! Eating clean for me was not difficult, once it became a habit. 

I guess sharing my food was a natural extension of sharing my tips on eating with others. Many people people encouraged me to start my own business as well, so I finally started Sistersfield in August last year with Teresa.

 

Started by two sisters (in a huuge family of 11!), Beverly and Teresa, the fledgling independent company had its roots in a love for healthier baked goods.

R: How did you convince Teresa to come on board?

B: We had a housewife mom who bakes and cooks all the time, so Teresa had a strong interest in baking since a young age. While I was into the healthier side of baking, I shared a similar passion as her in terms of baking generally. Along the way I also influenced her towards more healthier bakes! Nowadays we do quite a range, including regular cupcakes and baked goods with lowered sugar content.

R: Sistersfield's designs and photographs are lovely! Out of curiosity, between Teresa and Beverly, who does what? 

B: After polytechnic, I partner with my another older sister to open a clothing shop. We started off with an online store, and then moved into retail. After all, we come from a  family of entrepreneurs — my siblings are running clothing, floorball, and interior design companies — and this had a huge influence on me.

Retail store started by Beverly and her sister

I mainly do all the designs and the packaging. I also bake and do quality control. Teresa also does a lot of the creative work. 

R: I understand that you work on Sistersfield full time, while Teresa does not. How do you cope with your orders?

B: We work out of a rental kitchen and are usually very, very busy. I used to work part-time, handling the clothing retail store. I then decided to work on Sistersfield full time, when orders started coming in in droves. 

R: That's a good thing right?

B: Yeah, I'm quite happy about that. 

R: How does an average day look like... or is there any average day?

B: Wow, I don't know. My sisters and I are pretty messy, hectic, and busy. We are known for breaking things, it's pretty crazy at home — You can imagine. We're not the most demure girls around.

R: Has your attitude towards healthy eating changed post-Sistersfield?

B: After starting Sistersfield, somehow or another I feel like I have to live a good example. I have to watch what I eat.

It's mostly had a good influence on my eating habits. People around me see that healthy food can be nice, and can help me keep fit. Nutrition and fitness are definitely part of the whole package.

R: What's the long term goal for Sistersfield?

B: (excited) I dream to open a cafe! I get inspired by different cafes when I travel. Even the healthy food is really yummy. Even friends who usually don't care about nutrition somehow love it. Honestly, even if you just cut down a bit on the oil, choosing the healthier choice is not bad after all. I really just want to let people know this is possible.