An Enduring Spirit
image credits: Anna Lam
In a refreshingly honest open editorial on Today Online, a millennial reflects on the entrepreneurial leap she is about to take on with the work she and her team put in on biodegradable edible cutlery, and also about her fears, the hard work put in, and what she hopes for the future.
Anna Lam, who works as a regional analyst for a multinational company in the food industry as her day job, writes about her experiences in launching Crunch Cutlery, her startup that manufactures and sells edible cutlery. She had first heard of the concept of edible cutlery five years ago and had been fascinated with the ins and outs of the production. Stuck at home during the Circuit Breaker, she took time to manufacture and make her own edible cutlery, and managed to do so after experimenting for two months using ingredients such as flour, coconut oil, flax and chia seeds.
This is becoming more pertinent as people are trying to find new ways to reduce plastic pollution affecting the world, especially in our seas. With the lack of numbers about how much plastic has accumulated in the seas (an estimate of around 150 million metric tons was the estimate in 2015), a study showed that the numbers would rise to 600 million metric tons by 2040. Thus, Ms Lam, as well as her team, are researching and creating more ways to create edible cutlery that can be easily broken down and consumed.
In the article, Ms Lam also highlights and reveals her own fears regarding the venture, explaining the hardship she grew up with that clouded her view of entrepreneurship. Detailing the losses in Today Online, Ms Lam talked about how she is encouraged and passionate about what she is currently doing, something which she has been looking for throughout her life.
"In a year or so, I hope to see my cutlery available as an environmentally friendly option in cafes and dessert kiosks,” she pens in the op-ed. “ It is still early days, but I can feel it in my bones that I’m on a path of personal fulfilment.”
“Starting your own business is like navigating a maze. You don’t know where the next turn will take you — forward or a dead end,” she continues. “It is hard work, but the sense of pursuing a worthwhile cause has made the past few months some of the most fulfilling moments of my life. I hope this works out, but if it does not, then I will have to get back to the drawing board and try, all over, again!”
Read more here to read the text from Ms Lam's point of view, and to get in touch with Crunch Cutlery, please go to https://www.instagram.com/crunch.cutlery/
