JAKARTA – The Plattering Co, a boutique catering company renowned for its artisanal grazing tables and stunning visual presentations, has unveiled Caterwow, its new halal-certified catering brand. This strategic expansion enables the home-grown business to tap into a broader market, including corporate clients and government agencies.

Meeting Growing Demand for Halal Options

Co-founder Jessica Lim described the launch as an organic progression for the company. She explained that numerous clients had been requesting halal food options, but The Plattering Co previously had to either decline orders or refer them to industry partners.

“This was a natural step for us. We were constantly receiving requests for halal catering, but couldn’t fulfill them ourselves,” Lim noted.

The new venture operates under Singapore Food Services, a distinct entity created by the founders in 2025 specifically to handle halal operations and develop a food-as-a-service model.

Ambitious Food-as-a-Service Vision

Beyond catering, the company plans to offer food-as-a-service solutions to help smaller food businesses scale without requiring significant capital investments in their own central kitchens.

“We aim to produce ready-to-eat and pre-marinated products for businesses wanting to maintain consistent quality as they grow,” Lim explained.

To support this expansion, the founders invested approximately S$3 million in a 10,000-square-foot halal-certified production facility in Bedok—five times larger than their current kitchen. The investment, financed through retained profits and bank financing, is projected to be recovered within two to three years.

From Juice to Grazing Tables

The Plattering Co’s journey began unexpectedly in 2014 when Sim and co-founder Pearl Chan launched Juix Up, a cold-pressed juice brand. When high operational costs made the juice business unsustainable, they pivoted after a corporate client requested muffins and cheese platters to complement the beverages.

Their innovative approach—transforming traditional corporate buffets into visually captivating grazing spreads featuring wooden boards and fresh flowers—quickly gained popularity.

In 2018, the team used Juix Up’s cash flow to establish The Plattering Co and subsequently sold the juice business. Lim, who had been assisting part-time with marketing and quotations while working at a multinational corporation, joined as a full-time co-founder that year.

Resilience Through the Pandemic

Like many food enterprises, The Plattering Co faced significant challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic. When corporate orders vanished overnight, the team adapted by introducing platter boxes and gift sets for intimate home gatherings.

The strategy paid off. By 2022, revenue had surged to approximately four times the pre-pandemic 2019 levels. Over the past five years, the company has achieved a compound annual growth rate of roughly 50 percent, remaining profitable every year except 2020.

Sustainable Growth Strategy

Today, The Plattering Co serves both individual and corporate customers, with about 60 percent of revenue generated from business-to-business clients. The company employs 40 full-time staff members.

Co-founder Yasmin Sim emphasized that despite entering the regulated halal market, the company will maintain its signature aesthetic appeal. “Aesthetics will remain a crucial aspect, even with Caterwow,” she affirmed.

The halal brand has already soft-launched with menus available for clients, with full operations anticipated within six months.

While the founders have no immediate plans to seek external investment, they remain receptive to strategic partnerships, particularly with supply chain partners upstream or downstream.

“We’re quite conservative, especially after our Covid experience,” Lim said. “We’ve built this business carefully, reinvesting year after year.”

Original Article:

The Business Times. (2025, October 23). Boutique caterer The Plattering Co serves up halal expansion. Retrieved from https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/singapore/boutique-caterer-plattering-co-serves-halal-expansion