How did you come up with the idea for Popaganda?
Valerie and I both started out in advertising and brand consulting. So I guess the itch to create our own brand from scratch, with the ability to shape every facet, was never too far off. Personally, I’ve always been inclined towards a healthier lifestyle, thanks to very health conscious parents, so I’ve always been drawn to health-related concepts and have also spent a fair bit of time toying with different health food-based ideas. Valerie shares a similar interest. In fact, that’s how we met, at a permaculture workshop at Green Circle organic farm in Kranji.

How long did it take from coming up with the idea to selling your first ice pop?
Once we narrowed down our scope to frozen desserts, things moved fairly quickly and it took us about six months to launch at the Loewen Gardens Farmers Market. It would have been sooner except as Murphy’s Law would have it, after pulling a very harrowing all-nighter, we finally had to throw in the towel and call up the organizers rather sheepishly at the last minute to drop out of our first market day because we couldn’t get our pops to freeze properly using our brand new machine. Thankfully, the organizers were very sympathetic and didn’t charge us for the booth. So we didn’t have to deal with the double whammy of also making a loss before we even started!

What were the biggest challenges you faced in starting the business?
Getting past our own fears.

How did you get word out about your ice pops?
We started out with fortnightly pop ups at the Loewen Gardens Farmers Market plus a few events here and there. From there we progressed on to home deliveries and larger scale events. Along with Facebook, these avenues garnered us some publicity as well as precious word-of-mouth from those who tried our ice pops.

How do you come up with ideas for flavors?
We find inspiration from everything around us. We’re always keeping our eyes peeled for new ideas on our travels, in books, over meals, watching TV, surfing the net, at the grocery store...But typically, we always start with a base ingredient that we want to feature and then we look to see whether we should add anything else to enhance or complement its flavor. More often than not, we’ve found that less is more, so we try to keep things simple, relying heavily on the quality of the ingredients.

How often do you come up with new varieties and what has been your personal favorite flavor so far?
In the beginning, we were launching new flavors almost every month. Less so nowadays. Perhaps every quarter. But it’s a continuous process of evolution as we’re actually spending more time revisiting old flavors to improve on them.

I don’t have a favorite as I go through phases. But I’m partial to the more refreshing, fruitier flavors, especially the tangy ones, like pineapple-passionfruit. I also really love Really Orange. I think it’s our most refreshing flavor to date. Unfortunately, it tends to get ignored when placed alongside our other more unique flavors. Most recently, I’ve been cooling off with a lot of Watermelon Gazpacho. We had a lot of fun developing this “summer” flavor and I’m really proud of it, although admittedly we get a lot of weird looks when we tell people that it’s also got bell peppers, cucumbers and celery. But happily, most people actually like it when they try it.

Why ice pops?
Because they’re a great vehicle for our health and sustainability message. You can do lots of things visually with an ice pop and who doesn’t love desserts? 

If you didn’t make ice pops, what would you make?
Something else healthy. Valerie would probably want to farm bees and make honey!

Why was it important to you to use all natural ingredients and organic herbs?
Our goal from day one was to create our own health food brand. Popaganda was always meant as a platform to promote healthy eating. Anything less wouldn’t have cut it.

What are some other local food businesses you admire?
I really admire Tea Bone Zen Mind. They’ve got both style and substance. They really know their trade and I dare say they’ve elevated it to an art form. Their attention to detail is impeccable. Try their cucumber sandwiches and you’ll know what I mean. They don’t do anything half-heartedly and we always leave inspired. I like Real Food a lot too. I admire them for their passion; for not compromising on their ideals. I believe that really pays dividends.

Is the community of local food makers close knit?
If you’re talking about local food makers who share the same ideals as we do, then yes, we’re a pretty small, tight-knit community. Interestingly, we come from different walks of life. Everyone’s pretty friendly with each other. But having said that, most SME owners are, as we often have plenty to commiserate with each other about! 

Order ice pops at the Popaganda website.

At the heart of Chinatown, Amoy Street’s a real convenient spot for CBD folk to eat. But unlike fancier parts of the neighborhood that focus on fine-dining (think Bukit Pasoh) or drinks (Club Street), the area’s got all sorts of diverse options to take you through the day: French pastries for breakfast, generous sandwiches or inventive hawker fare for lunch, some serious sweets to perk you up mid afternoon, and as night falls, slick cocktails and comforting Italian dinners. It’s pretty much a Swiss army knife for folks who eat out.

Sarnies

On offer at this cute café is everything you need for a great weekday lunch: A perfectly seasoned chicken sanger packed with guacamole and bacon ($13.90), refreshing lemon-mint iced tea ($7) and a super dense chocolate-y brownie ($4). The servers are real friendly to boot.

Sophie Bakery

This first Singapore outlet by the French bakery chain is a convenient place to pick up pain au chocolat ($2.50) or—even better—plush white chocolate-studded buns ($1.90) for breakfast, and crusty baguette ($2.90) to go with dinner.

Truffs

For those who deem themselves true-blue dark chocolate aficionados this spot—owned by chocolatier Teng Ei Liang—is the place to be. The handmade truffles ($3), the signature chocolate cake ($11/slice, $85/whole), and espresso- and Earl Grey-infused chocolate tarts ($7/slice, $50/whole) are all delish.

The Market Grill

The industrial looking space features an open-concept kitchen, and can get pretty warm at times (ventilation isn’t great). Still, it’s worth braving the sweltering heat for executive chef Colin West’s soul satisfying menu of American grills. We reckon the burgers—hand-formed to weigh 150g each—including the CW Burger Breakfast ($21), a beef patty with a sunny side up egg, bacon and aged cheddar are the best in town.

A Noodle Story

This unusual hawker stall, setup by Shatec-trained chefs Gwern Khoo and Ben Tham—who have worked as top restaurants like Iggy’s, Waku Ghin and Restaurant ANDRE—offers Singapore-style ramen ($5/small, $6/medium, $7/large), which incorporates flavors from local dishes like prawn mee and wonton mee as well as sous vide cha-su.

more places to eat in Tanjong Pagar

Matt’s The Chocolate Shop

Owned by Matthew Chow, this narrow minimalist store with all-white furnishings offers a menu that’s just as spare as the decor. The focus is simple ganache-topped chocolate cakes, which come in two sizes: Individual minis ($4) and 1kg-whole cakes ($48).   

Burlamacco Ristorante 

The more-ish beef tripe stew in tomato sauce ($18) and homemade pastas including linguine with lobster in spicy arrabbiata sauce ($26) at this Tuscan joint keep regulars coming back for more. The restaurant also houses a pretty floor-to-ceiling wine cellar with a collection of over 120 Italian labels (from $12/glass, $68/bottle).

Flying Squirrel

Local music act Jack & Rai, and Jack’s wife Angelina, run this cozy Japanese eatery hidden away on a side alley. To eat, there’s selection of fusion Japanese bites such as soba pasta ($16), featuring tomato-sauced noodles and breaded fried shrimp, as well as more traditional offerings like the sashimi platter ($42), and salmon and ikura chirashi ($13).

Jigger & Pony

Colorful and friendly, with red and yellow booth seats and a collection of vintage liquor posters on the walls, this welcoming cocktail spot offers a grid-like menu of tipples including classics like the negroni ($20) and new inventions such as Little Red Dot ($22), made from Tanqueray Ten gin, raspberries, lychee liqueur, grapefruit juice and Indian rosewater.    

Beng Hiang Hokkien Restaurant

This Hokkien establishment is a real institution, having been around for more than 30 years. It’s the perfect place for an old school Chinese meal, featuring classics like fried hokkien noodles (from $7), crisp fried prawn balls (from $8) and oyster omelette (from $12).

more places to eat in Tanjong Pagar

How did you come up with the idea for Heritage Heroes series?
South Africa is commonly known as the Old World of the New World, on the wine map. As a South African producer, we have more than 200 years of history and Heritage Heroes was borne out of an interest in honouring our winemasters.

What food would you pair with each of the four wines in the series?
With the Motorcycle Marvel, our Rhône-style blend, its spicy peppery berry flavors make it an outstanding wine with roasts, barbecued steaks, spicy chicken and intensely-flavored pasta dishes.

The Anchorman chenin blanc is reminiscent of ripe fruits, especially apricots and oranges, with floral hints and traces of raisin and spice, and hence, it is great with fish, poultry, veal, pasta and salads.

The Young Airhawk sauvignon blanc, with its layers of green figs, asparagus and minerality, makes it an excellent choice with seafood, chicken and pasta dishes, and vegetables.

The Brewmaster Bordeaux-style blend’s rich dark fruit and tobacco aromas make it an excellent pairing with red meat, casseroles and stews, leg of lamb, roast beef, duck, robust chicken and pasta dishes, hearty soups and mature cheeses.

What’s special about the South African wine scene?
South African wines are different from wines from elsewhere due to the country’s unique climate and soil conditions. Despite being at the same latitude as Australia and Chile, the varying altitudes and directions that vineyards face—whether it’s the Indian Ocean or Atlantic Ocean—contribute to the different styles. With a long history of winemaking since the mid 1500s, there have been many influences from Old World winemakers who have travelled and influenced some of the winemaking in South Africa.

How well recognized are South African wines in Singapore?
South African wines are becoming increasingly popular and recognized in Singapore. For a mature wine market like Singapore, wine drinkers are very well-exposed to a variety of styles of wines from different countries. They are able to appreciate a good wine when they taste one—besides going for the obvious and expensive, wine drinkers here are also sophisticated enough to suss out interesting boutique finds.

Nederburg Wine’s Heritage Heroes range is available at DFS Changi Airport Arrivals Hall, across all terminals.