This is one part of a series on homegrown artisanal brands that develop their products with thoughtfulness and a lot of TLC.
Founded during last year’s circuit breaker, Chubbyco. (@chubbycompany) offers an assortment of essential oils and home products. The brainchild of Wang Ying Jie, 27, its name is inspired by her previous experience of being chubby, and is “a reminder of the importance of self-acceptance and self-care for a healthy mind”.
Ying Jie formulates the bath salt soaks, room sprays and cuticle oils in small batches, and all the products are free from parabens, sulphates and phthalates. While she concedes that she faces the typical challenges of running a small business, she is optimistic about the brand’s longevity because of its affordability.
“The competition with bigger brands has become very apparent. However, what separates our business model from theirs is that I put my heart and soul into every product. In addition, because of lower overheads, our products are affordable as we do not need to transfer large operating costs to our customers,” she says.
Though she runs the business on the side (she has a full- time marketing job in the tech industry), she has plans to grow it and expand the product range.
“My hope is for small local businesses to continue to produce outstanding, quality products and services, with the goal of achieving growth and sustenance in the industry collectively.”