You love our ice cream, you love our waffles and we know you love our cakes but do you know who is responsible for all those yummy concoctions that make you say “Diet? What is that? Can eat-ar?”? Well, we sat down with Edmund and Shiew Li of Inside Scoop to get the inside scoop of Inside Scoop! So, if you ever did wonder what it’s like to work at a place where ice cream is always at your fingertips, read on.
- Do you remember the defining moment when you guys thought “We need to open an Ice Cream joint!” Has it always been a dream or was it a sudden ‘lightbulb’ moment?
I’d say a little bit of both! Shiew Li loves ice cream and we noticed a huge gap in the premium ice cream market in Malaysia way back in 2013, and we wanted to bridge that gap. That was the eureka moment for us!
- What part of your work do you like the most?
As cliché as this is, it’s really seeing people being happy and smiling after they’ve had a scoop (or a pint!) of ice cream. It’s that few moments of pure happiness while devouring ice cream. My second favourite part about work is really the R&D with various ice cream flavours!
- What does it take to maintain an ice cream business let alone make it a successful one? Tell us about some hurdles and how did you overcome it?
The biggest hurdle for us is creating brand awareness, even until today! As your neighbourhood ice cream joint, we try our best to blend in with the neighbourhood that we are in. For example, stores can order flavours based on the bestsellers in their respective neighbourhoods and introducing local flavours that suits our tastebuds.
- What’s the best perks of working at an ice cream business? Tell us a typical day in your office!
The best perk is definitely the fact that ice cream is readily available all day, everyday hahaha. No, but really, my typical day at the office is catching up with different teams and addressing any issues that we face.
- Who are your guinea pigs when making new flavours?
Our victims are obviously everyone in the office. They’ll get the first inside scoop, be it good or bad flavours!
- Inside Scoop has over 70 flavours! Where do you get the inspiration for them? Do you have Oompa Loompas to sing and dance whilst your crack your head?
Hahahaha no Oompa Loompas here I’m afraid. We come up with flavours based on flavours the team likes to eat, or what’s trending or out of the world flavours too! To be honest, most of our flavours come to life just because we’re craving for it, like our Teh Tarik!
- Spill the tea. What were some flavours you created in the lab that didn’t turn out so yummy?
We have tried to make lemongrass peppermint flavour before and wasabi ice cream! We also concocted a chili chocolate flavour. The latter got mixed reactions though!
- To each their own but what was the oddest flavour combo you have seen customers put together in a cup or on a waffle?
I saw a customer order a double scoop of Durian and Raspberry Sorbet. We’ve also had a Valrhona Chocolate and Passionfruit Sorbet combo. Oh and also a Teh Tarik and Strawberry Basil mix. Not judging, but...you do you la ha.
- We all know parents have a favourite child, so which flavour is your personal fave?
For me, it’s more like a favourite child every month thing 😂 This month’s flavour will be Tiramisu! (Get it in stores btw it’s dope!)
- Was there a flavour that you thought it might taste bad but turned out tasting awesome?
Yeap! 2 flavours actually. Black Sesame and Unicorn. I never understood Unicorn, up until today. We did it for fun, but it has its own fandom now!
Macam best-jer working at Inside Scoop! If you are keen on joining the team, we may have a job vacancy! Or maybe you just got a craving for ice cream…like us! Just head on over to an Inside Scoop store near you or order through Grab. Happy indulging!