Butter Belly’s version of precious cookies is different in that each is topped with coloured crystals made of sugar (All photos: Butter Belly)
I love dessert.” says Jess Au, the founder of Butter Belly. Prior to starting this baked goods enterprise, the industry veteran was managing an ice cream cafe while working as an F&B consultant.
After a while, she noticed that the gift-giving culture in Malaysia was not as strong as in other countries like Japan. So, she wanted to create an edible gift box to introduce something new to the locals.
The idea to create what the brand calls “precious cookies” came about when Au was helping a friend who was selling crystals, to photograph her products. “I was not very familiar with crystals. So, when a friend asked me to help take photos of them, I thought they were really stunning.”
Au did some research and found that crystals are normally used on cakes as decorations. “Personally, I don’t really like how they look on cake, and I also wanted to be more efficient with the operation. I thought cookies would be a better option.”
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In Japan, fortune cookies are vanilla flavoured and take the shape of Pac-Man. Break it in two and you will find a piece of paper on which an aphorism or one’s fortune is written.
Butter Belly’s version of precious cookies is different in that each is topped with coloured crystals made of sugar. They are inspired by the beauty and magical meaning behind the crystals, with each colour — 24 in total — representing a thought or belief that good things will come your way.
The precious cookie is based on the brand’s signature melt-in-the-mouth Danish Butter Cookies, packed with the explosive flavour of butter. Inside each box is a card printed with a customised message based on the chosen colour.
The Precious Collection comprises cookies of different shapes and sizes. When the collection was introduced, the cookies came in only one size. Over time, Au received requests for custom-made cake-sized or heart-shaped cookies, among others.
She also entertains customers who want to include a special message with every order. Admittedly, she feels inspired by the words they write to their loved ones. “Some of them wish their friends would shine as bright as the crystals. I feel touched that that’s how customers see our precious cookies.”
Essentially, Au looks to requests to come up with ideas for more baked goods. “Our customers are our inspiration,” she says. Apart from the Precious Collection, Butter Belly also introduced the Heart Collection. It includes bento cakes and soft cookies that are available in flavours such as Signature Brown Butter, Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip, Double Chocolate and Salted Caramel.
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Butter Belly creates seasonal flavours for soft cookies to welcome the different festivals and occasions celebrated in Malaysia, such as Christmas, Hari Raya, Chinese New Year, Father’s Day and Mother’s Day. For this Lunar New Year, the company is making Peanut Butter Jelly and Golden Flakes Cranberry soft cookies.
The weeks leading up to a festival are usually when everyone actively looks to buy gifts for family and friends. Having launched Butter Belly two weeks before Christmas in 2019, Au believes she started at a good time. “I was lucky as we were flooded with orders from people who wanted to purchase baked goods for their friends. They said the cookies looked pretty.”
When the pandemic hit, Butter Belly was among the thriving enterprises as people’s approach to gift-giving changed drastically. “During the first lockdown, people wanted to send their thoughts to loved ones, so we had a steady stream of orders,” she says.
Au had to get more helpers to assist her with the increasing orders. But she had to be careful as Covid-19 vaccines were not yet available. “I’m running an F&B business and hiring just anyone to run the kitchen is not a risk worth taking,” she says. Now, however, she feels more at ease as she can welcome even fresh graduates to join her team.
Being an experienced F&B consultant, Au noticed the perks of an e-commerce business compared with running an offline one. It would give her the luxury of time to carefully think through every response. “I could see whether or not to accept orders from customers depending on my ability. I can’t do that with a physical shop as everything runs spontaneously,” she explains.
If one friend helped Au find inspiration for her first product, another did her a favour by coming up with the brand’s name. “Butter is the base of everything I do for the business. So, the friend said, ‘Eh, what do you think of Butter Belly?’ I thought it was a very cute name. It would be better to have a butter belly than a beer belly, right?” she laughs.
Aiming to become a customer-centric business, Au pays attention to feedback and demand to cater for customers’ needs. Making them happy by bringing smiles and warmth is her ultimate goal.
“You can claim your products are made of premium ingredients but at the end of the day, it is all about customer satisfaction,” she says.
This article first appeared on Feb 7, 2022 in The Edge Malaysia.
