Latest News
Samsui Supplies & Services - When raiSE’s Endorsement is a Key Ingredient
- March 29, 2022
As the leader of Soup Restaurant Group’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm, Ang Kian Peng wanted to move away from one-off annual events and reinvent the recipe of doing good at a sustained pace all-year-round. This led to the creation of Samsui Supplies & Services, the Social Enterprise (SE) spin-off of Soup Restaurant Group.
Today, Samsui has created an ecosystem of kindness, with food at the centre of their business. They hire inclusively and operate out of two central kitchens at Enabling Village and the Changi Prison facility. They are also part of Touch Community’s Meals-On-Wheels programme, that serves up to a few thousand beneficiaries with healthy, delicious meals daily. Their journey with raiSE began through the VentureForGood grant support, which allowed them to employ and upskill beneficiaries to prepare dim sum dishes for 5-star hotels.
However, Kian Peng noted that “securing the grant money wasn’t the main objective; it was the endorsement from raiSE that the ‘good’ we do is validated. That was important to us.”
According to Kian Peng, an endorsement from raiSE made it easier for them to collaborate with government agencies like the Ministry of Social & Family Development as well as forge partnerships with fellow Social Enterprises. On top of these connections, raiSE has also introduced Samsui to another Social Enterprise, a student care provider, thus marking their first foray into supplying meals to the student care market. “raiSE is proactive in helping us look for beneficiaries. With an introduction from raiSE, we do not need to go knocking on doors alone, and it’s easier to penetrate different markets.”
To add on, raiSE shared the opportunity for Kian Peng to seek national recognition by participating in the President’s Challenge Social Enterprise Award in 2019. After going through evaluation by an independent committee, Samsui went on to clinch the title of ‘Social Enterprise of The Year’ at the award ceremony held at the Istana which was conferred by President Halimah Yacob.
As one of the more established SEs, Samsui also gives back to the SE community by sharing their insights and tips at raiSE-organised Breakfast Meet sessions and Industry Circles.
“We also share the lessons we learnt on what to look out for when balancing business with social impact. Through raiSE, we are able to act as a mentor and use our connections to help our fellow SEs.”
At the end of the day, Samsui aims to continue growing alongside other Social Enterprises, lending a helping hand where possible, and striving for collaborative efforts in creating a more caring society.
