Lab Made Ltd
- HKGCC Membership No. :
- HKL0575
Successful Chemistry
There is a saying amongst restaurateurs that nine out of ten eateries will fail in their first year. As Hong Konghas more eateries per person than any other city in the world, competition here is extremely fierce. Even if a restaurant manages to attract diners, it still has to contend with high rents and labor costs. These long odds did not deter Ronnie Cheng from jumping into the industry when he returned to Hong Kong after studying medicine at ManchesterUniversity. He had a dream to set up the first store specializing in liquid nitrogen ice cream in Hong Kong, and he was determined to make it a success.
Two years since opening Lab Made in Tai Hang, this tiny ice cream shop has not only become one of the most popular pit-stops for dessert lovers in Hong Kong, it has earned an almost cult following with long lines signaling the launch of new ice-cream flavours.
“Hong Kongis a city that is open to experiencing new ideas and innovations. You have to constantly put new items on the menu to keep customers returning for more,” says Cheng.
Flavors like purple sticky rice, and peanut butter condensed milk toast are probably two of the most unlikely ice cream flavours that you could imagine, yet in Lab Made, such funky concepts are promoted, released and celebrated.
“Businesses must continue to innovate, otherwise they will stagnate and lose their client base,” he added.
The Lab Made Approach
Using liquid nitrogen is a relatively new approach to making ice cream, and Lab Made prides itself on being one of the pioneers in making ice cream with this method. Cheng is convinced that liquid nitrogen produces better ice cream.
“The freezing process is instantaneous, resulting in smaller ice crystals. Therefore, the ice cream is smoother and creamier. The freshness of the ingredients is also retained, creating a tastier ice cream,” he explained.
Much of Lab Made’s appeal lies in its unconventional, innovative approach. If making ice cream with chemicals is not enough, the store has been designed to mimic a chemistry lab, with steel counters, large storage tanks and sophisticated machinery being the first thing customers see. Instead of wearing aprons, staff wear a lab coat print T-shirts to look like chemists.
People go to Lab Made not only to eat ice cream, but also to see a performance. “Kids love the smoke that bellows out of the mixer as liquid nitrogen is poured in,” Cheung said.
But mere theatrics are not enough to convince customers to return; the completed product must also satisfy the palate. “We charge premium prices,” says Cheng, “therefore our products must also be of premium quality. There is no use in wowing a customer then serving them poor ice cream.”
To ensure a consistently high quality, each flavor is tried and tested in the factory by a trusted team prior to being released, and every component of the ice cream is measured precisely during the production process.
But how does he come up with such wacky flavours?
“We do not invent new flavor combinations, rather, we get our inspiration from foods that we find delicious and create our ice creams based on those,” he revealed. “For example, peanut butter condensed milk toast is popular in Hong Kong, but no one expects that combination to be an ice cream flavour. They are attracted by this, and once they realize that our peanut butter condensed milk toast ice cream tastes like the real thing, they will be shocked, in a pleasant way, and remember it.”
Cheng was confident the idea of making ice cream with liquid nitrogen would be well received in Hong Kong, but admits he never envisioned success of this level.
“We are basically a startup company, so the fact that we have received awards along with prestigious hotel patisseries is astounding. And to do this is such a short period of time, I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished,” he said.
Future Plans
Lab Made now has five stores all over Hong Kong, with each store turning a profit of around HK$200,000. The success has not gone unnoticed, as other entrepreneurs are starting to copy his recipe for success. Despite the competition, Cheng remains confident about the future.
“I believe in our staff and the quality of our products. While they can copy my methods, they can never produce goods to the same standard as mine or provide the same service. People who eat our ice cream will realize that we. As a brand, we are innovative, fun and unique, and so our customers will return,” he said.
Cheng has bold plans for the future of Lab Made. Currently, the company focuses solely on producing ice cream, but he plans to change that. “In the future, maybe we will have a Lab Made patisserie or a Lab Made cafe. No matter what happens, we aim to lead the market in desserts.
“The most important thing is to keep on being creative,” he laughs. “Be creative, and be original. In today’s day and age, with rents and labor costs being so high, you cannot survive with mediocre products or services. If your product shows little originality, it simply would not sell. But if you sell something that is creative and fun, the margin of success is much higher and it becomes easier to make a profit.”
