Q&A: Meet Emma Pike - Asia's Leading Online Butcher

One thing is very apparent when you speak with Emma Pike, and that is you are going to get it straight. This straight-talking SEW member is running Farmer's Market, a leading online butcher in Singapore. Emma is passionate about quality and delivering the best produce she can get her hands on to her customers, and its no secret why her business is growing leaps and bounds.

We managed to pin her down for a few minutes for a chat and this is what she had to say..

Can you tell us a little about Farmer's Market and when did you setup in Singapore?

I opened Farmer's Market in Hong Kong almost three years ago and we are now Hong Kong's number one online butcher.  When we made the move to Singapore 1.5 years ago for my husbands' work, I could see a need in Singapore for a similar concept so I launched Farmer's Market here in May 2019. 

Farmer's Market is about bringing affordable, restaurant quality meat and seafood to the retail market at a reasonable price. 

I found in both Hong Kong and Singapore that meat was either expensive or very low quality, and customers were unsure about the sources and quality of the products on offer. Farmer's Market sources from individual farms in Australia and we focus on transparency and affordability so that customers know exactly what they are buying. 

There are many options for meat and seafood in Singapore, what makes Farmer's Market different?

Farmer's Market aims to fill the gap in the market for great and traceable meat at an affordable price. We focus on supplying hormone and antibiotic free meat and seafood from sustainable sources and deliver to homes throughout Singapore five days per week.

We are only online, we outsource delivery and work with only one supply chain which saves costs which we pass on to our customers. 

Also by only using one supply chain we are able to delivery consistent quality time and time again making it easy for customers to order with confidence knowing they will get the same product each time.

Do you guys deliver?

We home deliver five days a week Monday to Friday.  Just order online at www.thefarmersmarket.com.sg before 12 noon for delivery on the next business day. Tell our members a little more about yourself? What got you into this business?

I've been an entrepreneur my entire life from leaving school at the age of 15 and starting my first company at 16 until now.  I find business fascinating, and find it really fulfilling to spot a gap in the market and make a difference. Part of what I enjoy about running Farmer's Market is being able to share information with my customers to help them understand more about the meat industry and the products available. This is particularly important as awareness is growing around how animals are raised for meat and the impact of hormones and antibiotics on the quality of the meat.

I'm a very open, honest and straight forward person.  I enjoy collaborating with other companies and am a huge supporter of women in business. 

As a mother of twochildren aged 12 and nine, I understand the importance of having high quality food at home.  Originally from Sydney, I lived in Hong Kong for 12 years and now in Singapore for one and a half years. I love playing sports and have played tennis, squash and golf to high levels and currently play tennis in Singapore in Premier A. 

Our SEW members love BBQs and hosting friends, do you guys cater for such events?

We don't provide catering services unfortunately but have contacts in the catering industry and are more than happy to make suggestions to customers depending on the size of the event etc. 

Shameless plug - anything else we need to know about Farmer's Market?

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a very honest, straight forward person.  I think the best thing about Farmer's Market is our transparency in the way we do business.  If I have a customer call me asking for a product which we don't have, I'm always more than happy to direct them to someone I trust who may have that product. 

I think of myself not as a sales person but as an educator.  If I can educate people to have more knowledge when buying meat products then they can make their own decision on what's good value for money.

Of course the shameless plug is probably "100% grass fed, hormone free, antibiotic free, traceable, ethically sourced, affordable meat and seafood home delivered across Singapore 5 days a week with no minimum order!"