Villa Creamery: How young owner Michelle Tan took a leap of faith to start a trendy HDB dessert cafe

Fresh out of university, most graduates would probably be sprucing up their resumes and settling into stable corporate jobs. But Villa Creamery founder Michelle Tan decided on a very different path. 

At just 25, Michelle took a leap that many people her age would hesitate to make — opening an ice cream and waffle shop, less than a year after graduating from the National University of Singapore.

That leap of faith is called Villa Creamery, a HDB dessert cafe that’s drawing crowds for its trend-driven gelato flavours, mochi waffles, and colourful matcha drinks.The brand now has two outlets, the first of which opened at Ang Mo Kio in April, 2025. A brand new Holland Village outlet opened in March. 

Expect gelato flavours like banana pudding Biscoff, grape Yakult and chrysanthemum cacao nibs. The dessert cafe experiments with new creations designed to appeal to younger crowds and social media-savvy customers.

Starting out

After graduating with a degree in accounting, Michelle realised that she could not picture herself in a typical 9-to-6 office job. 

“I felt that a traditional corporate path wasn’t the right fit for me,” Michelle says. “The idea of spending decades behind a screen didn’t really resonate.”

She tells us she wanted to explore something very different. Being a dessert fan who enjoyed visiting cafes, she decided that opening her own shop was the right move.

Still, leaving behind a conventional career path wasn’t an easy decision. “There was also that lingering thought, that by not continuing in the corporate path right after graduating, I might fall ‘behind’ my peers in the usual career trajectory,” Michelle admits. “But it felt like a risk worth taking, at the time.”

Launching an F&B business straight out of university meant every dollar mattered. Michelle estimates the startup cost for Villa Creamery’s first outlet to be about S$50,000, co-funded by her and her partner, Cross Brown, 28.

Cross handles the backend and administrative side of the business, while Michelle focuses on front-end work, such as staff training, branding and product development.

Michelle’s savings were largely accumulated from internships and part-time jobs. We admit we were impressed when we first heard about how much she saved up at a young age.

Michelle herself is quite the hard worker. She tells us that upon graduation, she had worked a total of 14 part-time jobs and internships.

She also got lucky when finding her first outlet space. “It was previously an ice cream shop, so we managed to purchase a lot of their equipment at a cheaper rate,” she says. “Buying second-hand equipment reduced our upfront costs.”

Michelle says her accountancy background proved useful in the early days of building the business.

“Being financially literate made a difference in the early stages, especially when I had to handle my own budgeting and manage costs carefully,” she says. 

While the team prioritised spending on product development, they intentionally kept renovation costs simple to get the business running quickly.

A menu inspired by trends

Villa Creamery’s menu is heavily shaped by online dessert trends. “We’re always keeping an eye on what’s trending on social media and using that as inspiration,” Michelle says.

For example, after seeing the popularity of banana pudding desserts and drinks online, the team transformed the flavour into a gelato.

The resulting flavour combines banana milk sherbet with Biscoff bits, and has become especially popular with younger customers.

The same trend-driven approach has led to other popular flavours such as peach oolong and chrysanthemum cacao nibs. 

Customer preferences also play a major role in shaping future flavours. “When our grape Yakult did well, we introduced a green apple Yakult version at our Ang Mo Kio outlet to give customers something familiar, but slightly different,” Michelle says.

Beyond gelato, Villa Creamery has also built a following for its waffles — particularly its chewy mochi and nian gao (Chinese New Year cake) waffles.There are also variations such as Belgian and panda mochi waffles.

But getting those recipes right took far more experimentation than customers might realise. 

“We started by experimenting with different kinds of milk and butter, and figuring out the ratios required for the recipe,” Michelle says.

Each waffle type requires a different batter composition, too. “For pandan mochi, we use coconut cream because it brings the pandan fragrance out more,” she explains. “For our Belgian waffle, we use vegetable oil, while the mochi waffle is made with real butter.”

Texture was another challenge. “If we use too much milk for the mochi waffle or overblend it, it becomes too soft and won’t be crispy on the outside,” Michelle adds.

The team spent months experimenting with blending times, butter types, milk ratios and ingredients before feeling confident enough to sell the waffles.

What we tried at Villa Creamery

At Villa Creamery’s Holland Drive outlet, we sampled several of the cafe’s best-selling items, such as its gelatos.

The banana pudding Biscoff (from S$5 for a single scoop) delivered a creamy banana-forward flavour profile balanced by an addictive biscuit crunch.

The grape Yakult (from S$6) and mango passion fruit (from S$5) gelatos leaned fruitier and lighter, making them especially refreshing in Singapore’s heat. I especially enjoyed these flavours, especially the grape Yakult, which tasted exactly like its bottled namesake.

Paired with the gelato were Villa Creamery’s signature waffles. The mochi waffle (from S$4.50 for a half waffle) had a crisp exterior that gave way to a chewy centre, while the nian gao waffle (from S$5 for a half waffle) delivered a denser bite with subtle sweetness that felt comforting and nostalgic.

For drinks, the blue lavender matcha latte (S$7.50) was visually striking — layered in pastel blue and green — while offering floral notes that softened the earthy bitterness of matcha.

The strawberry matcha latte (S$7.50) leaned sweeter and creamier, making it an easy crowd-pleaser. If I had a small critique, it would be that the drink was a little too sweet for my liking.

Michelle says drinks undergo a similar R&D process to the gelatos. 

“We’ll develop a flavour, make small batches, and keep refining it until we’re happy with the taste before putting it out for customers,” she says.

Villa Creamery also offers pet-friendly ice cream (S$5.90), allowing customers to bring their furry companions along for a dessert outing. The two flavours available are strawberry with coconut (lactose-free) and peanut butter.

Expansion and future plans 

As Michelle recalls, it took the first outlet about eight months to break even. The confidence to expand came after that, and Villa Creamery opened its second outlet at Holland Drive. 

The decision to expand came down largely to footfall. 

“Our second outlet has more footfall than our Ang Mo Kio outlet, as this place draws a corporate crowd and people from the Holland Village area,” she explains. 

The customer demographics differ significantly between both outlets. At Holland Drive, younger customers gravitate towards trendier flavours such as the Yakult-inspired creations.

“At Ang Mo Kio, the customer demographic is mostly families with young kids who prefer staples and more familiar flavours, such as salted caramel, pistachio and vanilla,” Michelle observes.

While Villa Creamery is still a new venture, Michelle has plans for the next phase of the business. The team is currently experimenting with more matcha and gelato flavours, while also expanding into live events, weddings and corporate functions.

For Michelle, though, the heart of the business remains simple: Creating desserts people genuinely enjoy. And while the future may still feel uncertain at times, it’s a path she doesn’t regret taking.

After all, what started as a risky career move has already grown into a dessert brand with two outlets and a growing customer base. Her story is a reminder that with hard work and grit, becoming an F&B entrepreneur straight after graduation can be worth the hustle.

And even better: You can spend your CDC vouchers there, too!

For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on the hot and viral new local opening of Japan’s Hikiniku to Come and KFC’s fiery new Nashville chicken range.