Gen-Z Bakers Who Had ‘3 Digits Left’ In Bank Account Now Sell Pastries Rent-Free In CBD

In the heart of Tanjong Pagar, with zero rent

Since May this year, Cranki’s pastries have become a fixture on APT’s daytime menu. The partnership lets the duo showcase their signature choux pastries in the heart of the CBD — without the crushing costs of a standalone café. Cranki handles the food; APT takes care of the drinks. Coffees start from $3.50 and wines from $18.

“To get an outlet in the centre of Tanjong Pagar with effectively no fixed rental costs is an amazing opportunity. Good things come and you go for it!” Brenan gushes.

So how does this rent-free setup work? “It’s a profit-sharing arrangement — instead of rent, we give APT a percentage of our sales,” he explains. “If we hit certain sales targets, their cut goes down. If we don’t, it goes up. I guess that just pushes us to sell more.”

How Cranki Patisserie was born

The pair first met online in 2019 through video games and became friends. Four years later, when they met in person, a homemade strawberry lime tart Laura brought to dinner impressed Brenan so much that he suggested they start a business. That one dessert sparked what would become Cranki Patisserie. 

The name Cranki came about during long, frustrating R&D nights. “So many things can go wrong when you’re baking, and we were always a little cranky,” Brenan laughs.  

SIM grad worked as pastry chef in Capella hotel

It’s no wonder Laura’s bakes impressed — she’s a Temasek Polytechnic Culinary Academy grad who interned at Marina Bay Sands’ central pastry kitchen and later worked part-time at Capella hotel’s pastry kitchen. Although she was interested in the food industry, Laura decided to later pursue a Bachelor’s in Business Communications at the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM). “Starting my own thing was always a dream,” she shares. "I felt I needed to understand not just kitchen operations, but also the basics of business like accounting and strategy to make it work.” 

Brenan is a communications graduate from SIM, who previously dabbled in bartending, design, and copywriting.  

They both graduated uni in 2024 and officially launched Cranki last October by cobbling together their savings after two years of trial bakes and R&D. The duo opened a production kitchen and self-pickup space at Viva Vista Shopping Mall along South Buona Vista Road. 

Why start Cranki right after graduating? “There was no better time than the present. We had some money of our own because we were working part time while studying, so we decided to just try [and start a business] with what we had.” Brenan explains. 

Spent a total of $30K, left with three-digit bank account 

“Most people start F&B with around $100K because kitchen equipment is really expensive and you need the rolling capital to forward purchase ingredients. We started with a grand total of $30K, the bare minimum for renovation, equipment, and ingredients,” Brenan shares. “After that, we [were left] with three digits in our bank account.”

While business has grown faster than they expected, they’re not turning a profit just yet. “As we’ve expanded — increasing our production capacity and trying new products — costs have gone up too. So even though more money comes in, it ends up being spent on the business,” Brenan explains. Still, he adds that they’re earning more now with their bakes at APT than they did back when sales came solely from their Viva Vista shop, which still operates today. 

Incorporating Asian flavours into bakes

So what makes Cranki different from other patisseries? “We like to incorporate different Asian flavours into our desserts,” Laura explains. “For example our Chrysanthemum Honeycomb Choux with chrysanthemum custard, as well as our Masala Chai Choux with masala chai infused into the cream.”

While they admit choux pastry isn’t the easiest to work with — it’s highly weather-sensitive and best eaten within the day — it has helped them stand out from Singapore’s crowded home-baking scene. “When we were brainstorming cool flavour combinations we could do, Laura said choux pastries were very flexible. Eclairs, churros, and cream puffs are all made with choux batter so they afforded a lot of flexibility,” Brenan tells 8days.sg. 

For now, Cranki’s rent-free gig at APT café will run until December, when both sides will see if the partnership remains profitable and viable to continue. 

Here are some of Cranki’s pastries to try at APT café:

Choux au Craquelin, from $8 each; $42 for six pcs

Cranki currently has three flavours of Choux au Craquelin, a choux pastry shell topped with craquelin (a thin, buttery cookie crust). First up, the Honeycomb Chrysanthemum Choux au Craquelin: chrysanthemum-infused cream, bits of honeycomb candy, and a swirl of white chocolate ganache.

Dacquoise Sandwiches, from $4 each; $10 for three pcs

Meringue cookies made with almond flour, sandwiched together with a ganache and dusted with icing sugar. Available in four flavours — dark chocolate sea salt, hazelnut dark chocolate, pistachio, and matcha.  

Handmade Bagel Sandwich, $9 half; $16 whole

Cranki has also created APT-exclusive savoury items. This bagel sandwich features a sesame-spiced bagel filled with Norwegian smoked salmon, house-made yuzu hollandaise, and greens. Served with a side of microgreen salad and cassava chips. 

Croque-Monsieur, $9 half; $16 whole

A twist on the classic, with chorizo, house-made gorgonzola béchamel, a drizzle of orange blossom wild honey, and topped with gruyère cheese. Served with a side of salad and cassava chips as well.

Cranki Patisserie is located in A Place To (APT) café at 65A Tanjong Pagar Rd, S088486. More info via Cranki’s website or Instagram. Available Tue to Sun 11am-7pm. 

Photos: Cranki Patisserie, Cinegang

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