Nuzest interview with Andrea Lee of The Clean Addicts

Scott: So, welcome here today. We're here with Andrea with The Clean Addicts, a partner of Nuzest. We wanted to come and chat today about the Clean Addicts business and understand a lot more about it. So, to get things kicked off, what made you start The Clean Addicts?

Andrea: I started The Clean Addicts because my mom has heart disease and both of us are really huge sweet tooth’s. It's really hard to find healthier desserts without like the copious amount of butter and sugar in them. I’ve had a hand at trying out to make these desserts, but you know once you see the bags of sugar and the blocks of butter that go in you just do not want like your family to have them and especially with a condition is really scary. So, I tried to first make brownies using beans and they turned out really well.

So, we use beans as our butter substitutes in most of our cakes and so far, it has like gotten really good reviews on it. and first I shared it with my family and friends and then many people started like to inquire about them and that's why I started Clean Addicts. Because we just want to promote healthier options for desserts, where you can you know eat healthier and better and still have your sweet treat as well. So, you won't feel so like guilty after eating them. But also have the health benefits yeah.

Scott: So, before you started Clean Addicts, what were the desserts that you really enjoyed eating? Because Singapore’s got a diverse food scene here with lots of different cultures coming in. What are some of the desserts that you loved and then second part to that is, have you taken any inspiration of local delights and local desserts in the desserts you make?

Andrea: Yes, I actually love chocolate and Matcha flavors. When I went on a trip to Kyoto, I just fell in love with all the Matcha dessert stem over there and I really want to recreate them which is why I started making Matcha fudge cakes and Matcha protein balls. But they don't taste like protein balls that much. It just really makes me feel so satisfied that I don't feel like eating any other desserts other than my own dessert. Funny about that, yeah.

Our local scene for food here I found my tribe of Matcha lovers. So yeah, I’m just so happy to connect with them over Matcha desserts and go crazy about that.

Scott: That’s so good. Who are the people you said that you've got a group who's into healthy desserts? Maybe you can describe to me the type of person or is it just anyone or what are the people who are coming to you for your creations?

Andrea: I think mainly are women, like who really take care of their bodies. Like they actually know about the health aspect like you need to eat better but to find delicious treats is really hard. Most of the protein balls that I've tried myself are really very dry or like too much dates that I don't really enjoy them as much. So, I really want to create something better and better tasting you know. And they are also into fitness as well, like most of them actually go to like a gym and right now they are mostly working at home as well like they refuse to go out right now.

So, they are really loving their bodies and some of them also have like some self like body image issues and they really understand how much has gone into the process of making my treats. I can't thank them enough for understanding the troubles that I have in making their treats. But I also want them to treasure their bodies as well and not be too scared of like the amount of sugar and fat that goes in. Because most of them are really made of whole foods and you just can't go wrong with whole foods.

Scott: That sounds really good. So, then we know do you deliver this or are people picking it up from a location? How are people getting your product?

Andrea: We offer a self-collection and right now we also do some deliveries on certain days where we have bulk delivery days. The price of delivery will be cheaper as well on those days. So, we're trying to encourage people to order on a certain date. They will send it all out, so like they can enjoy their treats over the week and not to worry about snacking on other things.

Scott: All orders are done on your website? Maybe you could let everyone know, what is your website address?

Andrea: Website address is thecleanaddicts.com

Scott:  So, lifestyle diseases around the world are on the rise and part of that is to what you were talking about before there's just so much quick fast food that's full of things that we shouldn't be having. And sugar is a big part of that. So, I know you said you've you make healthy desserts for that reason for your mum, that was the genesis of the brand. But are you getting a group of people let's and Singapore that have type 2 diabetes or the pre-diabetics that are coming to you for what you make?

Andrea: Yes, we have quite a number of inquiries especially on diabetic friendly cakes. Especially those who have like a history of diabetes in a family and or just directly that person has diabetes. So, we have quite a few offerings that are catered to them. We have a sugar-free carrot cake, coated with a citrus like cashew frosting. That we use monk fruit sweetener in place of regular sugar. We also have our Matcha sesame fudge cake, which only uses like minimal dates and organic stevia to sweeten the cake base itself so.

The black sesame paste has no added sugars or oils and we actually make it ourselves in very small batches.

Scott: So, this would be something that if someone who has diabetes wanted a treat and they just miss that sweet taste, this would be perfectly safe to have every now and again as is a treat for someone with that condition, right.

Andrea: Yeah, it is. I actually have one client who has a family background diabetes but she loves sweets a lot. She told me that she hasn't had raisins before, because I think she's quite scared of sugar. So, I actually made a uh ultra-low sugar carrot cake for her with lesser raisins. Yeah, so whenever she craves for something sweet, she can just come to me for it.

Scott: So, to that point, do you do mini customizations of recipes for particular clients or is it generally what you have is what you make?

Andrea: Yeah, I do receive. I do try to welcome everyone with any types of allergies or health conditions, because I really want them to still enjoy their desserts while even having those conditions like my mom. So, they can send me an email and I will see what I can do for them. I’ve also made our bean fudge cakes without beans at all or dates. Which is actually our main ingredients, but he didn't want anything any of that because he's allergic to beans and dates.

So, I managed to find like substitutes for it and he really loved it. So, it's amazing to see what I can create with whole foods.

Scott: What I've found often is that, ‘Healthy mums tend to lead healthy families.’ So, there's do you have a range of sweet treats that you could I know that nut allergies or nuts are not allowed in schools? Do you have many things that are school friendly with no nuts?

Andrea: Yes, our flawless cacao fudge cake is by default no nuts. Our garden of Eden fudge cake, we have some almonds in there but we can definitely remove it. It's only on the toppings. So, yeah although we are not exclusive nut-free, we just try not to include nuts into our cake base itself. So yeah, we just try to customize and cater to everyone who have children with nut allergies.

Scott: That's fantastic. So, you just mentioned that like the products that you make are difficult to make. But what are some of the challenges you've faced with your overall business and what are some of the things that are complicated in making the desserts that you make?

Andrea: I think for one is that time may use to make the desserts. Because we use beans and then we have to grind it and blend it and that's like a limited capacity to how much we can make. So, that was kind of quite restrictive but we're just trying to work around that. And also, the price of the ingredients is pretty expensive. Because the whole food system is really like screwed up the food, the whole food system yeah, the whole you know as a whole.

Scott: In what way?

Andrea: Like junk food is so cheap and affordable, which is why more people eat fast food and all that. Hawker food very affordable I love local food but I really don't think they are that healthy for us.

Scott: Do you get a lot of pushback on the price or do you find that once people have tried what you have, they really accept that you've put a lot of love and you have sourced these better food sources, but that comes at a price? 

So, do you get the pushback or do people understand that?

Scott: Where would people put their name down for something like that? Do you have a list that people put their name down for or is that something they also buy online?

Andrea: This is actually available on our exclusive like Telegram community channel, where we broadcast our bake sales over there.

Scott: So, how do you get invited into that exclusive group?

Andrea: We actually have the link on our link tree on our Instagram. That's where they can find. I think it's the second link from the top.

Scott: Perfect. So, for everyone listening right now make sure you give this video like as well here on YouTube or Facebook wherever we post it. But let's keep going, so and the reason why we're talking is because Nuzest, we're very grateful that you use Nuzest protein powder. Why did you choose Nuzest to begin with?

Andrea: To be honest it's really hard to find a good quality protein powder without artificial colors or fillers and ingredients. And for me, I try to make protein smoothies whenever after like a huge like intense workout. I haven't tried pea protein before. Previously, I’ve used like other protein powders from my pumpkin seed and brown rice. But yeah, they're really hard to source in Singapore. I’m so glad that I actually found you.

Scott: And I’m glad you enjoy working with Nuzest, because the brand really does concentrate on making it as clean as possible. It really fits with what you're about as well. So, I’m grateful I get to have partners out there such as you. So, what are some of the things that you use Nuzest for?

Scott: So, you head along to some challenge events and you actually do your sampling at the event, right?

Andrea: Yeah, I do.

Scott: Yeah. So, there's a great way to get people trying the products. I’ve got another couple of questions before you finish off today. You mentioned that you really love Matcha.

Andrea: Yeah.

Scott: Then what is your best seller? So, I know, what you like but what does everybody else like.

Andrea: We have two like two bands of people. We have one that's like dark chocolate, team dark chocolate and then another team Matcha. So, we offer both to and you know cater to this um cravings, which I will also gravitate like to one during certain times of the month as like a woman right.

Scott: Yeah, that sounds like a good competition. You could run the team Matcha and team Dark Chocolate!

Scott: But thank you so much for using Nuzest. Is there anything else you'd love to let your audience know about with Clean Addicts or maybe you want to share the website again, just in case people want to order from you?

Andrea: Yeah, you can order from our online shop, which is thecleanaddicts.com. Where we specialize in gluten free vegan and refined sugar-free, treats that are wholesome for your body. And you can also hang out with us on socials like Instagram and telegram as well, where we post details on the behind the scenes of our products and more big sales on Telegram especially.

Scott: Well, I’m looking forward to doing more work with you over the back half of this year. And hopefully maybe we can run a competition at some time either with the chocolate camp people or the Matcha camp people. Maybe we can do a special promo, but Nuzest should be fully behind that. Thank you for choosing Nuzest as a brand.

Andrea: Thank you Scott for all the work you've done.

To view more from The Clean Addicts visit their website  https://thecleanaddicts.com/

Or via Instagram @thecleanaddicts