Year 2020: Review & Reflections

As we look back on 2020, we would like to dedicate this blog post to review and reflect on the challenging year that had just passed.

Gratitude

Throughout 2020, our team has worked tremendously hard to adapt to the impact of COVID-19. We faced this adversity courageously and resiliently.

During the Circuit Breaker period, we brought back our best-selling bakes, developed our suite of bottled cold brew selections and launched our Islandwide Delivery to bring our coffee and bakes to your homes.

We are extremely thankful for the overwhelming support and love that you have shown us, with your kind words and recurring orders. We kept you caffeinated, and you kept us afloat.

Reflection

This year also provided a opportunity for us to review and improve on our coffee workshops and courses.

Firstly, we launched our TCR Basic Barista Course with the objective of training individuals up with proficiencies to be excellent home baristas and even coffee professionals. We are proud of all our graduates in this new programme, who passed the grueling test of producing 3 quality beverages in 5 minutes.

Graduates of TCR Basic Barista Course

Secondly, we are proud partners of NUS Design-Your-Own-Module as we conducted our coffee appreciation and tasting modules for undergraduate students of NUS. We never thought our coffee workshops would one day form part of a university module, hence we're extremely grateful for the confidence and opportunity to bring our coffee academy to another stage.

NUS Design-Your-Own-Module (DYOM) - January 2020

Despite massive disruptions to the working routine in 2020, we are very grateful to still have the opportunity to conduct our coffee team bonding workshops for the following clients: Gardens By The Bay, National Library Board, National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, People's Association, Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB), Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS), Blackstone, Zurich Insurance, Mishcon De Reya LLP, Chugai Pharmabody, ASPRI, James Cook University, Micron, Skool4Kidz, AM Management, Jurongville Secondary School, Mayflower Secondary School, Keming Primary School, Eunos Primary School and Rosyth School.

Finally, we managed to achieve our internal goal of conducting 2 social workshops for Cornerstone Community Services and A-Life Ltd.

Loss

Despite our best efforts, we made the tough decision to close our Upper Thomson outlet after one year of operations due to the pandemic. Trust us, we felt the pain and loss (especially Swee Heng) as we handed over the keys. It was difficult, but was necessary to keep our ship afloat in the rough waters.

Looking forward to 2021

Honestly, we couldn't have made it through 2020 without you, our lovely supportive friends and customers. So once again, a huge thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

2020 has taught us a lot, and we will be bringing these insights into the future with us. We look towards the new year with optimism and hope.

In 2021, here is what we'll be looking forward to: - Exciting new food menu and new beverages at TCR Cafe @ NUS AS8 - A new location for TCR Academy (we're looking around!) - New coffee class formats (including online classes) - Bringing our coffee classes closer to you and into the community

The TCR Team wishes you good health in 2021!