How Cococart’s co-founder opened S’pore’s 1st cheesecake & wine bar that’s already profitable

When Vulcan Post first spoke to Derek Low in 2022, he was baking cheesecakes out of his home kitchen and hand-delivering them across Singapore.

His hands-on experience running a small business led him to co-found Cococart—a one-stop e-commerce platform that enables entrepreneurs to easily set up and manage their own online stores and sales. The startup has since grown to support a network of over 40,000 businesses and raised US$4.2 million in seed funding.

In the midst of managing Cococart, Derek continued to bake his cheesecakes on the side, which soon became a hit amongst customers.

In fact, the response was so overwhelming that it encouraged him to launch Haus—Singapore’s first cheesecake and wine bar—in 2024.

Honestly, I never planned on becoming “the cheesecake guy.” But the response from the community was overwhelming.

Turning Haus into a full-fledged business

Most of us might be familiar with wine and cheese pairings, but Haus aims to offer a “playful local spin” on the European tradition.

“Imagine pairing Singapore’s best cheesecakes with handpicked wines from unexpected corners of the globe. That’s Haus.”

Despite his enthusiasm, however, Derek had plenty of doubts about whether Haus would be successful—his family and friends, too, were sceptical of the business concept. Nevertheless, he decided to take a leap of faith and got his hands dirty in building the bar from the ground up.

To kickstart the venture, Derek claimed to have invested about S$75,000, which came from his and his partner’s life savings.

He spent about a year searching for the right space for the business before stumbling upon a listing for KADA, a lifestyle hub located at Maxwell, that took just one visit for him to be completely won over.

“We wanted something that felt like a hidden gem, not just another café on a bustling street,” he shared.

But launching the business turned out to be a marathon, as KADA, being a 101-year-old heritage site, first had to undergo extensive restoration. This meant that renovations for Haus could only start months later.

Instead of sitting on their laurels, the couple decided to use this time to curate their dessert wine list.

According to Derek, Singapore is a hub for wine fairs and tasting events, so he and his partner made the most out of the opportunities, sampling multiple bottles. “600 bottles later, we handpicked our favourites—tough job, but someone had to do it.”

They eventually narrowed down the list to about 50 bottles, with classics from France and Italy as well as some from “unsung regions” such as Georgia and Syria.

However, given that Singapore has an excise duty of S$88 on wines per litre, you might wonder if the high import costs would eat into the already tight margins faced by local F&B businesses like Haus.

Derek admits that it does, but he’s willing to bear it for the joy that comes with introducing new wines.

We’re all about partnerships—wines are like friendships, the more the merrier. We work with importers who share our obsession for unique, high-quality bottles. And since wine is always evolving, we change up the menu with each new vintage, so it never gets stale.

Yes, margins are tight—but the joy of introducing someone to their new favorite wine? Worth it every time.

“Unapologetically niche”

After Haus was eventually given the green light to start renovations (which were all done without the help of consultants), the business finally opened its doors during the Christmas celebrations last year, and to great success.

According to Derek, they had gained regulars just weeks after launch, with some even visiting over 10 times to date. Haus also became profitable one month after opening—a big feat for a small F&B brand in Singapore.

Unlike the magic of Christmas, Haus’s success did not just happen out of thin air. After realising that customers often craved for more than just cheesecakes and wine, the team decided to diversify their offerings, leading them to start experimenting with cocktails, cheese boards and pizzas.

These additions quickly became a hit with Haus’ customers, and the menu is “always evolving” to keep customers satisfied.

One might worry if expanding its menu might dilute Haus’s niche, but on the contrary, Derek believes that it strengthens it.

Regulars come for the cheesecake but stay to discover what’s new. We remain Singapore’s only cheesecake and wine bar—our expanded menu simply builds on that foundation.

Haus is unapologetically niche. We don’t try to be everything to everyone. Instead, we focus on being your go-to spot for after-lunch and after-dinner—a place where dessert and drinks take centre stage. Most cafés kick you out when the sun sets. We say: the night is young, have another slice.

With Haus continuing to draw crowds on most nights, the business aims to make wine less intimidating and accessible, all while serving up their signature freshly baked cheesecakes—whether for loyal regulars or first-time visitors.

“Some of our earliest customers are still coming back for a slice and a chat. For me, that’s the greatest legacy—building a place that feels like home, where anyone can discover something new and leave a little happier than they arrived,” added Derek.

Featured Image Credit: Haus