When it comes to ice cream, Crème De La Crème does it a little differently by creating unique flavours free from any artificial flavouring or colourings while also offering handcrafted little ice cream cakes that come in many shapes and sizes. We managed to get a hold of Lio Lim, the founder and managing director of this creative ice cream shop to get to know her a little better on how it all started.
Introducing Lio, Founder and Managing Director of Crème De La Crème
“Hi lovelies, I’m Lio, Founder & Managing Director of Crème De La Crème. 😊”
In terms of Lio’s social life, she has always been known by her friends for being an avid food connoisseur. “In other words – greedy,” Lio jokes.
She’s also a big animal lover in which at one point in time, she had owned a whopping 38 pets! Lio is also a fun-seeker and has a major passion for art, fashion and creativity in general. “Reading this kinda makes me sound a little schizophrenic, huh?”
Before starting Crème De La Crème, she was part of the creative and advertising industry in which she managed to create her own advertising agency as well. However, she sold it off in order to concentrate fully on building up Crème De La Crème.
Has it always been her dream of opening an artisanal ice cream shop?
Inspired by her passion for good food, she has traveled around the globe in search of extraordinary gastronomic food. Of course, Lio also has an immense passion for ice cream, too! “I once did a mukbang where I finished 10 pints of ice cream! Note-to-self: In the future, 8 will do,” Lio cheekily shared with us. Due to her overwhelming passion and love for ice cream, it’s also safe to say that it was not just her dream, but also her true calling.
How did Crème De La Crème all began?
Here in Malaysia, Lio noticed that many Malaysians weren’t producing quality artisanal ice cream without adding artificial flavourings and colourings that are harmful to our health. Lio recognizes good quality ice cream upon her first lick because she has tasted some of the best ice creams all around the world. When it comes to good ice cream, Lio would probably know them all!
That’s when she noticed a gap in the market whereby Malaysia lacked ice cream made from 100% natural ingredients with a smooth texture and rich, creamy taste. “And that’s when I said, ‘Let’s make a super-duper natural ice cream that all Malaysians can be proud of!’ – Voila!,” Lio said enthusiastically. Thus, Crème De La Crème was born! “Our brand promise is simple and honest – if you want the best ice cream, you’re at the right place.”
Hello Kitty 
Easter 2021
When asked why this particular name as it isn’t common here in Malaysia since it’s in another language, Lio mentioned, “Because I knew the ice cream we handcrafted from scratch is the best in Malaysia, the name Crème De La Crème (French for ‘best of the best’) was naturally befitting.”
Changing the ways of how Malaysians indulge in ice cream
“The local ice cream scene lacked concept, innovation, and creativity. And we wanted to change that,” Lio shared.
From the day they started, the team behind Crème De La Crème worked hard to redefine and deconstruct a Malaysian’s imagination of how they think of ice cream. Unlike other ice cream shops around, indulging in ice cream at Crème De La Crème isn’t just simply about eating a dessert, it’s more of a gastronomic adventure. “At Crème De La Crème, an ice cream is never just an ice cream. It is a cuisine.” This can be found in their famous Petits Gâteaux, which are very well known for their unique concepts and craftsmanship. Everything is handmade from scratch and is conceptualized as edible art.
Behind the scenes, creating this aesthetic ice cream isn’t easy. Lio shared, “The amount of conceptualization time and R&D we dedicate to our craft is really out-of-this-world. Each Petite Gâteau takes at least an hour to make from scratch.”
With their sheer passion driven by quality instead of sheer profits, Crème De La Crème has made their way into becoming a leader in the industry among well-known food connoisseurs.
Crème De La Crème Bestsellers
If you’re new to their unique ice cream and desserts, here are some of the bestsellers you could start off with while Lio explains each of them in her own words.
Ice Cream and Sorbets
1) Cookies & Cream
“We bake our very own cookies so that we have that perfect cookie taste that will best complement our ice cream.”
2) Gold Digger
“It’s more fun not to reveal the ingredients!”
3) Earl Grey Mochi
“Featuring premium and ethically sourced tea leaves from TeaDrop Australia.”
4) Mango Passion
“Featuring the ‘king of mangoes’ – Alphonso mangoes.”
5) Ded From Chocolate
“This flavour is the one that I’m madly in love with – an ultra-indulgent, premium rich French dark chocolate, swirled with extra-gooey chocolate ganache & yummy home baked brownies for that extra TDF factor! NOTHING gets more chocolatey than this. Ok – I think I just came across as mildly psycho,” Lio jokes.
Petits Gâteaux
1) Beauty & the Beast
“Inspired by you know who!”
2) Longevity
“Everyone wants this for more reasons than one.”
3) Da Bomb!
“Yes, it’s really called that, cause its taste is legit Da Bomb!”
Things are looking up for Crème De La Crème
Despite only being 2 years old, Lio mentioned how it has been an awesome journey since they first started. Of course, just like every other business, there will be ups and downs. However, Lio maintains a positive outlook in life which enabled her to tackle any challenge that comes her way with ease. “Maybe it’s my personal positive outlook on life that I’ve never really viewed challenges as challenges. I feel happy & grateful every day. Ice cream does make one happy. Especially licklalicious ones.”
If you’re looking to start your own F&B business similar to Crème De La Crème, Lio advised, “Be passionate. Be real. Be crazy. Be happy. Be kind.”
We’ll end with a positive, heartfelt quote by Lio – a motto which she lives by, “Heart fits loving, love.”
ABOUT CRÈME DE LA CRÈME (also affectionately known as CDLC)
Highly praised by Her Majesty The Queen Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah binti Almarhum Al-Mutawakkil Alallah Sultan Iskandar Al-Haj and hailed by mainstream media and renowned food critics as the best ice cream in Malaysia, Crème De La Crème has taken the market by storm as Malaysia’s first and only artisanal dessert haven with highly skilled local pastry chefs, who have worked and trained under renowned celebrity dessert master Christy Tania.
At CDLC, an ice cream is not just an ice cream. It is a cuisine. A gastronomic adventure. It is an art form. And this is evident from its range of unique ice cream flavours (such as Gold Digger, Nori-Genmai, Pandan Kaya Toast etc) and famed Petits Gâteaux (Beauty and the Beast, Longevity, Da Bomb! etc) which are conceptualized and hand-crafted as edible art.
CDLC does not believe in skimping on ingredients, using only 100% all-natural fresh premium ingredients (sourced from all over the world) with no preservatives, artificial flavourings, or colourings. The result: the richest, smoothest, and creamiest handcrafted artisan ice creams of uncompromising and incomparable quality, consistency, and textures, not to mention perfectly Instagrammable beauties!
Innovation and creativity are synonymous with CDLC. CDLC revolutionised the beauty and F&B industries with “Beauty Elixir”, the world’s first beauty ice-cream and created a viral storm and media frenzy with its Merdeka collaboration with AirAsia/Santan by deconstructing the latter’s famed Pak Nasser’s Nasi Lemak and reimagining it as an ice cream.
CDLC’s high-profile clientele includes the Royal Family, high-society personalities, and celebrities.
