From One Cheesecake to Four Stores: Queic by Olivia Celebrates Five Years of Growth

Queic by Olivia began in 2021 with one hero product: Olivia’s Signature Cheesecake, the blue-cheese cheesecake that had already developed a following at Olivia Restaurant.

Opening a retail concept around a single dessert was a risk. So was the dessert itself.

At a time when blue cheese was still an unconventional choice for cheesecake, Queic believed there was an audience for something more distinctive, and that cheesecake could be explored far beyond the familiar.

Five years later, Queic has grown into a four-store retail brand with a core menu of approximately 25 products and formats, regular seasonal releases, and an expanding archive of flavours and collaborations.

Between 2022 and 2025, Queic’s annual gross sales grew nearly tenfold. Today, the brand produces the equivalent of approximately 200,000 servings annually from Olivia’s Signature range alone, while more than two million guests are estimated to have visited Queic since it opened in 2021, including visitors from around the world.

But Queic’s story is not simply one of growth. The same instinct that led to its blue cheese cheesecake still shapes the brand today: to explore an idea, develop it properly and share it with people.

From a Restaurant Dessert to a Retail Brand

Queic was created as a dedicated home for Olivia’s Signature Cheesecake, its signature blue cheese cheesecake made with cream cheese, blue cheese and an almond sablé base.

Rather than a traditional Basque burnt cheesecake, Olivia’s Signature takes cues from the style’s deeply caramelised top and soft, molten centre, setting it on a crisp almond sablé tart base to create a distinctive sweet-savoury format of its own.

That combination became the foundation for Queic’s approach to cheesecake — taking a familiar format and pushing it in a more unexpected direction.

“We started Queic with one hero product, and it’s still at the heart of what we do. What has grown around it is the freedom to experiment with flavours, formats and collaborations.” – Celina Franco, Head of Quality & Culinary Direction, Olivia Group

The first Queic opened at Kreta Ayer in 2021. It was followed by Scotts Square in September 2024, Jewel Changi Airport at the end of April 2025, and Jem in November 2025.

Five Years of Flavour

Over five years, Queic has used cheesecake as a canvas for new flavours, formats and ideas.

Product range now spans Basque burnt cheesecakes, flavour-led cheesecakes, individual formats and cheesecake boards, supported by approximately one to two seasonal creations each month.

Past releases have included Coconut Pandan, Vanilla Pistachio, Matcha, Black Sesame, Ube and Dubai Chocolate, ranging from familiar local flavours to products shaped by wider food trends.

“We now produce the equivalent of around 200,000 servings from Olivia’s Signature range annually, while maintaining the consistency of the original recipe. At the same time, we’ve kept experimenting, with 20 new flavours since I joined, from Truffle Brie, Dubai Chocolate to our recent Ube.” – Chef Pablo Ruggero, Head Pastry Chef, Olivia Group

The intention has never been simply to add more flavours to the menu. Each creation begins with an idea — whether an ingredient, a memory, a cultural reference, a collaboration or a different way of thinking about cheesecake.

The Dubai Chocolate Cheesecake, for example, combines pistachio, toasted kataifi, tahini and dark chocolate cheesecake, while Queic’s cheesecake boards reinterpret the traditional cheese board through Brie, Gruyère, Ricotta and Stilton cheesecakes, paired with sablé cookies and preserves.

Collaborations have extended that experimentation further. Queic has worked with brands including Läderach, Blue Bottle Coffee and Baristart.

For Läderach, Queic paired Gruyère Basque burnt cheesecake with Swiss chocolate, while creations developed with Blue Bottle Coffee have included Brown Butter Cheesecake and Lemon Cream Cheesecake.

The Queic Archives

As part of its fifth anniversary, The Queic Archives looks back at Queic’s five-year journey.

This October, Vanilla Pistachio Cheesecake and Truffle Brie Cheesecake return for a limited time.

Originally created as a limited Mother’s Day release, Vanilla Pistachio Cheesecake returns from 10 to 31 October 2026. The cheesecake combines vanilla cheesecake with vanilla cream, pistachio cream, and house-made pistachio paste on an almond sablé crust.

It will be available in limited quantities in-store as a 6-inch cake and individual slices. 9-inch whole cakes are available for pre-order on Queic’s E-store.

The Truffle Brie Cheesecake combines Brie de Meaux AOP whipped crémeux with mascarpone and truffle filling, finished with an almond and white chocolate glaze. It will return in-store and through pre-order via the Queic E-store throughout October.

Looking Ahead

Five years on, Olivia’s Signature Cheesecake remains at the heart of Queic, while the business built around it has become considerably more complex.

“Going from one shop to four stores and welcoming more than two million guests since opening took more than a great recipe. We invested early in a central kitchen, in systems and, above all, in people. That discipline has allowed us to grow without losing what made Queic special.” – Sandeep Dhingra, Co-owner and CEO, Olivia Group

The expansion has been equally deliberate from a commercial perspective.

“Sales grew nearly tenfold in three years, but how we grew matters just as much. Each new store was built on the strength of the last, with clear numbers behind every decision.” – Jessica Hao, Co-owner and CFO, Olivia Group

Behind that growth is a collective effort. Olivia’s Signature Cheesecake was originally developed by Celina Franco, whose recipe remains the foundation of the brand. Chef Pablo Ruggero has since helped build on that foundation as the menu expanded, supported by Queic’s chefs, production team, shop managers and wider Olivia team.

From the beginning, choosing to focus entirely on cheesecake was a deliberate constraint. Rather than expanding into every category of dessert, Queic has continued to explore what can be done within a single format.

The Queic Archives captures some of those ideas from the first five years. The ambition for the next remains just as simple: to keep taking cheesecake as far as it can go.

About Queic by Olivia

Queic by Olivia is Singapore’s first cheesecake boutique concept, reimagining the city’s most iconic dessert as a standalone, destination-driven experience. Originating from the award-winning Olivia Restaurant, Queic was created to spotlight Olivia’s Signature Basque-style cheesecake — a dish that has since become a defining favourite among locals and visitors alike. Rooted in Spanish culinary tradition, the brand is known for its signature blue cheese cheesecake, alongside seasonal and collaborative flavours developed with like-minded partners. Since its launch, Queic by Olivia has expanded across multiple locations in Singapore, evolving into a recognisable local brand that blends craftsmanship, creativity, and accessibility. Designed for both everyday indulgence and gifting, Queic reflects a modern approach to dessert — playful, refined, and quality-driven. The name “queic” is derived from how “cake” might be spelt phonetically in Spanish, pronounced [ˈkeɪk].

About Olivia Group

Olivia Group is a Singapore-based hospitality collective known for creating distinctive dining concepts that blend culinary craft with warm, contemporary experiences. With a growing portfolio that includes Olivia Restaurant & Lounge, Queic by Olivia, and Noa by Olivia, the group continues to shape Singapore’s dining landscape through thoughtful storytelling, seasonal creativity, and design-forward spaces. Queic by Olivia Locations Queic by Olivia at Kreta Ayer (Flagship Store) Address: 41 Kreta Ayer Rd, Singapore 089003 Operating Hours: Sunday to Thursday: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM Friday to Saturday: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM Queic by Olivia at Scotts Square (Orchard Store) Address: 6 Scotts Rd, #B1–25, Singapore 228209 Operating Hours: Sunday to Thursday: 10:30 AM – 7:00 PM Friday to Saturday: 10:30 AM – 8:00 PM Queic by Olivia at Jewel Changi Airport (East Side Store) Address: 78 Airport Boulevard, #01–K218, Jewel Changi Airport, Singapore 819666 Operating Hours: Daily: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM Queic by Olivia at Jem (West Side Store) Address: 50 Jurong Gateway Rd, #01–33, Singapore 608549 Operating Hours: Weekdays: 10:30 AM – 9:30 PM Weekends: 10:30 AM – 10:00 PM Factsheet Website Instagram TikTok Facebook For all enquiries, please contact: Emy Tan Olivia Group emy@olivia.sg +65 9354 214

This press release was published as it was received from our partner, without any editing from The Business Times (BT) team.

You can publish your own paid press release on BT. Simply fill in this form, and our team will respond by the next business day.