From Wedding Favour to Thriving Business
How Cheese Club HK Streamlined Payments to 100 Suppliers

From a Wedding Platter to 100 Suppliers Across Europe

The story of Cheese Club HK begins at a wedding. Jacques and his business partner were already importing fruits and vegetables into Hong Kong when they decided to bring in cheese for a friend's wedding celebration. The cheese was half the price of anything available locally, and the guest immediately noticed it and loved it. Within weeks, friends were asking if they could place orders too. In the first month, Jacques compiled a spreadsheet listing 20 different cheeses and 30 orders. The following month, they got 60 orders, then 90. Suddenly, they found themselves operating a business they had not planned at all.

Today, Cheese Club HK operates on a pre-order model; customers place orders during a one-week window. Once the order period closes, they source products from producers across Europe, consolidate shipments, and deliver fresh goods directly to customers. This pre-order model eliminates leftovers and waste, providing fresh, higher-quality products.

However, behind this streamlined operation lies a complex payment reality. Cheese Club HK now collaborates with over 100 producers from France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, the UK, and Poland. Every month, dozens of payments are made in euros to suppliers across the continent. Handling these transactions reliably, quickly, and at fair rates is essential for the Cheese Club HK’s success.

What Traditional Banking Actually Felt Like

In the early days, Cheese Club HK processed supplier payments through a traditional Hong Kong bank; the experience was frustrating in three specific ways.

1. First, suppliers were not always receiving the exact amount. Every time there was a discrepancy, the team had to chase up. 
2. Second, transfer times were slow for a business operating on a tight schedule with import cycles, and delays in supplier payments pose a risk. 
3. Third, the transfer costs were high in margins that were already carefully managed.

After thoroughly exploring several options, including a competing FX platform, they ultimately chose Statrys for its competitive FX rates, reliable support team, and user-friendly interface.

What Changed With Statrys

Using the Statrys Hong Kong Business Account, Cheese Club HK experienced immediate and practical improvements. Suppliers now receive the exact amount in every transfer, eliminating payment discrepancies that previously caused significant delays and admin challenges.

In addition to payment accuracy, the Statrys platforms’ speed and easy navigation transformed the team’s daily operations. Setting up payments is quick, OTP payment confirmation is simpler, and transactions are processed reliably. 

Two Statrys features stand out for Jacques personally. The first is that confirmation OTP codes are sent by email rather than SMS, a practical advantage for a founder who travels internationally frequently and doesn’t always have their phone data accessible. The second is team delegation; he can grant his team members access to input and manage payments, so the entire payment operation does not depend on his availability at any given moment. For a growing business, that kind of operational flexibility makes a difference.

The platform also provides clear visibility into payment history and status that his previous traditional bank could not offer as cleanly. Jacques can see what transactions have gone out, when, and to whom, without chasing statements or cross-referencing spreadsheets.

The FX Side: Better Rates and a Straightforward Approach

Cheese Club HK is paid in HKD and purchases almost everything in EUR. Exchange rate movements between HKD and EUR directly affect the business, and Jacques monitors rates to time larger conversions when conditions are favourable. He keeps it practical rather than complex, no hedging, no forward contracts, but the rates he gets through Statrys are consistently better than what he was receiving before.

For a business making regular, high-volume payments to European suppliers, even a modest improvement in exchange rates compounds meaningfully over time. Jacques has been recommending Statrys to other entrepreneurs for years.

Before Statrys 

• Payments to European suppliers were processed through a traditional bank. 
• Transfer times were too slow, sometimes even got delayed or blocked, and costs were higher, making every pre-order payment cycle more expensive and time-consuming. 
• Suppliers were frequently not receiving the exact amount. The team had to chase and adjust every payment discrepancy. This was a recurring headache across over 100 suppliers across Europe. 
• No accurate visibility into payment status, and navigating transaction history was more difficult. Tracking this was not convenient for managing over 100 supplier payments a month. 
• The entire payment process depended on one person being available to receive phone number OTPs to approve and send transfers, creating friction as the business grew. 
• The rates on HKS and EUR conversions were higher, quietly reducing the value of every payment sent to Europe. 

After Statrys 

• Payments go through faster and more reliably. 
• Setting up and confirming transfers takes less time, and transactions rarely get blocked or delayed. 
• Suppliers now receive the exact amount on every transfer, and payment discrepancies have vanished. 
• Full payment status and history visibility are easily accessible on the Statrys platform through the SWIFT gpi. 
• Team members can grant roles and access to other team members. 
• Removed the dependency on one person who can receive opts and approve payments, giving the team more and business more operational flexibility 
• Better FX rates on every HKD to EUR conversion, with the ability to monitor rates and time large transfers
• Statrys offers responsive and reliable human support, always available when needed and reachable through multiple channels