Mamas Targets To Expand Sauce, Soy Sauce Exports To Cambodia Next Year
By Nur Faradilla Mohamad
JOHOR BAHRU, Aug 16 (Bernama) -- Mamas M&M (M) Sdn Bhd, which offers a variety of sauces including chilli, tomato, oyster and black pepper sauces, as well as vinegar and soy sauce, aims to penetrate the Cambodian market by mid-next year, further expanding its export market.
Its manager, P. Poobalan, said the move followed requests received from the country after the company's products began to penetrate the Singapore market about six months ago and received a positive response.
"We have received a request from Cambodia and are currently finalising the agreement documents. It is highly likely that our products will be marketed there from the middle of next year," he said in an interview with Bernama at Iskandar Halal Park here recently.
A Johorean from Plentong, Poobalan said that the company produces halal-certified products and complies with the Industry Responsible Food Safety (MeSTI) scheme, and meets Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements.
Poobalan said the company is targeting RM3 million in sales this year, driven by increasing demand for his products, up from RM2 million in sales last year.
He noted that the company’s sales have exceeded RM2 million to date and are close to reaching the target.
Among the company’s products in high demand, he said, are chilli sauce, oyster sauce and sweet soy sauce, in addition to thick soy sauce, light soy sauce, and white vinegar, which are supplied to the hotel, restaurant and catering (HoReCa) sector via distributors and wholesalers in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Melaka and Johor.
"The Kuala Lumpur and Selangor markets are very competitive, but our products and brand can still compete by offering quality at affordable prices, ranging from RM14.50 to RM22," he said.
Starting with a trading business at home with RM300 in capital in 1997, he then shifted to small-scale production of his own products nine years later.
"At that time, there weren't many brands and options that catered to local tastes, and the choices available were limited, so from there I explored the opportunity to produce sauces and soy sauce.
"In the beginning, it took about 10 to 15 days to sell a single bottle, but today, 1,000 bottles are not enough for one day," he said, adding that the company now produces about 30,000 bottles a month with an estimated sales value of between RM200,000 and RM300,000.
In an effort to expand its range of products, Poobalan said the company will introduce mayonnaise, nachos and creamy sriracha sauce, in addition to conducting research and development to produce rose syrup concentrate.
He said the company is also in the process of producing a 270-gramme product following requests from online sellers, compared to the existing larger packaging for the HoReCa segment.
However, Poobalan highlighted that a shortage of packaging materials, especially bottles, due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia, has directly affected the company and is one of its current challenges.
"For example, if a customer orders 10,000 bottles but we can only find 2,000 to 3,000 bottles, we cannot arbitrarily change the bottles because the packing line is already automated and the machine settings are fixed," he said, adding that the company has 10 employees and uses automation in the production process to improve operational efficiency.
He noted that he received support from agencies such as SME Corporation Malaysia, which provided a grant of RM60,000 last year, equivalent to 50 per cent of the machinery cost, to upgrade the company's packaging system.
"The Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation has provided assistance in terms of market expansion and product promotion, while the Johor Entrepreneur Corporation covers 50 per cent of the booth cost for the company's participation in the Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS), as well as promoting its products," he added.
--BERNAMA