Keningau entrepreneur makes bottled fruit chilli sauce
KOTA KINABALU: With a vision to promote Sabahan fruits to a wider market, a Keningau-born entrepreneur produces chilli sauce infused with mangifera pajang, or locally known as bambangan.
Nur Azzwa Mohd Asrim began turning her idea into reality in January 2016 after attending a course at the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Mardi) here.
By the end of the year, Maywaa Enterprise was born and now produces over 390 bottles of sauce per month, with variants including mango chilli sauce and pineapple chilli sauce priced at RM7.90 per bottle.
Azzwa said she wanted to put local delicacies on a bigger platform and came up with the idea for her product.
"After attending a course at Mardi, I began to think of ways to innovate chilli sauce and thought of infusing it with local fruits.
"I thought, why not innovate local food and incorporate it into something that can be introduced to other parts of the world, something tourists can bring home?
"That's when I came up with the idea for the sauces I now make, which are all local fruit-based. In future, I hope to produce tarap and jackfruit chilli sauces as well," said Azzwa.
A participant of the recently launched Mardi Agora IV programme for budding entrepreneurs, Azzwa was one of only two recipients of the Young Agropreneur Grant from Mardi for her bambangan chilli sauce.
She said Maywaa Enterprise products have received positive response so far, often selling out during off season.
"As the sauces are all infused with local fruits, they are often sold out during the fruit off season and we even run out of our stocked bambangan puree.
"All sauces are produced in a premises near my house in Banjar, Keningau, and I have three helpers who work in production," said Azzwa.
The 31-year-old said the sauces are sold only in Keningau as of now, although Maywaa Enterprise also operates online via Facebook and Instagram.
Azzwa expressed hopes of expanding throughout the State, and hopefully out of the country as well.
"We definitely have plans to retail our sauces in tourist shops throughout Sabah. Our target is to make our products available out of the State as well, so that more people know of the fruits available here.
"We plan to first expand to West Malaysia, before hopefully penetrating the Asian market."
She added that her long-term plan for the enterprise included widespread recognition of the bambangan chilli sauce, and for each tourist who visits the State to take the product home as a souvenir.