Awie Enterprise targets RM300,000 sales by year-end
KUALA PILAH: Local readyto-eat food manufacturer Awie Enterprise is targeting to achieve RM300,000 sales by year-end driven by the increasing demand for Negeri Sembilan Minang beef rendang, cili api smoked beef masak lemak, serunding Nogori, popia simpul pastry and lemang sushi.
Manager Zuriati Sulaiman said that since its establishment in 2005 with an initial capital of RM3,500, the company is now able to record monthly sales of between RM16,000 and RM22,500.
“Many of our products are now available at 23 AEON supermarkets and 70 Petronas Mesra stores nationwide,” she told Bernama in an interview.
She said the company began by selling anchovies floss and popia simpul on a small scale in a house before expanding to a rented workshop and employing four workers due to increased demand.
On lemang sushi, she said the product is offered in five flavours -- durian, anchovies floss, chicken, beef and Minang beef rendang, and is among the bestselling product during Eid celebration.
“Before the Movement Control Order (MCO) was enforced in March last year, customers came all the way from Singapore just to taste the lemang sushi, but a er the MCO was enforced, I have to admit that sales slowed down a bit. However, she said she was grateful that the demand for lemang sushi and other traditional food products remained although not as vibrant as before.
Zuriati, who bagged the Negeri Sembilan Woman Peladang Jaya 2020 Award recently, said the company is aggressively exploring new markets through the social media platform.
“For customers who are far away, they can still order their favourite products online via Facebook while nearby customers can walk into stores but must comply with the standard operating procedures set by the government,” she said.
She said the company’s operating hours are from 8 am to 5 pm daily, excluding Sunday.
Zuriati said the company’s products are also available through appointed agents in several states such as Selangor, Melaka, Johor, Pahang, Penang as well as Kuala Lumpur.
Apart from the domestic market, the Kuala Pilah native said she is also eyeing markets in neighbouring countries such as the Philippines and Brunei which has the potential to market the company’s product.
“My dream is to make the Awie brand of traditional food products not only famous in the local market but also overseas, thus promoting locally made goods,” she added.