Muar-based Woman Entrepreneur Serves Unique Tempeh Chocolate And Burger

By Hasnah Jusid

MUAR, Aug 31 (Bernama) -- Every time tempeh (fermented soybean) entrepreneur Maznah Katmin, 52, hands out samples of her tempeh chocolate and tempeh burger at small and medium enterprises (SMEs) expositions, she is used to the people's reaction to them -- not tasty or strange.

Maznah runs her business in Jalan Bakri, Batu 5 ½ here, and although it (tempeh products) sounds a bit awkward, the soybean-based by-product that she has been cultivating since 2009, has a unique taste.

Not only tempeh chocolate, but Maznah produces various other items from traditional Javanese food such as tempeh burgers, tempeh nuggets, tempeh chocolate chips under the Maznah World Entreprise label. The (tempeh) food has been 'modified' and assimilated with western food.

"It is common that people may find these items strange. What is usually available in the market in addition to traditional tempeh, is just tempeh chips. But as soon as I produced it, many people admitted that it was delicious," she told Bernama here today.

Bernama had the opportunity to visit the soybean-based food processing and production centre run by Maznah and also tried every single tempeh product produced there including tempeh chocolate which turned out to be unique and quite delicious.

Maznah said the idea to produce tempeh chocolate was ignited when she saw several chocolate products of various flavours being sold in shops when she was in Scotland, making her determined to be innovative using chocolate and tempeh.

"For the tempeh burger, I found many in our group had various diseases, so an idea suddenly sprang forth to make tempeh burgers, and Alhamdulillah, the reception to it has been so encouraging, especially among the Chinese in Bakri including in Simpang Jeram.

She said she has also received orders for tempeh by-products such as tempeh chocolate, tempeh chips and '’sambal sira tempe' from outside Johor, namely Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan and Melaka, whereas for the regular tempeh, it is being sold in 30 grocery stores and supermarkets as well as five hotels in Johor.

Despite the success she is enjoying now, the mother of six shared her painful story when she first ventured into the field in 2009.

She said then she had to "drag" her disabled daughter, who was then 14 years old, to her tempeh processing factory as there was no one to take care of her at home.

She said her hardship made her determined to help her husband by learning how to make tempeh from the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) in order to support her six children including paying for their tuition fees.

There was also a time when she experienced severe financial losses when the tempeh did not turn out as expected. However, these struggles did not dampen her spirits, and today she is the proud mother of a doctor and engineer.

"On average, as many as 2,000 to 3,000 pieces of tempeh are also produced daily," she said, adding that all the products produced have now received halal certification.

Maznah, who aspires to be the largest producer of tempeh chocolate in Malaysia also dreams of marketing her tempeh products to a wider market, including internationally, and hopes that someone will help her pave the way in that direction.

She said it is also hoped that prospective state assemblymen in the Simpang Jeram by-election on Sept 9 will help or provide a plan to help more SMI entrepreneurs in Simpang Jeram to further expand their businesses.

-- BERNAMA