From Home-based Roots, Saffiya Bakery Breaks Into Japan, Jordan Markets
By Kamarul Halim M Kamal
BATU PAHAT, May 24 (Bernama) – Her business started small from home with a capital of RM500 to produce 20 packs of “golok” bread or regular bread sprinkled with sugar and 10 jars of “pelangi” or rainbow cookies every weekend.
But now, entrepreneur Farah Hanim Ngah can smile proudly as her Saffiya Bakery products have successfully penetrated overseas markets, including Japan and Jordan, thus proving that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) can grow further with wider market support and opportunities.
The 41-year-old entrepreneur said the business, which started around 2012, was initially run part-time while she was still working as a quantity surveyor, before she gave up his professional career to focus on the food business full-time.
“Initially, I only made rainbow cookies and biscuits on a small scale for friends and customers around Batu Pahat, Johor.
“But when the orders increased, and I could not fulfil them, I decided to focus entirely on this business,” she told Bernama when met at the Benteng Peserai Business Complex here recently.
Farah Hanim said Saffiya Bakery's production capacity has grown more than 10 times since the initial stage, as it now produces over 250 packs of bread and biscuits daily to meet customer demand.
She said that apart from being well received in the local market, including the Klang Valley and northern Peninsular Malaysia, its rainbow cookie products also receive online orders from customers in Hokkaido, Japan and Amman, Jordan.
She said her hard work has borne fruit, as she also received support from government agencies, including equipment assistance from the Batu Pahat District Agriculture Department, the Johor State Agriculture Department, and Perbadanan Usahawan Johor Sdn Bhd (PUJB).
She said that assistance, such as mixers, bread-baking machines, and frying machines, has helped increase production capacity, thereby strengthening her business’s competitiveness.
One of her biggest challenges occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, when demand fell to the point that business operations were close to ceasing, she noted.
However, she said the innovation of producing dried bread (“roti kering”) in various flavours indirectly helped save the business and opened up new market segments.
“Now, dried bread with flavours such as chocolate, sugar-margarine, peanut and sugar cheese are among the most popular products besides sugar bread and ‘golok’ bread,” she said.
Farah Hanim said that the business's growth has also enabled her to expand her operations by opening two premises, namely at the Benteng Peserai Business Complex and the MARA Batu Pahat Arcade Building.
She now intends to open a cafe focused on affordable bread as a step toward further expanding her business and increasing employment opportunities in the local area.
Apart from direct sales to customers, she also accepts orders for birthday parties, school banquets, wedding souvenirs and seasonal orders in conjunction with Ramadan and Syawal.
Farah Hanim is also active in helping the local community by supplying food products to religious schools and orphanages around Batu Pahat.
-- BERNAMA