Tell us how you started?
I first started selling ‘keropok lekor’ as a hawker at a night market located in my hometown at Jerantut, Pahang together with my brother. After few years, we decided to make the ‘keropok lekor’ ourselves, and from there I learned the process by attending courses organised by MARDI in Terengganu.

We received good feedback from our customers for our products. Then, I decided to expand my business and I came to Kuala Lumpur for more business opportunity. Slowly my business grew from small traders to what I have achieved today.

What is the strength of your company?
Currently, we have 6 types of ‘keropok lekor’ namely, Original, Crispy, Crispy King (best selling), ‘Batang Besar’ and ‘Petak’. Previously, we had ‘keropok lekor’ Durian, however as durian is a seasonal fruit, so we can only sell it during that season with pre-orders from customers only.

Customers love our ‘keropok lekor’ because they are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. In order to make a softer ‘keropok lekor’, we have to use the fresh fish, and at the same time the mixture of the ingredient must be accurate as well.

What was your experience in facing the Covid-19 pandemic?
We have been operating with only half of our operation during the Movement Control Order (MCO), hence our sales have been dropping in tandem with our operation time. Whilst the business has been slowly recovering, we are also faced with another issue of labour shortage as most of our workers are foreign workers who have returned to their respective countries during the pandemic. As a result, the demands could not be met.

Besides that, we are also in the midst of discussion to purchase a machine from China in order to increase our production and at the same time can overcome the labour shortage issue. However, it has been postponed due to the pandemic and we hope to finalise the purchase soon.

What would be your advice to new entrepreneurs out there?
My advice for new entrepreneurs is to start with small capital, use it wisely to leverage your capital. Besides that, it is also important to train and develop your employees as well as grab the business opportunities at the right time. You will be facing pressure and new challenges daily, embrace them and turn it into the positive synergy to drive your business further.

What are your future plans for your business?
We will invest in machinery as production from machines can be increased by using lower cost and at the same time can resolve the issue of labour shortage. Besides that, we are hoping to add more varieties of flavour to our products and one of it will be Cheesy flavour as it can be match perfectly with the ‘keropok lekor’.

Currently, we only distribute our products to Pasar Besar Chow Kit (KL) and Pasar Borong Selayang. We are planning to distribute to other states as well, as part of our expansion plan.