| Danial Norjidi |
THE four-day MSME Festival organised by DARe (Darussalam Enterprise) drew over 40,000 visitors to the Bridex Hall in Jerudong.
The event’s aim was to promote entrepreneurship and expose latest business reforms in Brunei, while highlighting over 200 local businesses, a press release stated.
The event received a positive response, where 81 per cent of over 900 respondents shared that they would attend the event again.
Norredahayati binti Abdullah from Aisy Berjaya said, “We sold out our new line of frozen food pouches and garnered interest from supermarkets.”
Businesses were also given the opportunity to pitch to representatives from local supermarkets including Hua Ho, Supa Save, and One Station as well as international buyers such as E-Mart, Everrise Departmental Store, Krian Resources from Sarawak, and Minori and Shinkou from Japan.
One Station Director How Wan Hai said their store is now retailing more than 15 local brands.
“We have seen a good improvement in packaging and consistency (in supply) from the MSMEs (over the past few years),” said How.
“Through the MSME Festival, we are able to sample more local products which we believe can sell well.”
The pitching sessions to local and international buyers are part of the efforts carried out by DARe to further encourage local businesses to sell consistently in markets and not just rely on expos and events which may not be as frequent.
Since the introduction of DARe’s ‘Made in Brunei’ supermarket shelf initiative, which has been rebranded as ‘Bruneian Made’, it carries over 40 different local products being sold in supermarkets.
In addition, to enable local companies to export, DARe is also running a Standards Consultancy programme to equip businesses with international certifications for manufacturing while also bringing local companies to international expos.
DARe also operates 26 industrial sites across Brunei’s four districts for businesses looking to begin manufacturing.