| Danial Norjidi |
BRUNEI is an important market to Malaysian food brand Brahim’s, because of its stringent halal standards and similar taste in food, the long history and relationship between the two as well as the brand’s product acceptance in the market.
This was said yesterday by Dato’ Seri Ibrahim bin Haji Ahmad Badawi, the Executive Chairman of Dewina Holdings Sdn Bhd and founder of Brahim’s, while delivering a speech at the launch of Brahim’s new line of ready-to-eat rice and recipe book yesterday at Times Square Shopping Centre.
“Brunei commits strongly to the obligation of Fardhu Kifayah with an effort to increasing the number of Halal food that can be consumed by Muslims due to the emergence of products containing non-Halal raw materials or ingredients,” he said. “Therefore to do business in Brunei one has to follow its stringent halal procedures and processes.”
He shared that Brahim’s has been recognised for three decades as the leader of Halal manufacturing in Southeast Asia. He also noted that, according to the Halal Development Corporation Malaysia, the global Halal trade in 2012 was USD2.3 trillion and is a growing market.
“Despite Brunei’s relatively small domestic market for Halal goods, growth opportunities for this sector have focused on international outreach to develop a value-added processing and export industry, tapping into the growing global Halal market.”
“Hence, the story of Brahim’s and Brunei is not a new relationship. Brunei is our first military customer overseas.”
The Malaysian High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam, Datuk Ghulam Jelani bin Khanizaman receiv-ing the Brahim’s recipe book from Dato’ Seri Ibrahim bin Haji Ahmad Badawi, Executive Chairman of Dewina Holdings Sdn Bhd and Nur Fatin binti Dato’ Seri Ibrahim
Some of the Brahim’s products on display
The guests trying out some samples of the Brahim’s product. – PHOTOS: AZROL AZMI
“During our initial years we supplied mainly to the military and to the United Nations for the peacekeeping forces worldwide by virtue of our Halal status. We are the first in the world to be a Halal-certified company using retort technology.”
“This is an important part of our company history because food manufacturing and supplying to the armed forces demands employment of the latest technology and stringent quality control to ensure product quality and safety.”
“Based on these reasons, we supplied the Royal Brunei Armed Forces our ration pack foods for 10 years in the late ‘80s,” he continued.
“Soon after when we introduced our commercial pack, we made another come back to Brunei in 1996 through the local distributor for Brahim’s sauces, and our sauces are still well accepted and available in Brunei until today.”
“Brunei is a very important market to us. It is important because of its stringent Halal standards and similar taste in food, our long history and relationship, our brand and our product acceptance in the market,” highlighted Dato’ Seri Ibrahim.
He shared that, to date, the company has 42 products ranging from sauces to ready-to-eat meals under Brahim’s brand.
“And today, after 30 years, we are making our presence again. We are introducing our meals-ready-to-eat rice to the Brunei market. Brunei has diverse consumer lifestyles that are strict and stringent on Halal products, and this is clearly good avenue for Brahim’s to take the lead in a new way on food preparation and consumption with our MRE rice.”
He noted that the MRE rice would be a good companion for travellers. Touching on the book, he said, “It is actually more than a recipe book. It is also a story of my journey in the food business and the trials and tribulations of a food entrepreneur who started when there were no special programmes to assist SMEs,” he said.
It also details how his first manufacturing company started and developed over the years with various food offerings that seek to satisfy various culinary expectations, as well as his wider ventures into industrial catering, and food and beverage operations.
“The book also serves to document my experiences, both good and bad, that it might be useful for new entrepreneurs starting out on their own,” he said. “This recipe book also resonates my love and passion for food through creativity and innovation that is the hallmark of Dewina Food Industries’ pursuit.”
“I am proud to say that Brahim’s pioneered the leap forward in food preparation at home by introducing our ‘meal helpers’ in the form of Brahim’s shelf-stable pouches containing fully cooked sauces to which you just add fresh meat or fish to complete the dish in minutes, and this can be eaten with our ready to eat rice.”
“This book is not a normal recipe book. It is a book with a difference. It provides solutions for those who have time constraints.” Adding on, he said, “This book will certainly complement our products in the market and all recipes are based on the 42 products that we have including the rice menus.”
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