SIME Oleander Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Sime Darby Bhd
, is looking at West Asian markets to expand sales of its Borneo natural mineral water brand, said chairman Mohd Jafar Abdul Carrim.
“We hope to be more aggressive in terms of our sales and particularly we would like to see how we can market our products in West Asia,” he told reporters after receiving the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) and halal certifications from the Health Ministry and Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Jakim) respectively in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
The certifications were presented by Health Minister Datuk Chua Soi Lek, on behalf of Jakim.
Sime Oleander, the only member of the International Bottled Water Association from Malaysia, is the only bottled water company in the country which meets the standards set by NSF International, an independent third-party certifier of bottled water.
Jafar said the HACCP and halal certification would be an opportunity for the company to further market its products not only in the local market but also internationally.
He said the certifications authenticated Sime Oleander's product quality assurance in safety and health.
Citing a French company, he said: “If it can sell water to Malaysia where we have 80in of rainfall every year, I can’t see why we cannot sell to countries in West Asia.
He said the Borneo brand mineral water was one of the market leaders in Malaysia.
The company’s factory and water resources are located in the rainforests of the Serapi Mountain in Matang land district, 18km from Kuching, Sarawak.
Earlier in his speech, Jafar said Sime Oleander, which started operations in 1993, had a vision to be a world-class bottled water producer.
“We are fully committed to produce finished products meeting stringent international quality assurance, safety and health standards,” he added. – Bernama
