Malaysian senior, 74, started home spice paste business to ride out pandemic

When the pandemic hit, Datin Nellie Amirul's barbershop business was badly affected. Stuck home with little she could do, she decided to sell her spice pastes to help those who couldn't cook ride out the pandemic with good home-cooked food. — Photos: YAP CHEE HONG/The Star

It all began during the pandemic. As for so many others, the pandemic left Datin Nellie Amirul stuck at home, unable to run her business for months on end.

At the time, Nellie ran a barbershop business with her retired husband, Brig-Gen (Rtd) Datuk Amirul Ghani Abdul Ghani. But due to Covid-19 protocols, barbershops throughout the country were not allowed to operate and Nellie found herself without much to do at home.