Hasan (second from right) and Ho at one of the booths set up by food suppliers under the Supermarket Buyers Programme at ST Rosyam Mart in Shah Alam. — Photo courtesy of Invest Selangor
FOOD products from 25 local suppliers have made it to supermarket shelves thanks to Invest Selangor Bhd.
The successful entrepreneurs were among those who took part in the food and beverage component of the investment agency’s seventh Selangor International Exposition (SIE) last year.
Out of 294 participants, 25 were selected for the inaugural Supermarket Buyers Programme.
A total of 118 products from these suppliers are now available at ST Rosyam Mart Sdn Bhd in Section 9, Shah Alam, and Lulu Hypermarket in Setia City Mall, also in Shah Alam.
The suppliers were invited to set up promotional booths from May 27 to June 5 to introduce their products.
Invest Selangor chief executive officer Datuk Hasan Azhari Idris said the programme assisted entrepreneurs to increase their visibility and reach a wider market.
He said in the past, food suppliers had to deal directly with retail outlets to get their products sold.
“Last year at the exhibition, we invited retail outlets to check out the showcased food products and select suitable ones to put on their shelves.
“Participating supermarkets are also required to regularly provide feedback on suppliers’ performance to the state government through Invest Selangor,” he said after visiting the promotional booths at ST Rosyam Mart.
Invest Selangor is preparing for the eighth SIE in September, which is expected to be the biggest yet with 850 booths.
A total of 480 booths have been allocated to the food and beverage component.
To date, 40% has been taken up.
Foreign food suppliers from Indonesia, Taiwan, China, Thailand and India are expected to be among the exhibitors.
“This exhibition will help provide alternative food choices,” said Hasan.
Speaking on behalf of ST Rosyam Mart, Sri Ternak Group of Companies managing director Datuk Raymond Ho said the programme was a good way for entrepreneurs to test the market as the mart receives 10,000 customers daily.
He added that consumers also would get the chance to sample interesting new products.
Among the selected entrepreneurs was Kitchen Saver director Harfyza Hashim from Wangsa Maju, who sells bottled raw blended ingredients such as dried chilli, ginger, garlic and onion.
Harfyza has been operating her business for two years and engages 300 distributors, but this is the first time her products are being sold at an outlet.
“People do not have time to cook from scratch nowadays.
“My blended ingredients help them to reduce cooking time and save energy without compromising on quality.
“ I want to promote my products to more people and am very thankful for this opportunity,” she said.
Another selected entrepreneur was Fyllo (M) Sdn Bhd managing director A. Tiruselvan, who promoted his oil palm by-products like green tea, antioxidant spray and soap.
“My products are new innovations and I want to reach out to as many people as possible “Having the products in a supermarket will definitely increase their visibility,” he said.
