A near 50% rise in raw material costs has not deterred housewife Ainie Alia Rosli@Rasli from selling her Raya biscuits at Rahmah prices.
She is determined to keep them affordable without compromising on quality.
The 42‑year‑old home‑based baker said all of her seven varieties were priced at RM15, RM19 and RM20 per container.
She is absorbing the higher costs by reducing her profit margin and maintaining last year’s prices.
According to Bernama, she refuses to cut back on ingredients or alter her original recipes.
“The prices of ingredients such as butter, ghee and cocoa powder have risen sharply – by as much as 50% in some cases – but I’m trying to keep my biscuits affordable so that everyone can enjoy festive treats even while being careful with their spending.
“Thankfully, customer orders increased this year, and the most popular items included chocolate hazelnut, cornflake and Arabic biscuits,” she said at her home in Taman Saujana Harmoni, Gua Musang, Kelantan.
Ainie Alia, who has 14 years of baking experience, employed two assistants to help fulfil this year’s target of 3,000 containers, working from 8am to 9pm daily.
“I need to ensure the quality of biscuits is consistent to retain the trust of customers and agents placing orders every festive season – not only in Gua Musang, but also from Kota Baru, Pasir Mas, Tanah Merah, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.”
Ainie Alia added that she bought some raw materials in Kota Baru before Ramadan as a proactive step to secure lower, more reasonable prices.
“I still had to replenish basic supplies because demand is higher than last year.
“Throughout Ramadan, I travelled to Kota Baru about four times to source for ingredients,” said Ainie Alia, who also produced semperit, chocolate tarts, pineapple tarts and chocolate biscuits.
