You have in all probability heard of gula are or gula melaka, however have you ever heard of gula apong?
If you have not, you are not alone. Siblings Ellyna, Emylia and Eirwan Merican had by no means heard of him till they discovered him by likelihood in Kuching, Sarawak in 2019.
At a bus cease, they bought their first style of gluttony apong ice cream and boba, discovering their distinctive taste and flexibility.
Whereas gula melaka is made out of the sap of palm bushes, gula apong is particularly made out of the nipa palm bushes that develop abundantly within the mangrove forests alongside the Sarawak coast.
Additionally, its coastal origins make gula apong style salty.
Impressed, the trio began promoting gluttony apong ice cream in West Malaysia. In keeping with Ellyna, the neighborhood salon was so successful even on the peak of the pandemic that the brothers realized they may go additional to meet their lifelong dream of opening their very own cafe.
With Ellyna’s background as a company occasion marketer, Emylia as an auditor, and Eirwan as a enterprise, banking and finance school pupil, none of them had F&B expertise.
“We have been all doing our personal factor again then,” Ellyna mentioned. “Every of us gained some type of enterprise expertise at totally different levels of our lives, promoting all kinds of merchandise, from clothes to do-it-yourself kefir, books, devices and skincare merchandise.”
Regardless of having no F&B expertise, they every carry their very own set of expertise to the desk. Emylia focuses on the monetary and operational facet, whereas Eirwan takes care of technical issues and enterprise improvement. In the meantime, Ellyna focuses on the “individuals” facet of issues.
Their dad and mom additionally function professional advisers, supervising their work and inspiring them.
“Working this enterprise as a household has its set of challenges,” Ellyna admitted. “However little did we understand, this enterprise has introduced us even nearer collectively as a household than ever earlier than.”
apong-ifying every thing
At first, the brothers’ plan was to promote solely ice cream and maybe a number of French muffins and pastries.
Nonetheless, after a number of rounds of market surveys, the three realized how “espresso loopy” individuals are.
“We’d not have identified this actuality till we had requested for opinions,” Ellyna mentioned. “Personally, I used to be by no means a fan of espresso. I’ve at all times most well-liked tea to espresso.
However no matter private desire, he noticed the worth in increasing his attain to serve espresso fanatics.
Fortunately, her sister, Emylia, used to work as a barista at Starbucks and knew a factor or two about espresso-based drinks. By programs, they discovered concerning the origins of the beans, used espresso machines, and purchased the talent of the artwork of lattes.
“We sought the assistance of an area roastery to assist us design our gula apong-based drinks,” Ellyna defined. “Shortly after, Oh Apong’s iconic drink, the Apong Espresso Latte, was born.”
And whereas they have been at it, they thought they may cater to non-coffee drinkers, too. They explored quite a lot of drinks and finally looked for different muffins and pastries.
“Fairly than specializing in ice cream, we goal to be a gluttony specialty store serving quite a lot of gluttony delights together with specialty espresso, cookies, granola, choux au craquelin, mini bundt cake and kaya unfold,” he mentioned. ellyna.
In keeping with Ellyna, many of those menu objects have but to be invented or popularized, giving Oh Apong first-mover benefit and an edge over different apong manufacturers.
This contains manufacturers like Mokti’s and Q Ice Cream. Whereas every has its forte, Oh Apong’s is its number of choices. However in terms of the ice cream, Ellyna shared that Oh Apong has its personal recipe for ice cream powder, so prospects will not discover the identical formulation wherever else.
“Not all of our dishes incorporate gula apong in the meanwhile, however it’s within the works,” the co-founder mentioned. “It’s transferring from simply serving pastries and muffins to accompany our gula apong espresso and ice cream to progressively including extra gula apong meals that finest outline Oh Apong.”
apong champion
Though apong just isn’t that fashionable in West Malaysia, it’s extensively utilized in East Malaysia. Past desserts like cendol and muffins, Ellyna shared that it is even used for hen wings.
“It is a must-have ingredient in each Sarawakian residence,” he shared. “Whereas it’s extensively utilized in East Malaysia, information of its advantages has not totally penetrated West Malaysia I suppose.”
One other rationalization, he urged, might be that western Malaysians are already too comfy with gula melaka. As well as, the gula apong is dearer on the peninsula as a result of transport prices.
“However I am beginning to see a big change in at present’s extra curious era,” Ellyna famous.
The method of harvesting gula apong is a time-consuming and dangerous follow, as native farmers want to go looking the swampy swamps for appropriate nipa palms and nurture them. Risks embrace snakes, crocodiles and even encounters with wild monkeys, based on Ellyna.
Oh Apong works with companions in Sarawak who deal instantly with farmers. A key downside the brothers confronted after they began out was their lack of know-how of the gula apong ecosystem.
“We needed to fly to Sarawak simply to restock our gula apong, shopping for from numerous road distributors as a result of our provider could not safe inventory within the monsoon season,” Ellyna mentioned.
“We discovered the arduous means that the provision of gula apong through the monsoon season (when the water stage rises) turns into extraordinarily scarce, so the costs of gula apong skyrocketed!”
One other issue difficult provide is the overexploitation of nipa palm bushes. Growth, erosion and pests are additionally depleting elements.
On the plus facet, based on Ellyna, the Sarawak authorities and the Federal Agricultural Advertising Authority (FAMA) are aiming to strengthen the gula apong’s potential to enter a broader market.
By their gula apong purchases, the workforce goals to raise the normal Sarawakian artisan product. Additionally they hope to enhance the livelihoods of the area people of gula apong makers and collectors by offering them with a sustainable earnings.
“It is our means of celebrating our native unsung heroes, each within the good occasions and the arduous occasions,” Ellyna mentioned.
a candy perspective
At present, Oh Apong has some various ideas with its shops, starting from a espresso store to kiosks.
The brothers plan to broaden on this means so that every level of sale adequately fulfills its objective, acceptable to the place the place it operates.
“We did not wish to broaden too rapidly, as sustaining the standard of our services has at all times been our high precedence,” Ellyna shared.
Past pushing for Oh Apong to do effectively, Ellyna and her siblings appear to care about all the apong trade usually, sharing that they’d wish to see the ingredient on the worldwide meals stage in the future.
To do that, they must contemplate licensing and subsequently franchising the model, though quite a lot of cautious planning will happen earlier than that.
Along with the enlargement, Oh Apong additionally plans to introduce merchandise primarily based on gluttony apong together with nectar, cookies, granola, and kaya within the close to future.
The co-founder shared that they just lately visited a pineapple farm in Kajang, Saudagar Nanas. Ellyna had seen the “quaint little store” contained in the farm that sells every kind of pineapple, from recent fruit to espresso to pineapple-based snacks.
“I figured, what if an analogous idea was utilized to the nipa palm?” she questioned. “Sale of gula apong dishes and merchandise, with guided excursions to exhibit the normal means of harvesting, processing, cooking and packing of gula apong. I am positive will probably be a hit!”
“To not point out, this will likely be an enormous step in preserving this disappearing commerce for future generations.”
- Study extra about Oh Apong right here.
- Learn different articles we’ve got written on Malaysian startups right here.
Featured Picture Credit score: Oh Apong
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Oh Apong, M’sian F&B brand for nipa palm sugar coffee & desserts
