Most of the businesses, especially small local businesses are suffering due to Covid pandemic. The government has limited resources to assist these business owners after spending billions battling the pandemic. Therefore, it is crucial that the Rakyat support the local businesses so that they can survive through the challenging time.

For the longer term, supporting local businesses provides job opportunities to the locals and industries along the value chain, including supporting services such as financing, which help to grow our economy.

Besides, buying local products (such as local fruits) or buying from businesses within walking distance from our house/ office is more environmental friendly as it reduces emission of carbon and traffic congestion. 

We have local brands that make us proud. These include:

MYKUALI

• MyKuali Penang White Curry Noodle rated as Top #1 Best Instant Noodles of All Time 2014 
• MyKuali Penang Red Tom Yum Goong Noodle rated as Top #1 Best Instant Noodles of All Time 2015
• MyKuali Penang Hokkien Prawn Noodle rated as Top #2 Best Instant Noodles of All Time 2016
• MyKuali Penang Hokkien Prawn Soup Rice Bihun rated as Top #1 
• MyKuali Hokkien Prawn Cup Noodle rated as Top #2 Instant Cup Noodles of All Time 2019/2020
• MyKuali White Fish Broth Bihun rated as Top #1 Instant Rice Noodles of All Time 2020 
• MyKuali White Fish Broth Cup Noodle rated as Top #1 Instant Cup Noodles of All Time 2020/2021 

SPRITZER

Clinical trials conducted in UK had shown that SPRITZER, the silica rich natural mineral water is very effective in removing aluminium, a neurotoxin that is linked to Alzheimer's disease from the body through urine.

Spritzer has won World Branding Awards for 2014-2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020-2021. 

MING 

Ming Thein, Malaysian, is the name, designer behind the brand of the Ming luxury watch. His watch 'Mosaic', which was released last year and sold out, costs SFr 14.500 or about RM65,000 each. He and the brand were featured in Financial Times. 

 AIRASIA

Thanks to AirAsia, overseas travel has become affordable for Malaysians. 

AirAsia which has strong presence in ASEAN is building a unicorn of Asian super-apps. 

Grab, which has presence in 8 Asean countries, namely Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, and is scheduled to list in US with an estimated market cap of US$40b.

Don't we hope to see a successful Malaysian unicorn? And potentially becoming the biggest listed company in Bursa Malaysia one day?

FARM FRESH

Heading for a listing on Bursa Malaysia Main Market, Farm Fresh is the only integrated dairy company of scale in Malaysia that produces (i) chilled RTD milk, (ii) ambient RTD milk, (iii) edible yoghurt, and (iv) drinking yoghurt without using reconstituted /recombined milk or milk powder sources for our own FarmFresh branded products.

Farm Fresh's ready-to-drink milk and yoghurt have been gaining market share.

MARRYBROWN

Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the Malaysian brand quick service restaurant has more than  500 restaurants in 16 countries, with majority of them located overseas. 

While the entries of Japanese and Korean convenient stores to Malaysia have caused a frenzy among some Malaysians, the owners of Marrybrown introduce Malaysian local delicacies in foreign soil.

It deserves better recognition in the local market.

Other local brands that are worth mentioning include:

Photo by: moonstarbyulie

SUPER RING - Popularised in South Korea by Blackpink's Jisoo and Jennie

KAWAN FOOD - World's first frozen paratha producer with more than 40 years of production experience 

JULIE's - Well-known for its peanut butter biscuits. Its products are exported to over 80 countries. In 2014, it managed to attract Hershey's to collaborate with Julie's to rollout 6 variants of Julie's Hershey's cookies which were sold in all 10 ASEAN countries.