Guiding the Success of Malaysia’s Home-Grown Dairy Champion
Farm Fresh Berhad (Farm Fresh) is a true Malaysian success story, rising from humble beginnings at local pasar malam (night markets) markets and grocery stores to becoming the nation’s largest home-grown integrated dairy company, all while remaining true to its promise of delivering products that are free of preservatives, artificial colourings and flavourings.
Beyond product benefits, Farm Fresh is a champion of a socially responsible business. Today, over 70% of their workforce hail from rural communities across Malaysia, including Orang Asli communities located in the vicinity of their farms and processing facilities. Amplifying their social impact, Farm Fresh has introduced a first-of-its-kind home dealer distribution network covering regions of the country that do not have a major grocery store or supermarket. Through this network, thousands of stockists, home dealers and agents – many of whom are women – sell Farm Fresh products within their communities, earning a decent margin and improving their livelihoods while expanding the company’s reach in non-urban areas.
Farm Fresh places great emphasis on operating sustainably by creating value to stakeholders across the value chain, especially given that their landbanks are in close proximity to natural environments and local communities. Since 2014, they have progressively introduced regenerative agriculture practices across their Muadzam Shah, Pahang and University Putra Malaysia farms, contributing to the circular economy by utilising treated animal waste as a source for bedding, fertiliser and pasture irrigation. Aside from this, all of their farms have attained the globally-coveted Certified Humane® accreditation, a testament to their commitment to practices that put animal health and welfare first.
Capping a remarkable journey from selling its products at a small, bottom shelf of a retailer to being the largest home-grown dairy company, Farm Fresh’s IPO was one of the largest in recent years on Bursa Malaysia, with shares oversubscribed by 18.74 times amongst the Malaysian public. Buoyed by the success of its IPO and unique value proposition, the company now aspires to further strengthen its local presence and accelerate its regional expansion across Asia-Pacific, paving the way for them to become a major player in the broader Asian dairy industry.
Empowering Aquacultural and Horticultural Excellence
Blue Archipelago Berhad (BAB) has become recognised as a touchstone of excellence in aquaculture quality, sustainability and social impact. Their impact is mirrored in the horticultural sector by Monoluxury Sdn Bhd (Monoluxury), a company that has leveraged best-in-class farming innovation to become a supermarket staple across Malaysia and Singapore under the brands of “Genting Garden” and “Lushious”.
A fully-owned subsidiary of Khazanah, BAB operates from their two farms in Kerpan, Kedah and Setiu, Terengganu, where they are one of the largest local employers, providing meaningful and long-term job opportunities for many within the low income bracket. BAB also strives to upskill their workforce through purpose-fit training modules, empowering team members to become skilled workers and secure better livelihoods for their families, thereby creating positive multipliers within their local communities.
Apart from meeting the nation’s demand for quality shrimp products, BAB maintains an export presence under the brand “Pelagos”, which is trusted in major Asian markets such as China and Japan. In upholding Malaysia’s reputation for quality in seafood products and driving their competitiveness in their export markets, BAB holds multiple local and international accreditations which include Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP), Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) and Malaysian Good Agricultural Practices Scheme (MyGAP), certifying the standards they uphold in product safety, quality and sustainability.
Underscoring their firm commitment to sustainability, BAB ensures that water pumped back into the sea after use maintains water treatment standards that exceed national regulatory requirements. Furthermore, BAB is today the only aquaculture facility in Malaysia and ASEAN with a dedicated Industrial Effluent Treatment System (IETS), highlighting their industry leadership position in wastewater treatment.
The approach in having a world-class standard for quality is consistent with our investment in Monoluxury, one of the leading salad and herbs producers in Singapore and Malaysia. The company upholds world-class planting standards by minimising fertiliser usage, increasing adoption of automation, particularly for its greenhouses, and continuously investing in sustainable packaging. Monoluxury operates from Genting Highlands and Cameron Highlands, with a majority local workforce, of which 20% are from the Orang Asli community.