Nang Ori founder as the vendor for AEON Hypermaket throughout the country.
AWAEANG KWASIN, fondly known as Awin, is a local entrepreneur and the founder of pepper-based products ‘Nang Ori’ who holds a strong belief that everyone can rise and succeed in life.
“And whatever blessings and good things you have, there will also be blessings for others,” said the 45-year-old mother of five, who has trained some 4,000 Nang Ori agents and product distributors throughout the country and has helped some 50 others in registering their online business with the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM).
Awin hails from Kampung Bratan, Jalan Puncak Borneo, about 24 kilometres from Kuching. She rose from humble beginnings and grew up in a family of farmers.
She could clearly recall the days when she and her siblings would toil under the sun harvesting peppercorns and help her parents sell vegetables and jungle produce from door to door and at the old Satok weekend market.
Awin is the first Bidayuh, perhaps even the first Dayak woman, to be granted a licence by the Malaysian Pepper Board to sell and export Sarawak pepper and products for the international market.
The Universiti Sains Malaysia graduate foresees the potential of becoming an entrepreneur as she believes entrepreneurship is the key to global economic recovery.
Sharing her experiences in a male-dominated industry, she firmly upholds her belief that everyone has the equal opportunity to excel and pursue whatever path they choose as long as they work hard for it.
“Women and the younger generation, in particular, ought to take up opportunities to venture into entrepreneurship. With the endorsement of the Youth Entrepreneur Setup (YES) programme by the state government, this initiative is something that should not be missed.
“Start small, and most importantly, seek knowledge and skills. Never stop learning or be afraid to fail, as we all learn from our failures.”
With the onset of Covid-19 and the implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO) in early 2020, Awin admitted that her business, as well as other small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the country had been hit hard.
“Consumers previously bought our products from the supermarkets, while our agents and distributors would come to our outlet to get their stocks. After the announcement of MCO, the operating hours of supermarkets were shortened and only limited numbers of people were allowed to enter the premises to buy necessities, and these had adversely affected our sales,” she recalled.
The imposed movement restriction and roadblocks had deterred the agents from getting stocks, and the order on the closure of non-essential business premises and factories had caused numerous losses incurred and unprecedented disruptions to normal daily activities, she added.
The rapid spread of technology accelerated by the pandemic has led to a pressing need for businesses to adapt and evolve, and this prompted Awin to rethink her business strategy.
To face these challenges, she embraces technology and equips herself and her teams to be digitally-empowered.
“We took part in a virtual expo platform during the pandemic, conducted by Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) and several other non-governmental organisations and this has helped promote Nang Ori range of products and increased sales to new customers and broad audience.
“We are thankful that our products remained competitive during the pandemic and in fact, our downstream health products such as black pepper gel, black pepper oil, coffee and black pepper tea were very popular during the said period,” she noted.
“Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) and Sarawak Economic Development (SEDC) had also provided free rentals to ease our burden during the pandemic, and with the help from Mara, Nang Ori products had managed to break into new market segment, under the Malaysian-made vendorship programme at AEON supermarkets throughout Malaysia,” she said.
Since then (2018), Awin has helped guide new local entrepreneurs in promoting and selling their products in local supermarkets.
Achievements and accolades
Nang Ori won Malaysia Design Council’s TOP Achiever award in 2019.
In 2019, Nang Ori won two awards, namely ‘Malaysia Top Achievers’ and ‘Malaysia Good Design Award’ from Malaysia Design Council.
In 2020, Awin was selected as the winner of the Active and Creative Entrepreneur Award at the Domestic Trade Awards Night in Kuala Lumpur.
Among other accolades include the New SME Award from Lotus Malaysia, SME Vendor Hypermarket AEON and the credentials to be the speaker and entrepreneurial consultant for Mara as well as a guest panel speaker for programmes under the Ministry of Education, Sarawak Polytechnics, SME Corp, Koperasi Malaysia, Mara and several other NGOs.
Awin was also presented the Outstanding Entrepreneur Award from Mara Sarawak during the Sarawak Southern Zone entrepreneur appreciation ceremony held at the State Legislative Assembly dining hall on June 30 this year.
Citing Nang Ori’s main focus to build brand loyalty and generate online sales by fully-utilising social media platforms, Awin hopes to expand her business globally while at the same time making sure that her products continue to grow in the local market.
She counts her blessings that her venture has paid off despite all the hurdles, and pledges to continue enriching the lives of others.
“The blessings bestowed upon us are to be shared with all,” she said, holding on to her principle of sharing her blessings with others.
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