Bandar Seri Begawan – Food processor BMC Food Industries Sdn Bhd is
looking to send its products across the border to nearby Malaysian
cities next year, its factory manager told The Brunei Times yesterday.
In an interview at the company’s main office in Junjungan, Tan Too
Yeo said the Bruneian company is in the process of listing with
Malaysia’s Agriculture Department to obtain government approval to sell
its goods in Malaysian cities.
“We are looking at Sabah, Miri, Labuan and Kuching to bring most of
our products to,” he said, adding that from there they will slowly
expand to other cities on Borneo.
It is hard for a company, he added, to go international because of
the challenge of maintaining the quality of its products and brand name
while transporting them to cities far from Brunei.
“Our company is very strict when it comes to halal compliance and food safety. We really practise what we preach,” he said.
It is also expensive to ship internationally so it will be a
challenge to sell at a competitive price overseas, the factory manager
said, noting that as it is, selling at competitive prices in the
domestic market is not easy.
Tan said that although other products may be cheaper, BMC provides
better quality and taste compared with the imported goods because of
the ingredients they use.
“This is why customers still prefer to buy (BMC) goods. Even those
who go overseas bring our products with them,” he said, “especially the
Chicken Frankfurter with Cheese, one of company’s best products and has
won the National Product Best Award 2009 in August.”
BMC was also awarded with the ASEAN Best Product for Brunei last
Thursday during the 11th ASEAN Food Conference Gala Dinner at The
Empire Hotel & Country Club.
Tan Too Liang, BMC’s managing director, said the food processor is
facing tough competition locally because of all the imported goods.
“Some Malaysian products are selling a lot cheaper than our products
but thanks to the support of our local customers and the government, we
have managed to stand strong” despite tough competition from imports,
he added.
Moreover, the company has been to many international food expos where it had received good feedback from customers overseas.
BMC has been operational since 1998 and has been one of the leading
food manufacturers in the country with about 40 halal certified
products in the market.– Courtesy of The Brunei Times
