By Norhidayyu Zainal
ALOR SETAR: Leaving behind a comfortable career as a manager in a private company in Kuala Lumpur was not part of Shazana Mahazir’s life plan.
But, determined to preserve the legacy of her family’s food business, the 40-year-old returned to Kedah in 2020 to step into the role of managing director of Mak Bee Utara (M) Sdn Bhd, taking over from her mother Mimi Ismail, who decided to retire due to age and health concerns.
For Shazana, an only child, allowing the company’s rojak sauce brand (Kuah Rojak Mak Bee) founded by her late grandmother Bibi Abdullah, fondly known as Mak Bee, in 1980 to fade into history would have meant losing an important part of Kedah’s culinary heritage.
“My late grandmother raised me, and I grew up watching how hard she worked. That’s why this business means so much to me,” she told Bernama when met during Tourism Malaysia Northern Region’s Surreal Experience in North Kedah & Perlis programme recently.
However, taking over the business proved far more challenging than she had imagined as she found herself battling counterfeit products carrying labels that closely resembled the original Kuah Rojak Mak Bee packaging, causing the company’s sales to plunge by as much as 70 percent.
Rather than pursuing lengthy legal battles, Shazana opted for a different strategy. In 2024, she introduced a completely new packaging design to distinguish the authentic Mak Bee product from the imitators.
The rebranding, however, initially confused loyal customers, prompting her to embark on a nationwide roadshow the following year to personally explain the change.
“I drove the van myself with two employees. There were times when all 200 cartons we brought were sold out, forcing us to return to Alor Setar or arrange additional deliveries halfway through the journey. It was exhausting,” she said.
Her hands-on approach paid off. Within about three months, customer confidence returned and sales began to recover.
Shazana also succeeded in her efforts to get the Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM) to review the tax classification for rojak sauce.
The effort began after a customer revealed to her that Mak Bee Rojak Sauce was also widely used as a base for mamak-style fried noodles, highlighting its versatility beyond being a condiment.
“At first, I didn’t believe it, so I asked the customer to send me a video. I then submitted the recording to JKDM in Putrajaya as evidence that the sauce is also used in cooking,” she said.
Eventually, Kuah Rojak Mak Bee was granted zero-rated tax status by the department, paving the way for other rojak sauce products to be assessed under the same category.
Shazana has since diversified the business by opening a restaurant, and a cat hotel and spa in Alor Setar in 2023.
