BAU: Nur Azarina Abdullah’s journey into the world of culinary entrepreneurship is nothing short of inspirational.
Looking back the 47-year-old mother of woman readily concedes that it was the adversities of her earlier years that truly fuelled her ambition.
“I was inspired to start my own business by hardships I faced during my childhood so as to build a better life for my children,” she says matter-of-factly.
Her entrepreneurial journey began at a tender age when she started assisting her mother in selling their produce at the farmer’s market in the town.
“It was the early exposure to the business world that sowed the seeds, giving me some advantage about having a business,” she said.
In August 2019, Azarina took her first step towards her own entrepreneurial venture, setting up a stall at the Bau farmer’s market.
She began by offering her own produce, including items like ‘cangkok manis’, corn, chillies, yam stems and mustard greens.
To diversify her offerings and to cater to a wider customer preference, she sourced additional products from fellow farmers, including tomatoes, brinjals, bitter melon, ‘jering’, and ‘dabai’.
As her business steadily grew, Azarina displayed her culinary prowess by introducing an array of homemade items.
These included delectable treats like ‘sambal nasi lemak’, cheese popiah, cucumber acar, salted mustard greens, fried beans and ‘sambal serai’.
In addition to these, Azarina also retailed products from other sellers, such as salted jelawat fish, fermented jelawat, rice, frozen shrimps, massage oil, smoked jan fish, cheese powder, and tempoyak.
The breakthrough in Azarina’s journey came when her homemade sambal nasi lemak emerged as the best-selling item at her stall.
“It was this moment that served as the turning point for me to dream bigger and expand my business horizon beyond Bau.
“Then, I decided to initiate my business online by promoting my products through Facebook, with my son Mcclin suggesting the brand name Kak Nor’s Kitchen,” she said.
The name not only reflects her identity but also symbolises the heart and soul she pours into her culinary creations.
Kak Nor’s Kitchen gradually became Azarina’s primary focus through her online platform with her homemade items taking centre stage.
Typically her day would be spent working at the farmer’s market on weekdays from 5am to 1pm.
However, If there are online orders, she would dedicate the rest of her day to preparing and packaging these orders, ensuring they reach her customers in good condition.
She admitted that challenges have been an integral part of the entrepreneurial journey.
“The journey hasn’t been easy as there were times when I would doubt myself but I kept pushing through because of my family’s support and lending hands,” she said.
Azarina also found out quickly that running a small-scale business in a competitive market comes with its own set of challenges.
“Maintaining the consistency of taste and quality is also always a challenge but I believe if you put your heart into what you do, people will recognise it.
“Then there’s the age factor because I’m not getting any younger so when the weather gets unbearable I close my stall and go home for the sake of my health,” she said.
The Covid-19 pandemic, which swept across the world in 2020, posed perhaps the greatest challenge of all and like many businesses, Azarina’s venture took a hit.
“But during the lockdowns, I refused to succumb to adversity. It motivated me to swiftly adapt to the changing landscape by offering delivery services and adjusting my marketing strategies to reach customers online.
“I also had to adjust the prices of my products to make sure I keep attracting customer,” she explained.
In navigating these modern challenges, Azarina turned to her children for innovative solutions.
“My children would often help and teach me ways that I could promote my products by using social media,” she revealed.
By leveraging platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook, she was able to engage with customers, market her products, and handle orders efficiently.
Looking ahead, she envisions a future where Kak Nor’s Kitchen continues to prosper and expand.
“I want to share the flavours of Bau with the world and the only way I can do that is to someday be able to launch perhaps a cafe that would serve traditional Malaysian dishes made from locally sourced ingredients.
“I also hope to find workers to help me as my business grows. I cannot make my children stay with me forever, I understand the importance of my children finding their own paths to success,” she said.
Azarina’s ultimate aspiration is for Kak Nor’s Kitchen to be known not only in Bau but throughout Malaysia.
“I believe that with hard work and dedication, my dream of selling my own products nationwide and delivering the essence of Bau to every corner of Malaysia is entirely achievable,” she said.
