About Me
I am Linda, from Malaysia. A Malaysian with 25% Japanese in me from my paternal side. I am a foodie. I enjoy eating, exploring new food & beverages available in the market. My passion for food has taken me to many countries outside Malaysia. That is what I Iikes for being a foodie.
So, What I Actually Do….
I graduated in Hotel & Tourism majoring in Culinary of Arts. Starts to work in the Research & Development department makes me entering into the Food Science & Technology world which is I always thought a “ROCKET SCIENCE technology”, actually it isn’t.
This is where I learnt to integrate the Art of Food and Science of making the food that can last longer while maintaining good taste and appearance.
Being me, my principle is I never say “NO”. I will always tell myself that I can do it.. Doesn’t matter how it takes and how long it takes. I will do my best.
Training and working with food engineer and scientist overseas make me understand more about food and the food safety to ensure that products made can last as long as 12 – 24 months and still safe to consume. Hmmm… even in the factory, staffs call me a “Bakery Doctor” where I need to rectify the bakery formula when there are machine breakdown to avoid batter or dough being rejected and disposed.
It does make my job a lot easier when we understand the who lot about Food Arts & Science.
Well, it takes a lot of hard work attending professional courses in Food Technology while working and developing then implementing all in one. Anyway, it’s been a “Sweet Success” for being able to makes the company where I worked receiving many Food Innovation Awards and seeing the business progressing from 50 staffs to 500 staffs. I believed that I am part of the main team for the company success. So happy….
Out of My Comfort Zone
This is where the real world is… I stepped out of my “Comfort Zone” to venture into my own micro manufacturing business with an investor partner.
The GAME starts from A-Z, all handles by me, me and me… I now see the true colors of surviving in the world of Food Business being someone new in the business.
Running up and down from product research, develop, implement, test run, test market, marketing, sales and the whole organization need to handle by myself.
With a handful of staffs of less than 10 and limited resources takes me more than 24/7 to run the business to make it a success.
It was really hard but of course with a lot of passion in food, I managed it to walk through small steps and able to do private label for international hypermarket and also export. That was another milestone of my personal achievement. Double Happiness…
BUT… that was also “TURNING POINT” when I had some very serious personal matters that left me with no other options than to leave this beautiful food manufacturing industry. I have to go… I have no choice at that time.. It’s all for my personal own well-being… I have to move on… I left the food manufacturing…the industry which I loves so much and developed my skills and professional for years.
Moving Forward…
As A Food Consultant
With the years of experiences in Food & Manufacturing. Being a Food Consultant and A Trainer is basically, not difficult. Normally, I been invited by the government for program arrange for the public.
What I like what I was doing that time is that the time is in my hand. I have lots of quality time for myself and my parents which I had lost number of years of spending my quality time with them. I am glad to be with the family and our time were all well spent till my dad passed away. It was a shocked to the family but that’s how its’s been arranged by god. We accepted it.
As a Guest Lecturer
When time is in my hand, I do what I love to do. I also being invited as guest lecturer, speaker and judges in the local and international colleges and university to share my knowledge and experienced from the food industry perspectives.
This is another area which I had not much time to do when I was into manufacturing. By doing some small contribution towards the society, for the future young food developer, entrepreneurs and any profession with regards to food industry.
As an Importer & Exporter / Trader
Through one of the Trade Ministry business matching, I met my British partner and then established a trading company of Import & Export Trading of Foodstuffs registered in Malaysia.
We mainly focus on exporting Oil Palm to the Africa and Middle East markets.Later, we expanded the business to some other commodities and non-food depending on our client needs. Sometimes, we get to supply through United Nation Tender. We gave consulting to government sectors too.
Since we have a list of selected and certified manufacturer, makes my job a lot of easier. I can just be in any parts of the world, received order, organized for the operations, 3rd party audit to ensure the goods is in good order and finally, shipment. All I can do by just using my laptop and phone calls. No headache of having a manufacturing line, anymore. Just select the supplier that gives good price with good service and quality products and then just place an order. All through online. Isn’t that beautiful!
As A Social Media Entrepreneur
Being me, I like to explore something new to challenge myself to see how far I can go while still doing the trading business. I did give a thought on how to integrate my business using online plaform..
How can I expand my business?
How can I reach to the other parts of the world to share what I am doing?
Also ,to share my knowledge in the food industry to the world?
How can I reached these people who are passionate about food and want to take food as a career or into business.
How To.. always is in my mind..
I do think of all those but when I heard the word “Social Media”, It kind of scare me off.. Don’t know for some reasons.
I have heard a lot about Social Network Marketing for business.
I never have interest to be active. I just felt it is not my things. I have Facebook and Instagram accounts but just for some picture sharing not often. When I felt I want to share I will do it.
My Twitter and LinkedIn accounts were like stagnant. I even forgotten the password.
I used to have internship students attached to my company and I normally, get them as one of their assignment to promote our company online. I never bother to know how they do it. What I normally do is to check if the right product features online.
To me I used laptop just for my business, to type quotation, emails, sometimes see my Facebook and watch YouTube. Mainly, our customers are offline customer.
We rarely have customers through online business platform. Even the words Pinterest and LinkedIn, I do not even know how to pronounce it. Just imagine, how bad my exposure on Social Media Networks.
Until 4 months ago, I met an ONLINE SOCIAL MEDIA GURU through online site. He is In Louisiana, USA. We talk a lot about ourselves, our entrepreneurship career and what we are planning to do in the future.
I get excited but on the other hand I am scared. I am consider like a Social Media illiterate… I think so much that I can’t think enough then to get it Start immediately, if I want to be reach by the world. As Time Wait For No Man.
13 hours time difference between us is not a factor to stop me from gaining this valuable knowledge from my guru. I know my guru did had hard times teaching me as I am a slow learner when it comes to Social Media. He is yet so persistence in transferring his knowledge to me. I am just LUCKY…
Within 2 months, this is the RESULTS and OUTCOME of all the training I got from my guru. He thought me the organic manual way to start using Social Media Network.
I want to say is that my guru is kind enough to share with me, his website and allow me to create my own blog post. This is where I am now. I am a new blogger specialized in food and love to travel. I integrate my passion with food, share with the viewer and now planning on how to increase more sales with what I am doing now.
To my surprised from the Social Media profile that I had, I did received inquiry on import business I am currently doing. This is Simply Amazing! This is what I wanted, to be reach by new people same like minded…
I will continue this journey to learn more about how to be better in this Social Media Network and at the same time I am ready to share my knowledge on Social Media based on what I had been learning for the past 2 months.
I wanting to share with those who have the same passion like me as what I am doing now.
Sharing is Caring…
Without my guru, I would not be here now. Deep from the bottom of my heart, I want to say THANK YOU so much to my Online Guru in Louisiana, USA for the opportunity and encouragement until now.
Follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest under @halalmarhaba . My website is www.heresmoreinfoon.com
My journey don’t stops here.. This is just a first step. I will share more in coming blogs to come… At the same time, I will keep continue learning…We will Stay in Touch.
Have A Lovely Foodie Day!
