News From : DagangHalal.com (31 Mar 2010)
MELAKA, March 31 (Bernama) — What began from a small shed behind a house, the business of Hj Ideris, who makes the popular Malay sweet delicacy, dodol, today has reached a sales of RM350,000 yearly.
The business is now operated from a factory in Kandang, near here.
Ideris Zainudin, who is the manager of Hj Ideris business, started making the dodol, which is synonomous with Melaka, in 1999.
Today, the factory’s capacity is 420kg of dodol a day.
“We are aiming to hit sales of more than RM400,000 this year with better facilties and continued promotions,” he told Bernama in an interview today.
Each kilogramme of dodol earns RM10, he said.
He said 70 per cent of the sales for Hj Ideris Dodol came from the domestic market while another 30 per cent was exported including to Singapore and Brunei.
“The export of my dodol has also successfully reached Syria and Saudi Arabia in the Middle East, even if it is just a small amount,” he said.
He said a representative from the Agriculture Ministry of Syria had also visited his factory in 2007 which started off the opportunity to penetrate the market of the country.
For the Middle East market, dodol containing dates, raisins, cashew nuts, almonds and nuts enjoy the highest demand.
“As for the domestic market, the traditional dodol enjoys good response, while we also produce mango, strawberry and cappucino flavoured dodol,” he said.
Ideris said the company was now also looking into moving its operations to the Serkam Halal Industrial area in Jasin.
The company is cooperating with the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA) of Malaysia and the Agricultural Department to produce a 1Malaysia branded dodol for the market this year, he added.
By Fadzli Ramli — BERNAMA