TANAH MERAH: With Hari Raya Aidilfitri drawing near, housewife Fatiana Hanifa, 30, has been working tirelessly to complete more than 5,000 jars of different types of cookies such as pineapple tarts, Almond London and semperit bunga for the festive season this year.
The mother of two, who loves making raya cookies since her secondary school days, did not expect to make a living from this, thanks to the overwhelming response from the public.
“At first, my intention was just to help my husband Mohd Amir Akram Che Awin, 35, a clerk, gain extra income when the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country in 2019.
“Since I already have an interest in baking, I think it is better to continue selling cookies as a side income for the family,” she told Bernama when met at her shop in Kampung Belimbing here today.
Elaborating, Fatiana said when she started the business she did it on a small scale and only accepted orders around the Tanah Merah area.
However, due to the high demand, she had to increase her production and hire workers to help her keep up with orders.
“So far, I have been able to produce around 200 to 400 jars of Raya cookies in a day with the help of 13 workers,” said the entrepreneur, who also learned the recipes from YouTube and Facebook.
Fatiana said she would start baking from 8 am to 6 pm and would make sure all the necessary ingredients such as margarine, eggs and wheat flour are sufficient.
“Even though the price of raw materials is increasing, I still sell these Raya cookies at a reasonable price of around RM12 to RM19 per jar,” she said. – BERNAMA
