BFM 89.9

HIGHLIGHTS 
Podcast  >  Enterprise  >  Open For Business  >  How RM50K Became RM24 Million: Gourmet Ingredients’ Story

How RM50K Became RM24 Million: Gourmet Ingredients’ Story

Leon Goh, Founder and CEO, Gourmet Ingredients

14-Nov-24 10:00

How RM50K Became RM24 Million: Gourmet Ingredients’ Story

“I wanted to create something out of nothing”. Starting with a relatively small RM50,000 investment, Leon Goh transformed a small soft-serve mix operation into Gourmet Ingredients, a multi-category manufacturer producing premix powders for beverages, soups, sauces, and more, that’s targeting RM100 million in annual revenue by 2029.

In this episode of Open For Business, we explore how Leon, founder and CEO of Gourmet Ingredients, built this premix powder powerhouse, now supplying F&B outlets nationwide and exporting to five ASEAN countries, as well as his ambitious plans to localise supply chains across ASEAN.

Key insights from the conversation include:

- Leon’s Entrepreneurial Path: From investment analyst to food manufacturing innovator, Leon shares the inspirations and challenges behind his transition to food manufacturing.

- Building from Scratch: Started with RM50,000, a single blender, and small batches for ice cream shops. Overcame early scepticism and barriers by focusing on product quality and consistency.

- Expanding Product Lines: How Gourmet Ingredients pivoted during the pandemic to add new product lines, making beverages a major part of their business.

- Menu Solutions Concept: Leon’s strategic shift toward becoming a “food menu solutions” provider, helping F&B clients with ready-to-use products across appetisers, main courses, beverages, and desserts.

- ASEAN Expansion Strategy: Plans to expand into new ASEAN markets, establish local factories in Vietnam and Indonesia, and increase exports from 30% to 70% of revenue.

- Innovation and Consistency: Ensuring quality and food safety with international certifications (ISO, HALAL, HACCP) and ongoing R&D for constant product improvement.

- Future FMCG Ambitions: Leon’s vision to launch a consumer-facing line, leveraging experience from developing private-label products for established brands.

- Funding and Growth Outlook: Why Gourmet Ingredients remains self-funded through bank financing and potential considerations for M&A or an IPO as the business scales.

Produced by: Carol Wong, Roshan Kanesan

Presented by: Roshan Kanesan


This and more than 60,000 other podcasts in your hand. Download the all new BFM mobile app.

Categories:  marketsmanagingfoodentrepreneurs

Tags:  premix powderfood menu solutions providerf&bf&b sectorsupply chain





Play / Pause

Listen now : The 6AM Stretch: Thought-provoking discussions on ideas, people and events shaping our...

Today’s Shows



6:00 AM

The 6AM Stretch

Thought-provoking discussions on ideas, people and events shaping our lives.

7:00 AM

World Market Watch

Carlos Casanova, Senior Economist, UBP, tells us where international markets are heading.

7:15 AM

Morning Brief

We recap global and local headlines from today's papers and portals.

7:30 AM

Morning Brief

Gary Ng of Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking joins us to unpack China's Q2 economic figures, including its GDP growth rate.

7:45 AM

Morning Brief

Farlina Said, Senior Analyst at ISIS Malaysia discusses the latest export regulations for US-origin high-performance AI chips

8:00 AM

The Breakfast Grille

Kamalam Kurup Krishnan of ASM Automation Group shares the group’s purpose for listing and whether investors should buy its stock.

8:30 AM

Morning Brief

Dr Alexey Muraviev of Curtin University discusses what Trump’s 50-day tariff threat and NATO arms plan could mean for the war.

8:45 AM

Morning Brief

(REPEAT) We dive into the local and international news that matters to you.

9:00 AM

Opening Bell

(REPEAT) Carlos Casanova, Senior Economist, UBP, tells us where international markets are heading.

9:15 AM

Opening Bell

(REPEAT) We take a look at the FBM KLCI as well as regional capital markets.

9:35 AM

The Property Show

Adrianta Aziz of the Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM) discusses what defines sustainable architecture.

10:05 AM

Open For Business

Shieldbase AI CEO Diego Rojas on how their unified platform helps enterprises tame 'AI chaos' and securely manage their entire AI stack.

11:00 AM

The Workplace

Why is succession planning a board's duty, not just an HR task? ICDM's Michele Kythe Lim and Tunku Alizakri discuss building a leadership pipeline.

12:00 PM

Enterprise Explores

1:00 PM

The Breakfast Grille

Kamalam Kurup Krishnan of ASM Automation Group shares the group’s purpose for listing and whether investors should buy its stock.

2:05 PM

Discovery Hour

3:05 PM

Earth Matters

A proposed mega reclamation in Melaka promises growth, but at what cost? We speak to two experts about the ecological and community risks at stake.

4:05 PM

Health & Living

“Core” vs “abs” - what’s the difference? We get the expert to explain why it’s important to have good core strength to be fit.

5:00 PM

Top 5 at 5

6:00 PM

Good Things

Want to do your part for Mother Nature but don’t know where to start? Listen to learn how a group of young people are empowering their peers to stand up and do what’s right through their mentorship programme.

7:00 PM

Made in Malaysia

We talk about where the pensol comes from, its significance and what it means for cultural expression.

8:00 PM

Cruise Control

Fancy a used Mini Cooper? Make sure you pick the right one. Daniel Fernandez will guide you on which one to pick.