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ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Following the disruptions caused around
theworld by the COVID-19 pandemic, the
development ofmicro, small andmedium
enterprises (MSMEs) inBrunei Darussalam
has continued to move forward. Several
local startups have shared insights into
how they started their businesses, the
impact of the pandemic and how they
have persevered, along with their hopes
for the future.
LaneMicrobakery and
Coffee
Nestled along a scenic alleyway flanked
with greenery located at Jalan Pretty
in Kuala Belait, Lane Microbakery and
Coffee specialises in handmade pastry
and brewed coffee. Before starting the
business, sole proprietor Eunice took
several online courses to practicemaking
latte art while learning about the locals
taste in coffee. The taste of coffee can be
subjective, with some preferring a fruity,
acidic taste while others prefer it to be
bitter, so Eunice tried to find something
that is in-between. Her experience in
pastry-making and coffee-brewing led
to setting up Lane Microbakery and
Coffee in December 2021, following her
graduation that same year. At the height
of the pandemic, Lane Microbakery had
outdoor takeaways as customers were
not allowed to enter the shopfront itself.
She said her business was not heavily
impacted by the pandemic as they were
still baking and selling pastries daily.
Following the shift towards an endemic
way of life for the nation and the lifting
of restrictions, customers can now
enjoy their coffee with their pastry
in-house. However, the bakery has
had some difficulty getting supplies
with the global delays in delivery and
transportation in addition to price hikes.
This extends to both pastry-making as
well as coffee-brewing, though they
are able to source coffee beans grown
locally which alleviates some of the cost
while supporting local farmers. Moving
forward, the business aims to expand
and cater to more customers from
outside the district.
Sip SipCoffee
Sip Sip Coffee has been operating via
pop-up at Kampong Manggis Dua since
February 2022, serving specialty coffee
every weekend using specialty beans
from all around the world and offering a
variety of beverages ranging fromcoffee
based drinks and non-coffee based
drinks such as chocolate, matcha and
tea. Run and operated by Rosman Lamat
as Manager and Head Barista with two
part-time assistants, Rosman has been
involved in the coffee industry since
2016. They started to become more
active in 2020. The home-based café has
been receiving more walk-in customers
since the 5
th
Coffee Convention, in
addition to having catered to a number
of private events ranging from home
events to corporate events. Rosman said
that one of their success factors is their
passion for research and development
(R&D), where they constantly come
up with new drinks to maintain their
competitiveness with other cafes. The
most notable drink on their menu is the
‘Summericano’, similar to an Americano
but has fresh coconut water. Another
signature drink is their chocolate-based
‘Caramel Koko’.
YanMatahari
Siblings Rabiatul Nadhirah and Aqilah
Balqis understand that the key is to stand
out among the sea of new entrepreneurs
offering a slew of products. It started
with their grandmother who wanted to
pass down a family recipe for traditional
kueh penyaram
to her children. The offer
was declined at first because they were
not confident they could do it justice, on
top of holding full-time jobs while raising
children. Eventually, the siblings agreed
to learn the age-old way of making the
traditional food item. They successfully
replicated their grandmother’s
penyaram
and attracted a horde of loyal customers.
With limited opportunity to go to college,
Aqilah decided to start a business with
her older sister Rabiatul, who was at the
time working in the private sector. With
no culinary or business experience,
they decided to take it slow and steady,
offeringvariousdishessuchasshepherd’s
pie,
begedil daging
, baked potatoes and
mini chicken pies. They would send
freshly prepared food to convenience
stores to be displayed for a fee. A few
months into the venture, their mother
dusted off the family recipe for
penyaram
and shared it with them. The sisters also
used social media to increase exposure
of their business, which they named
Yan Matahari. To them, the success they
are enjoying today can be attributed to
the hard work, commitment, sacrifice,
perseverance and most important,
support from their parents. One of the
important lessons they have learnt in
their journey is to keep an open mind,
accepting both positive and negative
feedback to improve themselves.