YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS CARRY ON FAMILY'S BAHULU LEGACY

ALOR GAJAH, March 18 (Bernama) -- Age is not a barrier for Muhammad Najmi Amzairy, 18, from Melaka Pindah, in continuing his late father’s bahulu (traditional Malay egg sponge cake) business.

The teenager said he was determined to make the family business, established over 20 years ago, his main source of income after completing secondary school education earlier this year.

He said after the passing of his father, Amzairy M Dewa, in 2021 due to a stroke, his cousin, Arif Fathilah Othman, 28, took charge of the business. Today, they are working side by side to keep the legacy alive.

“My late father made a living selling bahulu to support me and my younger sister. Now, with my mum and family’s support, I feel like I should keep it going.

“Letting this family business go would be a waste, especially since we have everything we need in the workshop and have learned all the skills from my dad,” he told reporters.

Earlier, the duo received a visit from State Health, Human Resources, and Unity Committee chairman Datuk Ngwe Hee Sem, who spent about an hour at their bahulu workshop.

Muhammad Najmi said they had their hands full during Ramadan, as demand doubled ahead of Aidilfitri.

He said their bahulu was priced at RM17 for 50 pieces to keep it affordable and help villagers earn extra income by selling them.

“I am grateful that we are still able to run this business, even though we sometimes struggle with issues like lack of capital, ingredient shortages, and rising costs,” he said.

Muhammad Najmi said that for now, only the original flavour was available, but they hoped to introduce new flavours like coffee, pandan, and strawberry in the future.

Arif Fathilah said he first got involved in the business by helping his late uncle casually after finishing school, but over time, it became his full-time job.

He said every day, the two of them handled the entire production process, from preparing ingredients like eggs, sugar, and flour, to mixing the batter, baking, and packaging the bahulu.

“With one mixer and two ovens, we can make around 1,000 pieces of bahulu daily. 

“We use our family’s traditional recipe that keeps our bahulu crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and delicious,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ngwe, who is also Machap Jaya assemblyman, said efforts would be made to assist the young entrepreneurs by providing new equipment such as an industrial mixer and baking ovens. He also contributed RM500 to help them purchase raw materials.

-- BERNAMA