So, how can people reduce plastic usage? When it comes to food takeaways, tiffin carriers are the perfect solution.
And those from Tiffin Jeiwa are not only eco-friendly, they are also aesthetically pleasing – making them beautiful home decorative items and gifts as well.
Speaking with FMT Lifestyle, Nor Fadilah Mohamed Nizar, the founder of Tiffin Jeiwa, shared that each tiffin is hand-painted by a team of 60 painters, consisting of women with disabilities and domestic violence survivors, among others.
This is a far cry from 2018 when they started with only two painters, but given how eye-catching the tiffin carriers are, they have gained a growing legion of fans over the years.
Today, customers are certainly spoiled for choice with approximately 180 designs to choose from. These range from batik to ethnic and floral prints.
Each tiffin also comes with a leather holder that can be customised to include one’s name.
“I design all the tiffin carriers,” shared the 41-year-old who is commonly known as Ina.
Describing herself as someone who loves art, she added that inspiration comes from everywhere, including her travels. Even her cat, Johnny, has made it onto the tiffin carriers!
Ina emphasised that the paint used on the carriers is non-toxic. The tiffin carriers, which come in various shapes such as “pyramid” and “belly”, are available in two to five tiers.
Additionally, they also sell other equally exquisite products such as water dispensers, trays, flasks, tea pots, tumblers, lunch and picnic boxes.
Every purchase of their product, Ina added, helps to create jobs, not only for the painters but a team of approximately 15 women who are responsible for quality control and ensure that each product is cleaned thoroughly and has no defects.
“We have women who are single mothers; those who have lost their jobs; or experienced domestic violence,” Ina said.
In April 2020, Ina also introduced the Tiffin Jeiwa Agent programme (TEJA) in a bid to help women generate income by selling their products from the comfort of their homes even during the pandemic. The programme is ongoing.
Additionally, Ina shared that part of their proceeds is used to help one of their painters, a deaf and mute artist named Nur Amiratul Farahin Ab Rahman, with some of her living expenses.
Ina’s passion to help women is unsurprising given that she is the founder of Johor Empowerment of Intellectual Women Association (JEIWA), an NGO that aims to help domestic violence survivors and encourage participation of professional women into volunteerism.
Asked about the challenges she faces in managing Tiffin Jeiwa, she admitted that just like most business owners, finding dedicated employees can be tough.
There are undeniably many things that keep Ina busy, as a bee, and that is why she appreciates the support of Persatuan Pembangunan Artisans (PPA). The non-profit assists local artisans to expand their reach through PPA’s online channel, retail stores and pop-up events.
“They have a lot of corporate partners and try to pitch our products to them, helping us to get good sales,” she shared.
And ultimately, what keeps Ina going are her customers. “They motivate me. They refer other customers to me, and I know that I am not alone.”
Follow Tiffin Jeiwa on Facebook and Instagram. For more information, contact 016-737 7022.
To purchase, head over to Tiffin Jeiwa’s website or drop by:
Tiffin Jeiwa Gallery
Glasshouse
Kompleks Kraf Kuala Lumpur
Seksyen 63
Jalan Conlay
50450 Kuala Lumpur
Opening hours: 11am-5pm Monday to Friday (closed on public holidays)
Read more PPA stories and get to know its artisans here.