Leaving the workforce in 2013 allowed her to start her “Alif” brand of carbonated drinks with RM30,000 in capital that year. She then took over her husband’s small enterprise and opted to change the brand name to the more commercial-sounding “Zeeper”.
“For three years, we slowly moved forward,” she said, adding that her career move was fortuitous in that she was able to simultaneously manage her household and care for her children.
Rosniza, 47, shared that she used up her savings and had to sell other assets, including cars, to expand the business. All in all, over RM300,000 was spent in those early years.
Yet, “to this day, we have not used any loans from banks”, she said when met by Bernama recently.
Her husband, Abdul Rahman Basri, helped immensely in the first year of the business, from brewing water to packaging drinks. Rosniza’s own prior experience in the food and beverage field proved beneficial, and she further attended classes and courses to improve her skills.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Mardi) assisted her with analytical services, while the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama) provided marketing assistance.
While there are many carbonated drinks in the market, Rosniza is confident of what makes her products unique.
“Zeeper carbonated drinks are produced using nine types of filtered water, with alkaline water at a pH level of 9.5, and lower sugar and gas content compared to others in the market.
“We have 11 products, namely orange, strawberry, sarsaparilla, cola, apple, grape, cream soda, blue soda, and fruits, with soursop and agarwood cola as the latest. We are also in the process of producing tamarind water and isotonic drinks,” she said.
Her company can produce more than 30,000 litres of drinks a month, including meeting orders for special events.
The drinks, which come in two sizes – 1.25 litres priced at RM2.80, and 320ml priced at RM1.50 – are currently available in selected supermarkets. “We also supply to cooperatives, petrol stations, and entrepreneurs who are interested in becoming Zeeper agents or distributors.”
According to Rosniza, her products will be sold at 14 petrol stations throughout peninsular Malaysia by next year. Other upcoming plans include marketing non-carbonated Zeeper to school cooperatives in 2025.
Zeeper products are already available in the international market – specifically Ireland and Singapore – via agents in both countries.
“Although we already have products overseas, my main focus is on expansion in the domestic market,” Rosniza noted. “We are working to ensure every one of our products is available in every retail store.”