The company where she worked as an administrator was downsizing just as Covid-19 was beginning to take a toll on people’s health and the economy.

Finding it difficult to secure a new job and worrying about the bills she had to pay, Padma, 58, began to think of other ways to earn an income.

Then, a friend who knew she could make a mean coconut candy suggested that she get a business going by making and selling the confection.

That was how her online business Padma’s Dapur got off the ground in July 2020. When Padma, who resides in Petaling Jaya, first launched it, she kept her expectations low, assuming she’d receive one, possibly two orders.

“But I was extremely shocked by the number of orders that came in,” Padma exclaimed, adding that many of the orders came from friends and family who had tasted her candy before and were excited to get their hands on more.

Being new to the world of business, Padma was overwhelmed and a little scared but the joy her candy brought her customers pushed her to keep going.

According to Padma, her coconut candy recipe was handed down to her by her mother and was over 40 years old.

“I remember watching my mother and aunt making the candy when I was younger and as I got older my mother would ask me to make it too,” she shared.

Her mouth-watering coconut candy is moist and chewy and made with freshly grated coconut that melts in the mouth. Padma always gets her ingredients fresh for each order and tries to make the candy as close to the delivery date as possible.

The festive seasons are her busiest. “Just before Deepavali (last year), I got so many orders that I went to the market daily to get freshly grated coconut,” she said.

When she first started the business, she focused on the traditional pink- and green-coloured candy but now she has introduced other flavours like chocolate, matcha, pandan gula Melaka, roasted almond and even Milo following requests from her customers.

Padma said that while she is ready to fulfil her customers’ requests for flavours of their choice, she once had to turn down a request for salted egg yolk-flavoured candy.

Her coconut candy is currently priced at between RM15 and RM20 per 200g tub. She also offers gift boxes, priced from RM20 to RM30 depending on the flavour.

Apart from the bouquets she has received, Padma has had to face her fair share of brickbats as well. “There is always someone out there ready to compare my candy to their grandmother’s.

“But I do get many people telling me how much they love my candy and how it brings back so many memories of their childhood,” she said, adding that hearing how her candy makes her customers happy and gives them nostalgic feelings is what keeps her going.

Padma also notes that since collaborating with Neybrfood – an online marketplace that enables home chefs to cook and sell home-cooked meals and delicacies – her business has grown.

Orders for Padma’s coconut candy can be made via Padma’s Dapur Instagram page or Neybrfood’s Website.