One of these people was Khaleeda Arpandi. An accountant by profession, she walked away from a well-paid job because the pandemic helped her realise that she needed more from life than a routine. She knew she wanted to run her own business.
“If you’re going to do it, do it now. If not now, when are you going to take that chance? But I wasn’t sure what exactly I wanted to do for a business,” she told FMT.
As always, Khaleeda went to her good friend Amirul Asraf Mohsin for his insight. The 27-year-olds had met while studying in New Zealand and their shared love for food cemented their friendship.
It was on one of these food hunting trips that they came across a locally produced bar of chocolate and were floored by the richness of the taste, the smooth texture, and especially by the fact that the cacao used for the chocolate was locally grown.
“I felt like I wanted to tell everyone about it,” Amirul said, beaming.
After some research, they discovered that cacao grown in Kelantan and Kota Marudu had won international awards for taste and quality.
Shocked by the lack of local knowledge that such quality products existed in Malaysia, they immediately threw themselves into starting a business dedicated to sharing the wonders of locally grown cacao.
“It tasted so good,” Khaleeda laughed, “so we figured, why don’t we do something with this local cocoa.”
Since Khaleeda was freelancing as a graphic designer at the time, she began working on the branding for their business. Amirul, a full-time finance executive, helped by researching possible designs in his free time.
“I did all the taste testing,” Amirul said with a big smile. He said he spent weeks experimenting with different combinations of cocoa powder and types of milk before hitting on the blends that they now sell.
The Good Cacao officially launched in March 2022 and began appearing at pop-up events and in bazaars throughout Kuala Lumpur. They have since gained a steady following.
Their mildly bitter, thirst-quenching iced chocolate drinks are a tasty alternative for those who are not fans of coffee but also dislike the sweetness of boba drinks.
As a business entity, they have made a conscious decision to collaborate with like-minded organisations that support local businesses and promote good causes.
This led to them serving a cup of their ice chocolate to Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz, the chairperson of the Malaysian Red Crescent Society.
“It was such a big deal to us, to have someone we admire like that being one of our first customers,” Khaleeda said happily.
It matters to them that the public know that there are good quality cocoa products available that are single origin and do not have as much of a negative climate effect as chocolate treats from other countries.
Amirul explained that The Good Cacao’s objectives are two-fold: to spread the message that Malaysia has good cocoa products, and to help provide a sustainable income for local cacao farmers.
Right now, they receive their cocoa from suppliers working with farmers in Kelantan, Kota Marudu in Sabah, and Chemor in Perak.
In the future, they hope to work more closely with the farmers themselves and help develop the industry to a global level.
“We hope to collaborate with government agencies in the future to create more support for local cacao farmers and help them gain recognition locally and globally,” Amirul explained.
It may seem a big dream for such a small business, but this might be well within the reach of two young people who are so fiercely proud of local Malaysian bounty.
The duo said it is their mission to highlight the excellence of local cacao. “We want to share the goodness with everyone so they will know the good taste of Malaysian local cocoa.”
Follow The Good Cacao on Instagram and Facebook to discover their next location and try out their 100% local iced chocolate drinks.