KUALA LUMPUR: Tealive brand owner, Loob Holding, has set up a RM10 million tapioca pearl (boba) plant on a one-acre site in Kapar, Selangor, with plans to export Malaysian-made boba to other countries in the region.
The plant has an installed capacity of 400 tonnes of pearls per month, potentially becoming the largest in the country.
Currently the company is running on a single shift and all the production is for its own use.
Once its production ramps up, its founder and chief executive officer Bryan Loo said the company plans to export the pearls to other countries in the region, probably beginning with the Philippines.
"Building this tapioca pearl plant aligns seamlessly with our pursuit of excellence. By controlling the entire production process, from sourcing the finest ingredients to crafting our signature tapioca pearls, Tealive ensures that every sip of our beverages reflects the pinnacle of quality and flavour. "And we will continue to make further investments – for example, by installing a fully-automated packaging line next year," Loo said.
In recounting the background of this joint-venture, Loo said that joint venture (JV) partners Zhejiang Boduo International Trade Co Ltd and Shanghai Panfei International Trade Co Ltd have been close supportive suppliers from the launch of Tealive back in 2017.
"After about two years and when Tealive had scaled up sufficiently, we approached them with the idea of manufacturing pearls in Malaysia. "We quickly agreed to collaborate and we wanted to kick-start this plant in 2020 but the pandemic halted our progress. "Despite the lockdown challenges both in China and in Malaysia, we've succeeded and the plant is up and running today," he said.
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