PASIR SALAK: Hardship endured by Latipah Azir, 49, has spurred her to be a successful entrepreneur.
It made the mother of two determined to set up Ipah Jaya Enterprise here and produce the Latipah Chilli Sauce brand nine years ago, thanks to the support from Seberang Perak Integrated Agriculture Development Area.
She said the family’s financial problem began after the factory she worked at ceased operations. Her husband Ahmad Ali Tagon, 59, is an employee at Perak Water Board in Teluk Intan.
“It started when a friend invited me to learn how to make chilli sauce. I then started selling my product in my vicinity after it was well-received by my neigbours.
“With an initial capital of RM50 and a pot of chilli nine years ago, I sold a bottle of chilli sauce at RM1.50.”
Latipah said her company produced between 8,000 and 9,000 bottles of chill sauce per month with an annual income of RM60,000.
“With advanced machines, every 20kg of chilli can produce about 1,200 bottles of chilli sauce daily,” she said.
Latipah said her product had won several awards, including the Best Regular Chilli Sauce for the processed agricultural products category in 2010.
She said Latipah Chilli Sauce was not only in demand locally but has also penetrated the Singapore market through the Federal Agricultural and Marketing Authority Agrobazaar programme.
The company also produced dipping sauce, anchovy floss and yellow noodles, she said. Bernama