MADE-IN-SABAH CIGAR A HIT AMONG TRADERS AT EXPO

Jaini (far left) busily attending to trade visitors who are looking for good products to market in China.

 

 

NANNING, 28th October, 2009: Made in Ranau cigar proved to be a hit among trade visitors at the recent China- Asean Expo.

Sabah entrepreneur Jaini Majid said all the 1,000 boxes of the cigar she brought to the expo were sold out within three days. Each box contains ten sticks and is priced up to 150 yuan (Chinese currency) or RM75. The cigar is handmade without chemical additives.

She said the cigar is made from tobacco grown on the foothills of Mount Kinabalu. Due to the weather condition and the special curing process which is a family secret of Jaini, the aroma is richer and with subtle fruity flavour.

Because of the encouraging response, Jaini told New Sabah Times that she was in negotiation with a distributor from Guangzhou to sell her cigar. In addition, she was also in serious discussions with a few agents in China to help market her cigar on a long-term consignment basis.

Jaini, who is the sole proprietor of Jaini Resources and Development, also merchandised ‘tuhau’ a Dusun pickled delicacy. She brought along only 100 bottles, but they were all snapped up beyond her expectation.

She said she would know what to expect next year in Nanning.

But her Sutera coffee product did not do so well due to stiff competition from Ipoh white coffee.

Jaini said she was grateful to the Ministry of Industrial Development for making her participation in the expo possible.