Every so often, we as human beings may feel afraid of venturing into the unknown. This is especially true when we are so used to the norm and in doing what we have taken years to perfect. But as we have all learned pandemic that has created a new norm what we know and ends up being the ‘safe’ route is no longer safe. We are seeing the entrepreneurial side of many people and this month’s 1sqft story is a perfect example of that!
Cube Co-working is proud to tell the story of Organic Australian Mart, a small venture that started with a huge leap of faith by one of Cube Co-working newest members. Let us look into how Organic Australian Mart came to be and what brought them to Cube Co-working.
Jeeva the owner entrepreneur of Organic Australian Mart got his start as a Charted Accountant for one of the top international accounting firms. After 10 years at the firm and working his way up to becoming an Associate Director he decided to take the leap and start his own venture. Intriguing back story for a health-based business. We asked Jeeva why he decided to get into the health industry.
“A few years ago, I had a bad gastric episode and was prescribed with antacids and H2 inhibitors,” Jeeva said. He continued, “I was worried about the long-term side effects of antacids. Health conditions like kidney stones and such. Here is where I started looking for alternatives.” “I found aloe vera juice to be useful in regulating my own acid reflux by trial and error. This was what inspired me to bring in high-quality aloe vera products into the Malaysian market.” He explained.
The aloe vera trend was only made popular a few years back as we see more and more aloe vera juice products in pharmacies, specifically for its health benefits. Whereas years prior, we only utilize aloe vera for beauty purposes – mostly for physical/skin uses but rarely for consuming. Jeeva and Organic Australian Mart may have been one of the few pioneers in Malaysia who brought the trend of using aloe vera juice for consumption for health reasons. Here at Cube Self Co-working, we are proud and honoured that Jeeva had chosen us to be his business hub. We asked Jeeva what was his Unique Selling Point (USP) for Organic Australian Mart and how he plans to set himself apart from his competition.
Organic Australian Mart is the exclusive distributor for Aloe Vera of Australia Pty Ltd (“AVOA”) in Malaysia. AVOA is a large multi-million-dollar company based in Knoxfield, Australia. We distribute AVOA’s aloe vera juice and aloe vera based skincare products in Malaysia.” He explained. He continued by explaining that aloe vera is already well established as a superfood and various research has been done on its properties over the years. This includes its role in digestive health, detoxification and skin health among others. Apparently, it already had its own huge following!
Jeeva said that what sets their juice products apart from the rest is quality and safety. The aloe plants are grown at AVOA’s own organic farms in Australia. Their juice products are cold pressed (not pasteurised) in Australia and is 99% pure. The juice is then tested for microbes by an independent lab in Australia before bottling. Additionally, we also perform heavy metal and halal risk testing in Malaysia at an accredited lab in KL as an additional safety measure.
With that being said, it is also imperative to know where we Malaysians stand on using organic products. “I think Malaysians are more conscious about their health and what they put into their bodies than ever before. Price is still a big consideration so the key is to bring in quality products at affordable prices.” Jeeva explained. “Like, Cube Co-Working, who aims to provide affordable services, we want to ensure our prices are affordable too!” Jeeva explained.
We are sure that their aloe vera products are a huge hit among Malaysians because speaking from experience, there is a growing understanding or the organic markets and we as young Malaysians want to ensure what we put into our bodies are the best!
We asked Jeeva what were the challenges running an e-commerce business in the health industry.
“We are consistently on the first two pages on Shopee for our product category and keeping our products there requires daily tweaks. E-Commerce is moving so fast that we need to be on our toes daily!” he said. Must be challenging and exciting to handle the ever-growing nature of e-commerce business!
Jeeva also said, as some one running a one-man-show e-commerce company, “I was looking for a co-working space and a small storage area within a modest budget.”
“I also needed a place to do some packing before the goods are dispatched out. I also needed a loading bay to receive goods coming in from Australia. Cube co-working was able to provide me with that. It is also a scalable solution. We can increase our space or decrease it depending on our sales and demand. I like having this flexibility without committing to a medium/large warehouse from the get-go.” He further explained. “The team is also responsive and helpful. Overall, it is a good starting point for small businesses like mine.” He ended.
We at Cube Co-working are more than happy to help out SMEs out there manage costs and increase productivity. We also hope that above all else, staying healthy and being aware of what we consume and use every day into our bodies is everyone’s priority. So, think smart and choose wisely when buying!
Readers out there can search Organic Australian Mart’s aloe vera products that are available on Shopee and Lazada under the name “Australian.Mart.” They are also in 30 physical pharmacies across Malaysia to date. For those who are interested in checking them out, may go to their website.
For those of you who are interested in becoming part of the Cube community, go on ahead to Cube Co-working Space and enquire now!
