[Written in partnership with The Farm Shop, but the editorial team had full control over the content.]
Probably the single most frustrating part about trying to eat healthy is that it’s not just about having food, it’s about having the right food.
But here’s the thing.
“Sugar-free” often just means that it’s got a substitute in it that may be way worse than just sugar itself.
Finally found something “organic” or not too heavily processed? Well, just your luck, it’s not only more expensive, you can only get it from this one specific grocery chain or online store.
This is the frustrating experience Malaysians (that I can personally attest to) face in trying to watch what you eat.
And it was this realisation that emboldened Hasniza Binti Ali to continue her career with The Farm Shop. Little did she know, however, that she’d end up a fellow co-founder.
From behind a desk to behind a wheel
The Farm Shop is a women-founded, local business that sells and produces fresh and minimally processed foods. They deliver to grocery stores, retailers and homes, with one of their services being a milk subscription plan.
And it was here as a delivery driver that Hasniza would first find her start with the company.
At the time, Hasniza had just lost her job as a personal assistant following the closure of her previous workplace.
It was by complete chance that her mother had heard about a job opening through the grapevine, to which Hasniza applied without knowing the details.
This was for the business that would eventually become The Farm Shop, back then still just a side hustle run by her future business partner, Sushma Sivasriamphai.
The shift from office work to going door-to-door was a jarring one for her to say the least. Job aside, Hasniza wasn’t even a milk-drinker in the first place.
As a single mother with three mouths to feed, however, she thought of it as a matter of simply what she had to do. Quite the stark contrast to the person today who sees her current role as Home Delivery and Regulatory Director to be a “sacred responsibility.”
“Over time, I found purpose in what I was doing,” she added.
“Delivering fresh, high-quality nutrition wasn’t just a job; it was a way to make a real impact on people’s lives.”
The story of how she became one of The Farm Shop’s co-founders, then, came in 2019 through sweat equity.
That year, Sushma was incapacitated for months by something called “Guillain-Barré Syndrome,” a potentially fatal autoimmune disease that attacks the nervous system.
With her suddenly out of commission, it fell on Hasniza to step up and keep the business running.
“When she recovered, Alhamdulilah, she made me a shareholder!”
Fun fact: In business, sweat equity refers to equity in a business venture earned by an employee through labour. The term takes on a different meaning in the world of real estate, where it instead refers to the value added to a property through physical labour and effort as opposed to investments.
A greener pasture
Hasniza and Sushma would meet The Farm Shop’s other two co-founders, Karen Kow, and Dr Tan I-Lene, over the course of running their business.
At the start, the two were simply just customers, with Hasniza being in charge of delivering milk to their shops.
“Eventually, it just made sense to join forces, pool our resources, and create something bigger,” she explained.
“That’s how The Farm Shop, as it is today, was born.”
It wasn’t all smooth sailing from there, however. The early days of the business were met with financial constraints, supply chain issues, and staffing challenges.
They were, as Hasniza puts it, a tiny operation with just a single fridge in a shared office.
“I remember when the four of us were squeezed into a single room big enough that if we kept our elbows tucked in, we could fit,” she explained.
“We laughingly refer to it as our butt-to-butt time!”
It definitely took Sushma’s catchphrase of “dua badan, satu kepala,” a little too literally, but that was just how it had to be.
Through secondhand furniture held together by thoughts and prayers, that first year of their business would be dedicated to ironing out the kinks in their production process.
“As we grew, we moved into a larger space, expanded our offerings, and hired a team to assist with deliveries,” the co-founder shared.
“But that core experience—understanding the needs of our customers firsthand—stayed with me.”
Next in store
As a testament to how far they’ve come, Hasniza claimed that they were able to achieve “3x year-over-year growth,” raking in RM4.58 million in revenue in 2024. That comes along with a funding of RM6.3 million, courtesy of their recently closed Series A fundraising round.
Quite ambitiously, The Farm Shop’s target for this year will be a revenue of RM14.4 million, with a further RM56 million in revenue targeted for 2026.
They’ll also soon be launching their equity crowdfunding campaign with Leet Capital, welcoming those who see eye-to-eye with their vision to join them on their health crusade.
“I truly believe we are part of Malaysia’s journey towards a healthier rakyat, and I feel privileged to contribute to that goal,” said Hasniza.
Though the title “duchess of dairy” may be a self-proclaimed one, she certainly has the conviction of a duchess to match.
- Learn more about The Farm Shop here.
- Read other articles we’ve written about Malaysian startups here.
Featured Image Credit: The Farm Shop
