KIMANIS: The aroma from a coffee bean-roasting factory at Kampung Ulu Kimanis here caught the attention of Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal who was on a campaign trail for Kimanis by-election.
The factory operator Wong Fui Ann, 50, was running his business as usual and was busy roasting coffee beans, despite a crowd in the area attending a talk delivered by Mohd Shafie, who is also the president of Parti Warisan Sabah.
The white smoke and smell beans attracted Mohd Shafie’s attention. When he asked where did the aroma came from, he was told by constituents that it was the smell of coffee beans being roasted.
When met, Fui Ann, who runs the factory with his siblings and uncle, said the business was the source of income for his family for the past 30 years.
The factory still applies an open-air concept. It uses firewood to preserve the taste and aroma of his family’s traditional coffee brand.
“Every week we produce about 300kg of roasted coffee beans.
“Then we grind the beans into powder and sell them at the weekly markets at Papar, Kimanis, Bongawan, Beaufort and Kota Kinabalu.
“Our brand is Bintang Emas but we also supply in bulk for others to redistribute using their brands,” he said.
He was also assisted by his uncle Patrick Wong, 70, for the roasting process on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Fui Ann said the quality of the coffee would depend on the mixture of salt, margarine and sugar during the roasting.
“If the mixture is off, the taste will be different or sour. But our coffee quality is guaranteed to be tasty as many have sought it.”