MAMA Langat! Remember that name. In the not too distant future, Mama Langat may well be an accepted brand for a variety of cakes and pastries to delight every palate.
At the moment, Mama Langat is already gaining popularity among cake and pastry lovers in some parts of the Klang Valley.
Sweet cheese round buns, red bean buns, sausage buns, sausage rolls and cinnamon walnut buns, to name a few, are highly sought after.
They are sold in Kajang, Hulu Langat, parts of the federal capital, and a number of corporate offices. Several big corporates are waiting in line to place orders for these pastries to be added to their daily offerings in their cafes.
A number of petrol kiosks have started selling these delights, besides restaurants and cafes specialising in pastries.
These cakes and pastries are competitively priced, making them appealing to customers.
What is Mama Langat, you may ask. Well, it is a group of single mothers who have been trained to produce these cakes “consistently and productively” to help them earn a living and pay for their own upkeep and that of their dependents. And the cakes carry the same name as their product identity.
As the name suggests, they are located in Hulu Langat, a town that has a reputation for durian, rambutan and pulasan. A number of popular picnic spots are also located in the small town, making the area busy during weekends.
Trying to make ends meet as a single mother can be a big challenge. With rising costs of living in an urban setting, and with school-going children to look after, these ladies were grouped
together to fend for themselves.
A non-governmental organisation took them under its wing and helped prepare them to be pastry chefs. They went through the long and winding road before they could see some cash in
their hands.
The project started almost three years ago with a small sponsorship from Petronas Gas Bhd, one of the subsidiaries of the national oil company. It was the intention of everyone involved in the project to help these single mothers become entrepreneurs who could stand on their own two feet.
The village committee also threw its support behind these ladies. After almost three years, there are clear signs that this can be achieved sooner than expected. A lot of work has been put into transforming these ladies from simple cake makers to that of commercial producers.
Some of them have been making cakes and pastries in their own home, assisted, sometimes, by their children or siblings.
They produce Malay cakes, such as curry puff, kueh koci, apam, kueh talam, fried popiah and seri muka, and nasi lemak, which they sell on a daily basis.
There are 12 single mothers who have proven their capability to produce cakes and pastries consistently and regularly. There’s a lot of work still to be done but Noorazizah Brahim, Mama Langat’s supervisor, said a lot of effort was put in to get them to the present level of competency.
Azizah said: “These ladies are hardworking, no doubt about it. But handling them and coaxing them to reach this level requires tact and a certain degree of firmness.
“I made it very clear to them. If they want to be successful, they have to retune their mind from that of a home cake maker to that of a commercial cake producer. I’m glad that they are working very hard to put into effect this transformation.
“I’m working on a fresh marketing strategy for Mama Langat. We are creating awareness about the brand, distributing flyers, putting up our own website and creating a presence in social media.
“We are going to participate in food exhibitions while we prepare to introduce barcode labelling into our packaging. We are not there yet, but it’s just a matter of time before we start competing with the big brands. InsyaAllah, Mama Langat will be a respected brand in good time!”
Azizah, who herself is a single mother, is a qualified counsellor.
She holds two degrees plus a master’s degree from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). She hails from Melaka and pursues her career with a passion that rubs off on her colleagues.
She has two children and both are working hard to help their mother after their father died in 2016.
Besides supervising Mama Langat, Azizah frequently counsels cancer patients besides giving lessons as a tutor at UKM and Universiti Putra Malaysia.
She brings her experience as a counsellor to guide Mama Langat ladies to rise above their personal issues and become productive and committed entrepreneurs.
In the early years, Mama Langat had its own problems when fulfilling orders. They were not so responsive when others show them a better way to produce quality cakes and pastries.
In fact, there was one occasion where the cakes they baked were returned for sub-standard quality. But there was a blessing in this.
This started a major turnaround in attitude, which is now the basis for Azizah’s confidence in her co-workers.
Let us wish Azizah and her single mother colleagues all the best. They deserve our support. The next time you see the Mama Langat brand, don’t hesitate.
Buy a few packets immediately. At between RM1.50 and RM2 a packet, they are actually affordable.
Ahmad A Talib is the chairman of Yayasan Salam Malaysia. He can be reached via ahmadt51@gmail.com and Twitter: @aatpahitmanis