Tradewinds Eyes Stronger Local Food Presence, Regional Expansion
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 26 (Bernama) -- Conglomerate Tradewinds Malaysia Bhd is eyeing stronger market presence in the local food industry and growing its business portfolio to become a reputable regional player.
Its head of business development, Farhan Hafetz, said Tradewinds is a holding company with stakes in numerous food companies, but awareness of the company remains limited.
He noted that the company hold shares in several food-related companies, including Jasmine Food Corporation Sdn Bhd, OEL Realty Holdings Sdn Bhd, and United Malayan Flour (1996) Sdn Bhd.
"If you look at Thailand's CP Group, it is huge. They are starting to own a lot of businesses, even in Malaysia.
"We aspire to be a similar kind of company, a food conglomerate in Malaysia that also exports regionally and internationally. There are a lot of food categories that we are looking into," said Farhan.
He said this during an interview with the Bernama Mobile Studio programme on "Exploring the Impact of Sponsorship and Exhibition” at the Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS) 2026, here today.
Farhan said Tradewinds joined MIHAS 2026 for the first time to raise awareness of the company and its business activities.
The company also partnered with Saudi Arabia-based poultry producer, Tanmiah Food Company, to explore Malaysia as a regional hub for its expansion into Southeast Asia.
The partnership was formally introduced during the showcase, where Tradewinds made its first public appearance alongside Tanmiah, which announced the collaboration during the World Halal Business Conference on Thursday.
Tanmiah chose Malaysia as part of its expansion plan due to the country’s strategic geographical location in Southeast Asia, as well as its well-established and highly respected halal ecosystem.
"The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM), as many people know, holds the global standard for halal in terms of the overall processing, not just the certification, but from every single detail.
"That is one of the reasons why they chose Malaysia and Tradewinds as the right partner, as Tradewinds is one of the largest food corporations in Malaysia," he said.
While importing poultry products from overseas can be challenging, Farhan said the company would work with relevant government agencies, including the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS), the Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services Department (MAQIS) and JAKIM to facilitate the large-scale import of Tanmiah’s poultry products into Malaysia.
He said that as the process would take time, Tradewinds would leverage its participation in MIHAS to raise its visibility among the relevant government agencies and seek their assistance in expediting the process.
“The first process for us will be to bring their products into the Malaysian market and explore the potential and see market acceptance.
“Then we move on towards potentially building the facility, and any other potential investments in the poultry industry will come from us as a partnership,” said Farhan.
MIHAS 2026, themed “Shaping Trust, Driving Resilience”, which runs from Sept 23-26, features 2,000 booths, 1,700 exhibitors and 450 international buyers from 58 countries.
The 22nd edition of MIHAS recorded RM5.5 billion in sales by the fourth day of the event, while visitor numbers reached 30,000 as of the third day, putting it on track to meet its target of 50,000 visitors.
-- BERNAMA