Dadih World

A young man’s love for dadih spurred him to start a business venture with his buddies.

WHEN you think of the dadih, a milk pudding made up of agar agar strips, sugar and milk, it tends to remind you of happy things. For Mohd Nadmin Roshdi, 28, it would bring back memories of afternoons spent watching his favourite cartoons as he polished off a dozen big cups of this sweet treat.

“I really liked dadih because it’s like ice cream. Cold, smooth and soft, it was my all-time favourite whether as a snack or a dessert.

“I remember how we would polish off 20 to 30 cups of dadih within a minute!” recalled Nadmin, a Kedahan who comes from a family of five siblings.

And lo, how the dadih would be the cause of many childhood disputes.

Relief on a hot day: Zamhuri enjoys a strawberry flavoured dadih.

There was always some disagreement with regard to the fair division of the dadih portions, laughed this father of one.

To Nadmin, the dadih was definitely comfort food. It would be used to reward good behaviour and till this day, this multi-level-marketing (MLM) agent turned entrepreneur would remember how the promise of a dadih treat would spur him to complete his school homework on time.

And when it came to fasting month, the dadih was always something he looked forward to when it came to breaking fast.

“It was the ideal thing because it was cold and took care of the thirst. It was also the ideal food to line the tummy before an actual meal because it was light,” he said.

Things were of course, much simpler in those days. The dadih was plain and devoid of any fancy flavours.

Not that it was any less delicious but it was as good as any homemade dadih could be. But one day, Nadmin’s mum, Harisun Ahmad, 53, returned from her Quran studies at the surau with a new dadih recipe from her religious teacher.

Inadvertently, this really got the ball rolling with our dadih lover and a year later in 2006, Nadmin embarked on the business of dadih making with only RM60 at the kitchen in his bachelor’s mess in Damansara, Kuala Lumpur, with the help of his buddies Mohd Zamhuri Yaacob, 24, and Mohamad Ismail, 29, whom he had met during his MLM days.

The completed goods were then sold at the night markets.

Zamhuri, a bachelor, who is in charge of overseeing the cooking process of the dadih, would remember how tough the early years were.

“Sometimes we had to transport the perishable goods by public bus, changing stations up to three times to get to the point of sale, not to mention standing under the heat and the rain,” recalled Zamhuri.

Today, the three entrepreneurs, who have established themselves in the market as Dadih World, have their own base complete with a cold room which is kept at 5°C to store their precious puddings.

This change, informed Nadmin, was made possible with the financial backing from an investor who prefers to remain anonymous.

Variety: The dadih comes in different flavours.

“I wrote him a business proposal a mile thick and convinced him of the viability of the business,” he beamed.

But more interesting than the logistics of running Dadih World is the ability of all the partners to work together.

Commenting on the presumption that too many cooks will spoil the soup, Nadmin points out that unlike the days when he used to squabble for his share of dadih with his siblings, he and his partners are not kids anymore.

“To run a business is not a one-man show. You need to see that each one has a role to play,” he said.

While these entrepreneurs may be experts in everything concerning their dadih, they are also keen to share their opinions on how to run a business when multiple partners are concerned.

With regard to keeping the peace, Mohamad, a father of two who comes from a family of 12 siblings, said that it is all boils down to one simple thing – respect.

“We are best of friends but there is a difference with being personal friends and business partners.

“There will be disputes along the way, of course. So, the most important thing is to be able to sit down and discuss the problem and we do this as often as we have to,” said Mohamad.

And yes, there will be times when the outcome of the decision will not be to every one’s liking.

“In this case, it boils down to the decision of the majority and it is up to everyone to respect that.

“Most important, the partners have to trust each other’s abilities and each individual must perform his best in his own division without interference from other partners,” pointed out Mohamad.

Herein, Zamhuri points out that where human relations are concerned, the fine lines can often become blurred. Whatever it is, he stressed that it was important to keep this in mind.

“At the end of the day, it is all about what’s good for the business. So, no matter what happens, we always bear in mind how the outcome of our actions will affect the business. Once you have this common goal, you will be able to keep things together,” said Zamhuri.

Dadih World is located at G-65, Jalan PJS 9/18, Pusat Perniagaan Lagoon Perdana, Bandar Sunway, Selangor (Tel/Fax: 03-5638 2752). They make home deliveries for 100 cups and above. Choice of flavours comes in chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, yam and corn.