UMP student Oden food business gained popularity and good income for him

Lady Luck was indeed smiling on Mohd Nazarni Che Isa whose Oden food business has become a viral sensation.

The chemical engineering master’s degree student said he did not expect his food business to take off that good and had now become a source of income for him.

He started out his business with a capital of RM300 to buy raw material and utensils and now he earned between RM1,300 to RM1,500 daily.

“The steamboat style food, Oden, has become popular and has gone viral in the social media. This idea came about after a convenience store from Japan starts its operation in the country and introduced the steamboat style food.

“When people began searching for the food on social media, it made me curious and I went to several restaurants that serve Oden. From there, I tried creating my own version of Oden sauce,” he said.

He then set up a kiosk that was provided by the Entrepreneur Unit at UMP Amphitheatre in Gambang Campus, under the name, UMP Bamsis Oden.

“On the first day, I took up the courage to sell 600 sticks of various types of fish balls and was grateful that they were well-received.

“The good response from customers motivated me to continue with the business. Most of them like the sauce and said that the hot, sour and thick sauce will surely make Oden lovers sweat. The aroma itself will make one drools,’’ he said, laughing.
 
He added that customers could chill out at his place as stools and tables were provided.

“It is sold at only RM1 per stick and there are various flavours. The price is very cheap as compared to other places.

“UMP Bamsis Oden is opened from Monday to Thursday from 9.30am-5.15pm,” he said.

In order to attract more customers, Mohd Nazarni also sold fresh milk, ready-to-eat food such as cut fruits, yogurt, kek batek and doughnuts.

On the success of his business, Mohd Nazarni said one must have patience and resilience and quality was of utmost importance.

However, he admitted that it was a challenging task in dividing his time between studies and business but he had now hired two part-time workers who were also UMP students, which also helped them to earn some extra money.

Mohd Nazarni said he would like to express his gratitude to UMP for providing the opportunities for students to become entrepreneurs and hoped that other students would take up the same opportunity because the experience gained would be useful once they joined the workforce.