Local youthpreneur Miza Haziqah started her home-based business Mixitsdrinks brewing mojito drinks with no artificial flavours and added sugar, just pure fruits and mint leaves, giving a healthier drink option to the current market.
The local brand began its journey in October 2021 during the second wave of the pandemic which at the same time the entrepreneur was on her semester break, allowing her to explore and experiment with new drinks she learned from the internet.
For her, the business not only paved the way to try new things but also provides an opportunity to earn a side income during her studies.
“The idea came from my hobby because I love and am fascinated to see bartenders abroad making colourful and flavourful drinks that we rarely see in Brunei. So, I decided to start small and, in a way, help minimise diabetes, which is one of the major health problems in the country,” said the youthpreneur.
Mixitsdrinks has various types of beverages ranging from Premium to Classic Mojitos such as Skyla; an orange lime longan mojito, Starla; a strawberry peach lemon mojito, Sakura; a strawberry yogurt lemon mojito, Sunset; a strawberry orange watermelon mojito, Scarlett; a raspberry strawberry mojito, and Stella; a raspberry vanilla mojito.
To capture the attention of people in the market and fit into the aesthetics, the Premium Mojitos are made with unique flavours and fun colours.
As for the Classic Mojitos, there are the Orange Mojito, Strawberry Mojito, Watermelon Mojito, Green Apple Mojito, Mint mojito, Yogurt Mojito, Cherry Blossom Mojito, Lemonade and Classic mojito also known as the lime mint mojito.
Meanwhile, the best-selling mojitos of Mixitsdrinks are the Sunset, Sakura, Stella, the Classic Mojito and Lemonade.
“The uniqueness of my drinks is there is no sugar added at all. It is bright without adding any food colourings as the goal is to make it a healthy mojito,” said the 23-year-old.
As the business is still in its infancy stage, there are still more plans and products to come such as serving healthy food to complement the healthy drinks.
Not limited to that, the youth is also hoping to collaborate and sell her drinks at cafes as well as participate in pop-up events.
New to the business, Miza encountered several challenges has encountered such as limited time and resources.
She is currently a student at Politeknik Brunei taking Diploma level 5 in Entrepreneurship. She diligently divides her time between classes, assignments, and her business. However, when there is an influx of orders, she had to refuse some to spare time.
“The journey of becoming an entrepreneur was really tough starting from learning and gaining skills of making drinks from the internet alone is a challenge for myself,” said the youth.
She understands that starting out and lacking understanding of the market, there are bound to be losses.
For her, she needs to keep track of her resources and the limited ingredients such as fresh fruits, especially strawberries which are seasonal.
Moreover, Miza makes sure that her drinks are presentable and this is also a challenge for her as she needs to find suitable bottles for the mojitos.
With much learning and experimenting, the student has gained so much and managed to overcome the losses that she faced and is now enjoying her entrepreneurial life.
She believes that the key to building a business is to be mentally and physically ready. Since COVID-19 started, many things have changed and people need to be prepared but at the same time, open doors and opportunities to small businesses.
Give small businesses some support and help youths achieve their dreams by visiting this local entrepreneur’s Instagram @mixitsdrinks.
This article was first published on 28 May 2022 in our Weekly Epaper issue 195 |
THE BRUNEIAN | BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
