Fadli Mahmod’s entrepreneurial journey started in his own kitchen, from blending chickpeas to finding the right balance of tahini and lemon.
Since 2020, the 24-year-old has dedicated himself to perfecting his own hummus recipe after experimenting with different flavours and ingredients.
Then in August 2023, what began as a hobby during the pandemic slowly grew into a homegrown business dubbed Hummusfera.
Fadli discovered his growing desire to craft his own batches of hummus during his final years of university after spotting a gap in the local market.
“When the pandemic hit in 2020, I was unable to return to the UK to attend the final year of my Bachelor’s degree. I was craving for hummus and just tried making it at home. I just simply learnt the recipe from google and the techniques on YouTube,” he shared.
Fadli created the business with the hope of sharing his passion for hummus with others. The youthpreneur have grown with the business, learning and trying out new things along the way.
“Back when I was a student in the UK, you would always find at least one container of store-bought hummus in my fridge. I would eat them with chips as a snack while studying in my room or sometimes even as my dinner; I would eat them with two hard-boiled eggs,” said Fadli.
“I wish to share this experience with everyone in Brunei; to enable people to appreciate the taste of Hummus beyond what it is traditionally known to taste like; to explore the different flavours while giving them a peace of mind with regards to the nutritional value they consume,” he added.
Although the youthpreneur had no prior experience with creating his own hummus brand but with the help and inspiration of family, he decided to take the leap of faith.
“Surrounded by people who do have online businesses, my mom and my sisters, it provided me the confidence to just take on this first risk and carefully manage them as I learn more about the market,” he said.
Hummusfera started off with the classic combination eventually expanding its offerings to include three different flavours: Caramelized Onion, Sweet Chili, and Truffle – their first premium flavour.
“Most of the flavours I have currently are based on what I usually get in the UK supermarkets. Our Truffle Hummus however, is a special flavour that I have always been wanting to try – solely because I am a huge fan of truffle. So, I thought it was a good idea to try developing the flavour and add them to our menu,” he explained.
According to the founder, the name “Hummusfera” comes from the wordplay on the Malay word ‘Hemisfera’ or hemisphere in English.
Since its launch, the online-based business has been receiving encouraging responses from the public.
“People have been enjoying the variety of different hummus flavours available that they could choose. I was actually quite surprised by the number of people who are interested and actually know about flavoured hummus; for them having little-to-no market in Brunei before Hummusfera,” he said.
Over the past few months, Fadli has joined various pop-up events and grown the brand’s social media presence
According to the 24-year-old, social media has also played a big part in Hummusfera’s business journey.
“I have always been a fan of creating a face for a business on Instagram. Branding is secretly a hobby of mine; I would look up brands on Instagram of mostly independent businesses from abroad to inspire me should I plan to open up a business,” he shared.
“Instagram has helped me construct how I would want Hummusfera to be perceived as. The profile page is essentially Hummusfera’s virtual exterior architectural design of our store,” he added.
“The useful tools Instagram Business offer play an important role in Hummusfera’s market reach. This is the platform where our business announces when and where our next pop-up store would be,” he further added.
All that said, Fadli also acknowledged that there have been some trials and errors throughout the journey, and that he is still learning about the business world.
“As a newcomer in the business realm, the biggest challenge for me is definitely taking on the risk of my initial investment in Hummusfera,” he explained.
“Although it is relatively a very small business, spending on items such as the tools, ingredients, online advertising charges, pop-up registration fees can be daunting for someone who had never run a business before and especially one that had zero information on the hummus market in Brunei,” he added.
He also noted that it takes time to build a brand, as well as strong relationships and trust with his customers.
Looking to the future, the entrepreneur said that he wants to focus on learning and growing with the business. Adding more items to their menu to give customers more options.
“Some of the flavours we are considering in the future include Spicy Sriracha, Pesto and Sambal Hijau – which can be a fun fusion with our malay heritage,” he shared.
“For now, the plan is to reach more customers through online advertising and frequent pop-up participations. One of my next targets would be developing our products so they could sell in our local supermarkets as Brunei’s first locally-made flavoured hummus that are readily available daily for public consumption,” he added.
When opening a business, Fadli advises budding entrepreneurs to always invest in something they are personally committed to.
“Your products should be something that you are passionate about and things that you yourself would want to consume. Quality must be a top priority and commit wholeheartedly to the tasks at hand and never settle for the bare-minimum. Don’t be just a business person, become an investor – think long-term,” he concluded.
THE BRUNEIAN | BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
