As part of MAGGI®’s Program Mentor Wanita Cukup Berani ongoing initiative, a six-episode reality TV series Resipi Berani MAGGI® was recently showcased. The reality show complements the programme’s learning and empowerment journey, as it provided skills and leadership enhancement opportunities for the show’s contestants – also known as mentees while showcasing their transformative journey towards achieving success.
Eight mentees were selected, from close to 1,000 women for the TV series, selected based on their resilience, courage and determination to succeed in their fledging home-based food business. The TV series was broadcasted on TV3 and MAGGI®’s YouTube Channel, showcasing the mentees going through a series of confidence-building, cooking and business challenges.
The Resipi Berani MAGGI®TV series featured three mentors who gave constant feedback and guidance to the mentees throughout the show. They were Food Enthusiast and Brand Ambassador of MAGGI® CukupRasa Datin Paduka Eina Azman; Director, Producer, Actress and Owner of The Dim Sum Place, Sheila Rusly; and Young Entrepreneur Icon 2019 and Owner of My Mum’s Bakery, Anne Idris. Each mentor focused on one particular area – Eina Azman was on cooking skills, Sheila Rusly was on confidence-building and Anne was on business and digital marketing coaching.
The Top 3 winners were Nur Hidayah Jeffri who emerged as the Grand Champion, while the first runner-up was Bibiamiani A. Ghani and the third-place winner was Mazzaton Miza Wahab.
(Hidayah & Chef MAGGI, Chef Muluk in Resipi Berani MAGGI®)
Prior to joining the MAGGI® programme and the reality TV series, all the top three contestants experienced life challenges, which affected their self-confidence. Hidayah is supporting her siblings, parents and grandparents while Bibiamiani is a single mother who also dabbled in her home-based business to raise her two children. Mazzaton was retrenched due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ventured into her sandwich-making business to help support her family.
Grand winner Hidayah would always be the first to admit that she is generally a shy person. However, she shared, “Prior to the programme, my confidence levels were three out of ten. But after going through the programme and gaining tips on various entrepreneurial and cooking skills, and being mentored by three experienced mentors, my confidence levels grew to a seven or eight out of ten. I am no longer afraid to take on new challenges. These learnings have also given me a strong belief that I can take my business to new heights.”
(Bibi in Resipi Berani MAGGI®)
One person who was not short of confidence and has a hard-working attitude is second-runner up Bibiamiani, fondly known as Bibi. Bibi is a single mother who has a full-time job in a telecommunications company and also runs a cooking paste business. The turning point for Bibi is when she embraced new digital and marketing strategies she learnt through the Bengkel Online Wanita Cukup Berani MAGGI® that she implemented in her food business. She shared, “I am a hard worker, but that does not always translate into automatic business success. This journey has taught me how to work smart – the importance of food presentation, branding and having a digital presence. Nobody is going to eat your food if it does not look stylish and good.”
(Miza in Resipi Berani MAGGI®)
Third place winner Mazzaton or ‘Miza’ truly embraces the MAGGI® spirit. Prior to the programme, Miza had lost her job due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She started a food business called Miz Bite’s Delight, which sells packed food and sandwiches. After learning new skills and knowledge from MAGGI®’s workshops and also the reality TV series, Miza started her brand-new cooking paste brand, Secret of Paste, which consists of Fried Rice, Sambal Balado, Mee Curry Nyonya and Ikan Bakar paste. Miza said, “To me, MAGGI® is not just about food, but about empowering ourselves. The brand has literally taught me how to always aim high and to never be complacent. My winning mindset is now my greatest strength.”
Sharing her thoughts on the Resipi Berani MAGGI®, Datin Paduka Eina Azman believed that the TV series challenges gave the mentees the right exposure to develop a winning mindset. She said, “I am so proud of all our mentees. Hidayah’s story and the journey is nothing short of inspiring. She was very timid when she first joined us, but with her positive attitude, she stayed focused on improving herself and always took our feedback well. She now has a structured approach on how to manage any given tasks, which has made her more assertive and positive.”
As the Grand Champion, Hidayah also received an eight-week personal mentorship session with entrepreneur icon, Anne Idris. Speaking about her experience in guiding Hidayah, Anne said, “I exposed her to everything you need to know and learn about running a home-based food business – from Sales Management, Customer Service and Retention, Social Media to Branding. She absorbed everything like a sponge and I am so proud of her. She really wants to be in this business which is not an easy industry, but it does have its rewards.”
MAGGI® intends to continue its journey of empowering and developing women through this mentorship initiative. Geetha Balakrishna, Business Executive Officer of MAGGI®, Nestlé (Malaysia) Berhad said, “The Resipi Berani MAGGI® marks the successful culmination of the Program Mentor Wanita Cukup Berani MAGGI® 2020. The series’ main objective is to highlight the transformation and emotional journey of the mentees, which will inspire other women to take that first step to try something new and bring a positive change for themselves and also their loved ones. We see how the mentees are able to step outside their comfort zone, overcome challenges and experience personal growth under the able guidance of the Mentors. We hope to able to support more women through Program Mentor Wanita Cukup Berani MAGGI® Chapter 2021.”
Geetha concluded, “One of the main goals of Program Mentor Wanita Cukup Berani MAGGI® is to inspire more women to step outside their comfort zone to try something new – embracing the Tak Kenal, Tak Cinta spirit – be it in the kitchen or in life!”. To view all the six episodes of the Resipi Berani MAGGI® reality TV series, log onto MAGGI®‘s website at www.maggi.my and YouTube Channel.
To register for the Bengkel Online Wanita Cukup Berani MAGGI®, please log on to https://www.maggi.my/ms/aktiviti-maggi/maggi-cukup-rasa/ The upcoming workshop will be held from 12 to 14 October 2021. Selected participants will also have the opportunity to attend the all-new exclusive Masterclass: How To Run A Food Business.
