Saji - Super Brands

party professional distribution team to do all
product deliveries and warehousing, including
Saji cooking oil. This has helped speed up
deliveries across the nation, and made Saji
cooking oil readily available.
ensure this is consistent for both domestic and
exported products.
MARKET
From humble family meals, to hotel banquets,
Malaysians bond over food, and fried food is
one of the nation’s first loves. When it comes
to frying, or deep frying, palm olein is an ideal
choice due to the robustness of the oil, its cost
effectiveness and its ready availability in the local
market.
Capitalising on its popularity as a preferred
cooking oil, the Saji brand has captured more
than 30% of the domestic market. It has also
entered the ASEAN market, first with Brunei
in 2003, followed by Myanmar, Philippines,
Cambodia, and Laos. Most recently it has
penetrated markets in China, Vietnam, the
Dominican Republic, as well as Madagascar in
2014.
Although palm olein has long been popular
in Malaysia, its popularity in other ASEAN
countries such as Myanmar and Laos
has been more gradual. This may have
been due to previous negative market
experiences with traders who
sold poor quality palm oil.
Therefore, when Saji entered
these markets, it placed
considerable emphasis on
educating
consumers
through
knowledge
sharing
sessions
with retailers, health
practitioners
and
users. Those efforts,
coupled with above
the line support in
television, newspapers,
magazines,
and
a
TV
programme
cum cooking show
in
Cambodia
and
Myanmar, have proven
to
be
successful
methods of developing
the palm oil market in
those regions.
Primarily targeting
consumers in mid
to
upper
income
households that enjoy
deep fried cooking
and fried dishes, the
brand owns the supply
chain of oil production
54
|
SUPERBRANDS VOLUME VIII
from the plantation through to distribution, so it
is able to deliver its products to consumers in
the shortest period of time. For end users, this
means the freshest stock is continuously being
delivered to distributors and retailers.
Saji cooking oil is currently available in three
convenient package sizes that include 1 kg, 2 kg
and 5 kg. The brand is also expanding into other
packaged good products and is focused on
strengthening its hold in the culinary category,
a category it recently entered with its range of
sauces. The brand has been well promoted
with in-store displays that have helped propel
visibility, while its on-air marketing support has
also helped increase brand desirability.
At this point in time, Saji is widely used
by both residential consumers, as well as
commercially in hotels, restaurants, and catering
companies.
ACHIEVEMENTS
On the technical side, the brand
has been equipping its facilities
with prestigious certifications
that will strengthen its ongoing
production capabilities. In
2012 Saji achieved ISO
9001
and
HACCP
quality
standard
certifications, as well as
a Product Certification
License from SIRIM
QAS
International
Sdn
Bhd.
These
accomplishments
reflect the brand’s
commitment
to
maintain
systems
that
provide
a
foundation for higher
customer satisfaction,
staff
motivation
and
continuous
improvement.
The
entire
workforce, including
top
management,
strives
to
meet
customer
and
stakeholder needs by
monitoring, controlling
and improving product
quality. These thorough
and systematic manufacturing procedures,
that include inspection of raw materials, and
processes that are in accordance with the Code
of Practice for Processing and Refining of Edible
Palm Oil, ensure Saji conforms with the Malaysia
Food Act & Regulations 1987.
In addition, all Saji products are HALAL
Certified by the Islamic Development Department
of Malaysia (JAKIM). The brand has also been
selected as a recipient of Brand Laureate and
Superbrand awards.
HISTORY
Established in the year 2000, Delima Oil
Products Sdn Bhd (DOPSB) has evolved into a
diversified company with operations that include
palm oil refining, manufacturing of processed
palm oil products, and distribution of industrial
and consumer products. The Saji cooking oil
brand, formerly known as Angsa Emas (Golden
Goose), was launched in 2000 to reflect a more
modern brand position. At that time, it had only
been distributed in the Klang Valley area and
was focused on traditional trade channels. The
increased capacity created by the first refinery
facility in Port Klang, drove the company to
establish the Saji brand to sell more volume
and capture a greater market share. The catchy
brand name has helped the company gain
a competitive edge, while also reflecting the
brand’s legacy of serving good food and great
products.
PRODUCT
As an upstream integrated organisation, Saji
ensures the harvested palm fruits are brought
quickly to the mills, and that the refined oils are
efficiently sent to manufacturing facilities for
final processing and packaging. With access to
such fresh raw materials consumers enjoy the
benefit of the freshest oil, with the longest shelf
life, at point of sale. Great effort is expended to
A clear golden liquid at room temperature,
Saji Cooking Oil is made of from the finest, most
superior quality Refined Bleach Deodorised (RBD)
Palm Olein. It is extremely versatile for frying and
cooking and is widely used in the food industry.
Rich with Vitamin E, it contains no cholesterol
and has no after taste. Its product quality is
maintained by using only the highest quality
grade of Halal certified, double fractioned palm
oil (CP6). Able to withstand temperatures of 235
°C without changing its chemical composition,
palm olein is ideal for high temperature cooking
methods such as deep frying. The same oil can
be used up to three times under normal frying
use.
Packaged in round bottles since the year
2000, which was the market norm at the time,
there are future plans to change the bottle
design into something more streamlined and
user friendly. The label, however, was updated
in 2012 to reflect a more modern culinary look.
In 2011, Saji launched SajiMee instant
noodles in four flavours; SajiMayo All Purpose
Dressing; and SajiKrimer, beverage creamers, in
two variants. Then, in 2013, it engaged a third
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
At the end of 2013, Saji made its foray into
the culinary category via the introduction of
two soy sauce variants, chilli and tomato,
and oyster sauce. It also expanded its factory
in Pasir Gudang to increase manufacturing
capacity, which in the long term will enable it
to serve strong demands from the international
market. Further expansion and production floor
innovations are expected throughout 2015.
The company has been actively expanding
its international distributorship agreements.
A January 2014 deal with its Cebu Island,
Philippines distributor has enabled Saji to
penetrate the Central Philippines region, as well
as the Cagayan de Oro Islands - areas which are
still largely untapped. It is also in negotiations
with potential distributors in Nepal, southern
India, and China. PROMOTION
Saji cooking oil’s popularity is bolstered by
various marketing efforts including television
commercials, billboard ads, radio ads, recipe
pages in magazines and strong distributor
partnerships. It has become the main sponsor
for the number one entertainment cum cooking
show in Malaysia, which has helped fortify its
connection to, and understanding of, consumer
needs in the local market. It has also been given
the opportunity to sponsor category headers in
some outlets.
The company participates in various onground activities to bring the brand closer to
consumers. Events such as the Saji Carnival
at Modern Trade, offer two days of carnival
like selling and activities, while cooking demo
events in Felda settlement areas, in colleges,
and during the MAHA (Malaysian Agriculture
and Horticulture Exhibition), the Minggu Saham
Amanah, and HalalFest all aim to keep the brand
name top-of-mind. On the international front, Saji
has participated at Dubai Food (UAE), WOFEX
(Philippines), and numerous Palm Oil Trade
Seminars organised by the Malaysian Palm Oil
Council (MPOC), such
as in Karachi, Egypt,
and other parts of the
world.
BRAND VALUES
With its recent entry
into the culinary world,
Saji has developed
a new brand essence that rightly portrays its
vision of being a major culinary influence in the
Malaysian kitchen. The new tagline “Sentuhan
Keajaiban”, or in English “Magical Cooking”,
reflects changes in consumer dynamics and
drives the brand’s goal to increase its yummy
factor.
The company is committed to further
expanding its distribution to ensure consumers
can easily access Saji products when they
want them, where they want them, and in the
sizes they require. Continuous and consistent
communication is helping to build a deeper
understanding that meets the sensory needs of
consumers.
www.fgvdelima.com
THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT
SAJI
• Saji in Bahasa means “to serve”; it
reflects the brand’s commitment to
serve the best products to consumers.
• Saji cooking oil has no taste, or smell,
and it does not affect cooking. That is
why Saji cooking oil is suitable for all
dishes.
• Palm oil’s ability to remain stable at a
temperature of 235 °C makes palm olein
the best oil for high temperature frying,
and deep frying.
• The golden yellow hues of the oil
indicates presence of beta carotene (a
naturally occurring substance in palm
olein) which actually has anti-oxidant
properties.
M A L AY S I A’ S S T R O N G E S T B R A N D S
|
55