MAKKAH, A prayer made in front of the Kaabah during his umrah pilgrimage in 2010, seeking guidance to continue serving Malaysian pilgrims, marked the beginning of a Banting native’s journey into the catering industry in the Holy Land.

Sulaiman Ismail, 44, has been working towards fulfilling this vision since he arrived in Makkah at the age of 19. His goal was to build his own business empire and introduce Malaysian cuisine to the Arab community.

Armed with 10 years of experience as a cook with Lembaga Tabung Haji in the Holy Land starting from 1999 and his savings, Sulaiman was determined to venture into catering business despite being aware of the challenges ahead.

‘Alhamdulillah, I started my catering business in 2011 by cooking for umrah pilgrims. It was challenging because we had only four cooks. After six months, I obtained a residence permit and my business started to grow,’ he told the media recently.

However, he had to face various challenges to expand this business, including being deceived by a
business partner, resulting in a loss of RM500,000 before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, causing a nearly two-year hiatus.

With the remaining fighting spirit he had, Sulaiman opened his own company, Ibtizam Catering and Food Services Sdn Bhd, in December 2022, taking advantage of the opportunity provided by the Saudi Arabian government’s opening of business permits for foreigners.

‘Alhamdulillah, after many ups and downs in business, I’m now entrusted with providing meals for about 95 per cent of umrah pilgrims.

‘During the haj season, my company provides food for about 19 travel agencies that bring around 4,950 pilgrims using haj and mujamalah visas at 25 hotels around Aziziyah and Makkah,’ he said.

He added that all meals are served buffet-style three times a day with Malaysian dishes such as nasi lemak, mee goreng, sambal udang, sambal sotong kering, ubi kayu rebus and kuah kacang, along with traditional cakes like seri muka, ketayap and ondeh-ondeh.

All raw ingredients and spices used are specially impor
ted from the homeland three to four times a year to maintain the authenticity of the Malaysian cuisine.

‘Our perishable and non-durable items are sourced locally, while 54 types of items such as anchovies, coconut milk and juice are brought in from Malaysia,’ said Sulaiman, who has a team of six cooks and 47 staff of various races.

Asked about his recipe for success, Sulaiman said that opportunities in Saudi Arabia are always abundant.

However, the most crucial aspect is the willingness to make sacrifices, including leaving their family back home and being resilient in facing unexpected challenges, he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency