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Pandemic Helps Malaysian Microbusiness Dreams Come True

Dave Grunebaum

   PETALING JAYA, MALAYSIA - The mornings for Khris Teri of Halo Doughnut
   mean time for making sweet treats with flavors such as lemon pop and
   cinnamon affair, along with burnt and salty. Her labor intensive,
   artisanal sourdough doughnuts are made entirely from scratch. The menu
   changes every week with four flavors of doughnuts for customers to
   choose from.

   "Our doughnuts are all made by hand," Teri says. "There are no
   machines. I'm the machine," she added with a chuckle.

   Working in the food business marks a shift for Teri, 32, who grew up in
   Kuala Lumpur. She was a video producer at a local creative agency until
   March when she quit her job thinking she would have no trouble finding
   a new one. Days later, the current economic crisis happened and her job
   prospects seemed to plunge. With a love for cooking, Teri started
   making doughnuts for friends and posting photos on Instagram.

   "One of my best friends said, 'Khris I think you should sell this,'"
   Teri recalled. "I think you should make this into a business," she
   added.

   It wasn't the first time Teri had heard this suggestion. At first, she
   worked out of her mother's kitchen, but could usually only make about
   20 doughnuts a day. She talked things over with her boyfriend and now
   business partner, Raphael Mannadiar, a Canadian expatriate who has a
   business background and works in IT. He looked at the costs, crunched
   numbers, and made some projections before they decided to expand and
   work together.

   "It seemed like a good idea to do something she loved that could also
   work (financially)," Mannadiar said.

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