Popular Malaysian food brands
Ask any Malaysian what our country is best known for, and chances are, you’ll get “food” as a response. Apart from locally-loved dishes like nasi lemak and roti canai that find their origins in Malaysia, you’ll find a bunch of popular food brands that you might not know have their roots here too.
We gathered a list of 15 of them that have humble beginnings in Malaysia, with many having since expanded internationally.
1. Marrybrown
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
It’s hard to talk about crispy fried chicken without bringing KFC into the conversation. But Malaysia happens to have its own homegrown brand that serves delicious deep-fried chicken: Marrybrown.
This Malaysia-based fast food restaurant chain was founded by Dato Lawrence Liew and Datin Nancy Liew in Johor Bahru way back in 1981. Since their early days of operations, they’ve been committed to offering quality Halal-certified fast food to their customers, especially in Muslim-majority nations.
They’ve since successfully branched out to countries across the globe. Currently, they have over 500 outlets in countries such as India, Iran, Bahrain, Maldives, Qatar, Tanzania, and Sweden. They are also the first local restaurant to become a franchise in Malaysia in 1986, earning it a spot in the Malaysia Book of Records in 1998 as the “First Malaysian Fast Food Franchise”.
2. Rotiboy
Image credit: Rotiboy Malaysia via Facebook
It’s almost impossible to ignore the whiff of a Rotiboy baked good when you’re walking past one of their kiosks. This bakery chain is known for their iconic butter-filled coffee buns, also called Mexican coffee buns. Like most origin stories of good food, the buns are widely believed to be brought to Asian countries by Mexican migrants.
Rotiboy is one spot that’s dedicated to making these crunchy-exterior buns. They opened in Penang back in April 1998, and expanded operations to Klang Valley in 2001. They now have outlets globally in Singapore, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Korea and more, as well as manufacturing facilities in Malaysia and Indonesia.
3. 100PLUS
Image credit: Amazon
If it’s not cans of Coca Cola, we’re helping ourselves to some 100PLUS to cool down on a hot day in Malaysia. The drink was actually launched in 1983 as the first isotonic beverage in the country, with the local sporting community in mind. It was made by both Malaysia and Singapore.
The caffeine-free drink is now a staple beyond athletes, becoming an alternative, more health-conscious, fizzy drink among everyday Malaysians – especially when we’re feeling “heaty”. Currently, the canned drink is sold throughout Asia and Oceania, including Papua New Guinea and South Korea, as well as Canada, Australia, and the UK.
4. Massimo
Image credit: Food Processing Technology
The Singapore-bred Gardenia bread is a go-to carb among Malaysians – we even faced a shortage of it during the pandemic. But for something a bit more homegrown, Massimo is a born-and-bred Malaysian brand that emerged in 2011 to bring locals quality Italian bread – hence their international name and brand colours of red, green, and white.
Their name is inspired by the Italian luxury fashion brand, Massimo Dutti, that they seek to emulate with their focus on the tradition of Italian baking with modern day techniques.
They are best known for their loaves and cream buns, which are churned out at their factory in Klang that bakes 16,000 loaves per hour.
5. San Francisco Coffee
Image credit: San Francisco Coffee via Facebook
In 1998, San Francisco Coffee made its first appearance in the country, promising to bring to Malaysians freshly brewed cups of coffee that could rival Starbucks and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. And that it has. Two decades later, the coffee chain continues to deliver coffee drinks and pastries to patrons as a Malaysian-based, US-founded spot – the founder of the brand is Robert Boxbell from San Francisco, hence its name.
In 2004, the coffee brand expanded to Hong Kong after opening stores in Singapore and Manila in 1999. In Malaysia, they currently operate over 50 stores in six states.
6. Lingham’s
Image credit: Linghams Chilli Sauce UK via Facebook
Tabasco, who? Lingham’s sweet-and-spicy chilli sauce is a household staple that’s sold on the shelves of supermarkets in 25 countries – the UK, the US, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, India, and Australia included.
This iconic red-and-yellow-labelled sauce has its roots in Penang – it was launched in 1908 by India-born Mr Lingham, who sold the company in 1945 to return to his homeland. The chilli sauce was so popular that it even received a letter of appreciation from the Buckingham Palace.
7. Munchy’s
Image credit: Munchy’s
A lot of us reach for biscuits, whether for breakfast or as a teatime snack. Among the famous brands that we reach for when we’re feeling snack-y is Munchy’s, known for its Lexus sandwich biscuits, Muzic wafer bites, and Oat Krunch biscuits.
By the look and feel of the products that you’d find on supermarket shelves today, it’s easy to mistake Munchy’s as an imported biscuit brand. But they are actually a Malaysia-based snack food manufacturer founded in 1991 in Batu Pahat, Johor, by the Tan brothers.
The brand’s international expansion began in 1997 with the founding of Munchworld Marketing, which is responsible for the worldwide distribution of their products. Munchy’s is now known internationally with its products available in more than 50 countries around the world, including Bangladesh, Nepal, Mongolia, Yemen, South Africa, Libya, and Iraq.
8. Dutch Lady
Image credit: Berita Harian
Many of us have fond memories of sipping on cartons of Dutch Lady milk as kids. From their name, we would assume that the brand belongs to the Dutch and has their roots in the Netherlands. But the milk brand was founded over 60 years ago in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, where they started operations as Pacific Milk Industries (Malaya) Sdn Bhd.
The brand name for Dutch Lady was originally known as Dutch Baby, as they pioneered the production of dairy-based baby food in Malaysia as early as the 70s. They were the first company to introduce formulated milk powder for children in Malaysia. They’ve since grown into a well-known milk producer around Asia, supplying dairy products to Brunei, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore, and the Philippines.
They are also currently a subsidiary of FrieslandCampina, a multinational dairy cooperative based in the Netherlands.
9. Appeton
Image credit: Appeton Uganda via Facebook
You’ve probably heard of the supplement brand Appeton when you were a kid – they were the go-to option for most mums looking to buy health supplements for their children. This popular brand was also founded locally in 1982, and is owned by Kotra Pharma, a pharmaceutical company headquartered in Melaka.
They now export their products to over 30 international markets such as Hong Kong, Mauritius, Myanmar, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Nigeria, and Greece – just to name a few. The supplement brand is also considered a national pride, as they’ve racked up several local and international business awards over the years.
10. Secret Recipe
Image credit: Zig Zag Builders via Facebook
When it comes to getting fancy cakes from bakeries, many of us turn to Secret Recipe. This cafe chain was established in Malaysia way back in 1997, by Malaysian businessman Tan Sri Dato’ Steven Sim. Since their debut over 20 years ago, they’ve grown rapidly, establishing outlets in Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, China, Brunei, Cambodia, the Maldives, and Bangladesh.
Currently, Secret Recipe has a whopping 440 and counting cafes throughout Asia, making it the largest cafe chain company in Malaysia – talk about international expansion.
11. Carotino
Image credit: @bestfmmalaysia via Instagram
Malaysia is the world’s second-largest producer and exporter of palm oil, a cooking oil found in the kitchens of most Malaysian homes. The yellow version of this oil is what most of us are familiar with. But you may have noticed a red version of this cooking oil sold in fancy glass bottles with the name Carotino.
And chances are, you’ve thought this was an imported product due to their products’ high price. But Carotino is actually a local brand that produces staple ingredients such as butter, ghee, and salad dressing, apart from high-quality palm oils.
Established locally decades ago, the oil producer has since expanded their operations to over 30 countries worldwide. Among their many recognitions received, Carotino clinched the Gold Medal at the 22nd International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1994.
Fun fact: Carotino’s name is derived from the word Carotenes, the brick-red pigment found in palm fruits that’s also found in their famous red palm oils.
12. Sushi King
Image credit: EVO Mall
Japanese food is loved by millions around the world, including Malaysians. In Malaysia, there’s the popular restaurant chain, Sushi King, that we visit to satiate our cravings for sushi and other Japanese staple foods at affordable prices. With how legit their menu offerings taste, many of us have come to believe that the restaurant is from Japan itself.
While Sushi King’s founder, Tan Sri Dato’ Seri (Dr.) Fumihiko Konishi, is from Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture in Japan, the restaurant was actually established in Malaysia – they also introduced the concept of sushi kaiten (conveyor belt) to Malaysians.
Formerly known as Sushi Kin, the restaurant started in Kuala Lumpur in 1995 with just one outlet. Since its opening, it has expanded with over 100 outlets across Malaysia, becoming the largest sushi kaiten–concept restaurant chain in the country – you’ll find a Sushi King outlet in every state in Malaysia.
13. US Pizza
Image credit: US Pizza Malaysia via Facebook
You might think that the “US” in US Pizza stands for the US of A. But it’s actually a translation of the Malay word “kita” in English, as the owner clarified recently in 2023.
The story goes that the pizza chain was founded in Malaysia in 1997 by Donald Duncan, who worked in Kansas City, Missouri, before bringing over his experience and opening the first US Pizza store here. Today, the pizza joint continues to dish out flavourful American-style pizzas, many with a local twist – they were the brand behind the viral and outlandish Cendol and Cempedak Pizzas.
14. Beryl’s
Image credit: Beryl’s via Facebook
To support locally made chocolates, Beryl’s is a homegrown chocolatier founded in 1995. They began crafting addicting chocolates for duty-free shops and supermarkets from its first factory at Desa Serdang in KL. They are now a known brand across the region, with their products reaching chocolate lovers in 15 countries worldwide.
Beyond packaging ready-to-consume chocolate bars and bites, they’ve also released chocolates to be used in the food and manufacturing industries.
15. Life
Image credit: Life Sauce via Facebook
If you grew up eating KFC in Malaysia, you may be well aware of the brand of sauce that comes with their fried chicken: Life. Since KFC originated from the US, many of us have long believed that all their condiments are similarly imported.
But Life is actually a local sauce brand established by Region Food Industries Sdn Bhd in 1978. To date, they are the largest sauce brand in Malaysia and has remained unchallenged for years. Life relocated their operations to Port Klang in April 2004, producing up to 3,400 metric tonnes of sauces per month in their factories.
Apart from Malaysia, the sauces are also exported to the supermarket shelves of well-known countries such as the UK, the US, Australia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong.
Popular Malaysian food brands
From Japanese sushi to premium cooking oils, Malaysian food brands have certainly created a name for themselves in the global business scene over the years. Despite their humble beginnings in Malaysia, these brands have shown us that with continued hard work, perseverance, and support, we can achieve great success in what we do.
As proud Malaysians, we should continue to show the same support to budding local businesses out there who deserve the opportunity, so many more can become successful international brands too.
Read more about Malaysia’s achievements here:
- Guinness World Records held by Malaysia
- Unique Guinness World Records held by Malaysia
- Inspiring inventions by anak-anak Malaysia
Cover image adapted from: Linghams Chilli Sauce UK via Facebook, US Pizza Malaysia via Facebook
This article was first published on 24th August 2022, and was last updated on 13th May 2024.