Yusuf Taiyoob: 6 Fun Facts About The Malaysian Date Mogul

Yusuf Taiyoob facts

You may not be familiar with his face, but you’ll surely know his name: Yusuf Taiyoob. When Ramadan comes around in Malaysia, his name is whispered in a sigh on radio ads to market quality dates, or kurma – it’s become synonymous with the fasting month among locals.

We rounded up some fun facts to get to know the man behind the staple Ramadan treat and how he started a date empire, becoming Malaysia’s very own “King of Dates”.

1. Yusuf Taiyoob is a true-blue Penangite

Image credit: The Star

Malaysia’s date mogul Yusuf Taiyoob was born in Tanjung Bungah, Penang, on 23rd December 1958. He is the eldest of four siblings.

He is a true-blue Penangite, with a distribution facility under his company Yusuf Taiyoob Sdn. Bhd. established in Bukit Minyak, Penang. He is also known for his generosity every Ramadan, contributing back to the state with donations of money and cartons of dates.

For his efforts, he was conferred the ‘Datuk Seri’ award in 2019.

2. He studied medicine in India

Before he turned a humble fruit into a full-fledged business, Taiyoob traveled far from home to enroll in a pre-university medicine course in India. However, he grew bored with it and found himself longing to be back in Penang even while holidaying at far-flung locales.

He eventually made the bold decision not to return to India while on a semester break in his hometown, deciding to dive into the world of entrepreneurship instead.

3. He started his first business by selling perfume

Image credit: Mapy.cz

At just 19 years old, and without any formal background in marketing or business, Taiyoob established his first business: a perfumery called Perfume of Penang, located at Penang’s Bayan Lepas International Airport, now known as Penang International Airport.

The business would transform to sell cosmetics under the name Yusuf Cosmetics two years later, as it failed to be a hit among locals. However, this was also short-lived.

4. He set up Yusuf Taiyoob in 1988

Image credit: Yusuf Taiyoob

Taiyoob started another business in 1988, mainly focusing on food items such as nuts, dates, and bakery ingredients. The eponymous brand proved to be a success, expanding with a storage facility in Penang that houses 7,000 metric tonnes of food and non-food products.

To date, Yusuf Taiyoob Sdn. Bhd. has over 30 types of dates and supplies 100 food products throughout the country and across Southeast Asia. Not all just food items, it also imports and distributes products such as herbal soaps.

They currently have outlets in Shah Alam, Kota Damansara, and Johor Bahru, beyond Penang.

5. The brand Yusuf Taiyoob is remembered from a whisper

Taiyoob wanted to create something catchy instead of a typical jingle that was produced by a lot of companies. He worked with Astro Radio, formerly known as AMP Radio Networks, to create a soundbite to be aired on national radio.

In an interview with Options, The Edge Malaysia, Taiyoob shared that he wanted to achieve something “unexpected” when he sat down to create the iconic “whispered” ad over 20 years ago. He also wanted it to be memorable, airing it only at Ramadan for their dates.

After AMP Radio Network’s content producer, Badrul Hashimm created the concept for the ad, several talents have contributed to the voiceover over the years, including Karen Bahrin and Nik Nor Azura Nik Mahmood.

6. Yusuf Taiyoob’s products are named after his children

Image credit: Shopee

Waseem, Safiya, and Safina are Yusuf Taiyoob’s best-selling dates among 30 other dates produced. They may seem like random names, but they happen to be the names of Taiyoob’s three beloved children. Their dates are now imported from countries all over the world, including Palestine, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, to areas like Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia.

Fun facts about Malaysia’s date mogul

Till today, the brand Yusuf Taiyoob continues to be affiliated with the iconic whisper. It’s become a memorable signifier that Ramadan is approaching when it’s heard on the radio, demonstrating the power of branding when it captures the essence of cultural tradition.

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