PENAMPANG: Kembara Kitchen Sabah (KKS), which began operations in Sabah in April this year, has expanded its reach with the opening of a new outlet, Makan Bah Solution (MBS).
It would provide food and serve as a one-stop community support centre at Cyber Perdana, here.
KKS has a long history of humanitarian work in Sabah. Its headquarters is located in Shah Alam, Selangor, founded by William Cheah.
According to KKS Sabah head Steavaynie Ginadus, it is capable of mobilising emergency food aid within 24 to 48 hours following a disaster.
It has provided assistance to affected communities in areas such as Beaufort, Paitan and Kota Marudu, and has also participated in overseas humanitarian missions, including relief efforts in Nepal following an earthquake.
The organisation has responded to various emergencies, including floods, fires and earthquakes, demonstrating its readiness to provide timely assistance to communities in need.
“We are prepared to deploy food aid to communities affected by disasters across Sabah and abroad,” she said.
A key feature of the newly opened MBS outlet is its range of ready-to-eat (RTE) food products prepared using retort technology, which allows meals to remain safe for consumption for up to two years without refrigeration.
Stavynie said KKS sourced its products directly from local farmers and fishermen, helping to strengthen local supply chains while ensuring a steady supply of food products.
The initiative also creates income opportunities for low-income vendors by enabling them to participate in direct supply chains and market their products through the social enterprise’s network.
Meanwhile, RTK (Randawi Tavantang Kaamatan) Sabah 2023 winner Tommy Gedius signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to become an ambassador for MBS.
He expressed hope that the collaboration would encourage more vendors to participate and raise awareness of the centre’s role as a one-stop destination for affordable food and community support services.
Another MoU was signed with MyRetort to facilitate technical knowledge transfer, training and the supply of retort machines through the centre.
The collaboration aims to provide Sabahans with a comprehensive, one-stop solution for their retort industry needs, reducing the need to seek such services elsewhere.
Cheah said vendors interested in supplying ready-to-eat and packaged food products could learn retort processing techniques by attending training programmes at the centre, eliminating the need to travel to Kuala Lumpur to access technical expertise and knowledge transfer.
The expansion of KKS through MBS is expected to strengthen food security efforts, improve access to affordable food products and support local entrepreneurs across Sabah.
The initiative also involves three Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) students pursuing entrepreneurship studies, who participate in operational activities as part of an exposure and development programme.