A Visit to D.N.S. Kacang Putih Factory – Malaysia’s 1st Kacang Putih Exporter
I had the opportunity to visit the factory of D.N.S. Kacang Putih in Menglembu recently. For those who do not know, D.N.S. is a household name for kacang putih snacks and nuts. It made an even bigger splash when it became the first Malaysian company to export kacang putih. D.N.S. Kacang Putih is a fellow awardee of the Perak Tourism Awards 2017. This company was the recipient for the category Most Popular Food Product.
D.N.S. has a retail and wholesale store near its first factory, located at Kampung Kacang Putih, Buntong. The factory in Menglembu is its second with an administrative office, where operations are overseen by Nerumal Kumar, third generation in the business.
According to Neru, this kacang putih business was first established in 1938 by his grandfather, who came to Malaya from Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu. Although already into making kacang putih back home in India, he had to begin his trade from scratch in his new homebase, Gunung Cheroh, subsequently moving to Buntong in 1977.
Bus commuters who boarded or disembarked at Medan Kidd decades ago, probably bought their crunchy snacks from the founder of D.N.S. Kacang Putih.
Neru’s father began helping out in the business when he was still in school, at 12 years of age. The father-and-son tag team plied their trade at Medan Kidd bus station, while the mother set up a stall at MHS Ipoh school.
At the age of 15, Neru’s father took over the business, as a consequence, leaving school for good. Business was as usual for D.N.S. until another 15 years later, when kacang putih was delivered to Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Johor, via a small van.
It took another decade for D.N.S. Kacang Putih to be known outside Malaysia, when enquiries began coming in from Singapore, Australia, England and China. Making its first export shipment in 2013 was a momentous occasion for the company, spelling even bigger things to come.
Today, D.N.S. kacang putih snacks and nuts are known as premium grade products that are sold in Singapore, China and Australia. Next country to target, said Neru, is England, focusing on the cities of London and Manchester.
D.N.S. produces 8 types of kacang putih; Sival Garlic is its top seller, followed by Omapodi, Star Muruku, Pagoda, Curry Star, Mixture Special, Original Mixture and Omapodi Spicy.
Did you know that Sival Garlic, a major hit among kacang putih foodies, is a product of Neru’s mother, who tweaked its classic recipe to include garlic as its primary ingredient?
The Menglembu factory handles export business fulfilling orders with its four machines, whereas at Kampung Kacang Putih, with five units, production is mainly to meet the demand of the local market, both retail and wholesale. All in all, the company has 20 staff under its employ.
There are three major buyers of D.N.S Kacang Putih for the export market. Neru ensures that his snacks and nuts, with one year shelf life, are as fresh as possible, producing them only when orders come in. Working at maximum capacity, he is able to fill a 40ft container in just three days.
D.N.S Kacang Putih passed various stringent food tests and is certified with HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points), GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice), as well as Food Safety. Most importantly, D.N.S products are Halal.
Neru, only 26 years old, has already clocked 8 years experience in the business. He has huge plans for D.N.S. Besides enlarging the export market, he is looking to automate his production. That’s not going to be easy but Neru is ready for the challenge.
D.N.S. Kacang Putih does not accept visitors but the company opens its premises for study groups regularly. Schools interested to conduct study tours at D.N.S. Kacang Putih for their students may apply directly to the company for permission.
D.N.S. Kacang Putih Sdn. Bhd.
Add: 44 & 46, Laluan Perusahaan Kledang 11, Taman Perindustrian Candan Raya, 31450 Menglembu, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Tel/Fax: +605-2811263
Email: info@dnskacangputih.com
Website: www.dnskacangputih.com
Facebook: dnskacangputih
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before this i always buy in the night market .. maybe next time can go straight to the retail store and buy wholesale .. especially during Raya !!!!!
Wow! I love nuts. In fact, I like to have this as snacks, it’s my all time favourite; only thing is need to take it in moderation, hehe. It’s addictive :p
So this is how it is made. Very interesting and would love to drop by one day to visit
I love snacking on nuts, and buying local. It is great that you featured them here at your blog!
The strength of kacang putih business is that we do not know how well it is being processed. It is also best to make a business like to sell peanut je hehehe