Natural Origin expands in Sarawak

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Natural Origin, which recently opened its second outlet in Sarawak, was founded in 2006 by an organic chemist, Mark Khaw who had extensive experience working as a researcher with an international corporation on personal care products. Realising that he has the ability to bring better products to the public, he gave up his prestigious position and started his own laboratory and company in Penang.

According to Natural Origin partner Wendy Teng, Khaw strongly advocates against the usage of chemically made personal care products as it may probably bring more harm than good to our health.

Natural Origin, started by first developing Natural Handmade Soaps using the technique called ‘cold press’ binding natural essential oil into its soap making process.

Natural Origin is the first member in Malaysia who is accredited by Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetic Guild, recognising its commitments and superb quality in making fine soaps.

“When we noticed that our soaps are so popular and received excellent feedback, our founder decided to expand to other personal care (products) and household series,” Teng said.

Presently, Natural Origin has expanded to Natural cosmetic range, Natural household range, handmade soaps range, Natural Massage Oil range, Natural Essential oils range, Baby Series and Body care series.

All these products have been developed and formulated for its loyal customers who enjoy the benefits of natural products. Natural Origin tries to meet what its customers wants and the group is doing its best possible to accommodate to their needs.

“We want to let our customers understand that natural products are not easy to develop and we do not include, preservatives, colouring agents, artificial perfumes and chemical additives in our products,” Teng said.

Natural Origin first marketed its products locally in Penang and, in a short period of time due to its popularity, it expanded across Malaysia.

Today, Natural Origin is also present across other countries, including China and Australia.

Teng noted that Natural Origin first entered the Sarawak market in 2009 with their first branch in Sibu.

At that time, they believed that Sibu was a very risky market as consumers are more conservative in terms of spending and way of thinking there.

“We challenged ourselves that if we can survive in Sibu, we can survive any market in Sarawak.

“We must admit that it was very difficult during our first year in the market as natural products were an alien concept to the Sibu market and customers are skeptical about it,” she said.

However, Natural Origin is today very well received by Sibu customers and has now expanded to Kuching. It also has plans to do to expand to other cities in Sarawak.

Natural Origin believes that the Sarawak people are more educated these days and that they understand the benefits of natural products as compared to other products.

This is evident in the fact that more customers here these days are choosing Natural Origin products as better alternatives to those commercial personal care products.

“All these years, we have been trying to educate and advocate on natural products, and we are still working hard to bring awareness to the market,” Teng said.

She added that all this time, Natural Origin has encountered various types of customers with different skins conditions, either with an open mind or those skeptical to their natural products.

However, she believes that this is part of the market learning process and that they are sure that Natural Origin’s products’ quality will speak for itself to those doubtful customers.

Natural Origin differentiates itself from other natural care product companies through the superior quality of its natural products while also offering one of the most affordable prices in the market.

“Our founder believes that natural products should not be overcharged and should be enjoyed by all customers irrespective of backgrounds.

“As you can see, our pricings are lower than similar products of others. That does not mean that our quality is lower, but we do not waste money on packaging, marketing tricks and expensive advertisement.

“We try to keep our packaging and products as simple as possible to keep our cost low. We want to make sure our products are value for money,” Teng said.

She added that Natural Origin uses the finest ingredients possible, sourcing them mostly from overseas, all in the company’s bid to give its customers the best that it has to offer.

Natural Origin aims towards mass markets as it believes that natural products should be enjoyed by consumers of all ages.

However, it’s products are particularly suitable for people with sensitive and problematic skins.

Teng noted that they have noticed that customers asked more questions about natural products and it is a positive sign for them as it indicates the increasing interest for a more healthy lifestyle.

As with other businesses, Natural Origin tries to stay relevant in the market and create what customers want and need, while at the same time, it strives not to forget their true mission and identity of the company.

“We will continuously develop new product ranges and improve our existing products for our customers. As we believe, quality will speak for itself.

“We will continue to educate the market and convince customers to switch to natural products. Customers should be given better choices in the market place,” Teng concluded.