Sabrina Suhaimi: A Budding Entrepreneur
Credit: Sabrina Suhaimi
Meet Sabrina Suhaimi: A budding entrepreneur who's looking towards bringing more halal food to Kyushu! Studying at Kyushu University for her undergraduate, her years in Japan made her realise how limited the halal food options are.
This was especially so for Kyushu, which had a smaller Muslim population and a limited number of halal food options available.
The halal meals she could find were almost double in price to the non-halal ones, which aren't very accessible either.
With newfound determination, Sabrina, together with her professor, Nuren, are aiming to bring affordable halal meals for the population!
Her focus right now is bringing halal Asian meals to cater to the tastebuds of not only the Muslim population, but the local population there too.
Psst.. with direct flights to Fukuoka, explore the region and take in the wonderful nature that Kyushu has to offer!
The Journey
Easy access is Sabrina's priority due to the exorbitant prices and limited options. She started drafting out a plan while juggling her undergraduate studies.
With Muslims from all around the world living in Kyushu, she felt that it was a perfect opportunity to not only make halal food easily accessible but also to expose other non-Muslim residents in the area to different cultures.
How did she do so?
Stepping Stones To Success
Credit: Sabrina Suhaimi
It started off as an immersive project. Sourcing out halal ingredients to make halal meals, Sabrina and Nuren, a postdoctoral faculty member, put their thinking caps on and got together to create a tasting menu that caters to local tastebuds.
They invited the populace to come in and try the meals, breaking down preconceived notions about what 'halal' is whilst providing delicious meals at the same time.
As the dream became a reality, the company Reideli was born!
Gaining Recognition For Her Work
Credit: Sabrina Suhaimi
Reideli is the brand harbouring the ideals of Sabrina and Nuren. Food transcends languages and is a great way to understand new cultures and traditions.
The mission and vision resonated with many, which eventually won her the Challenge & Creation 23/24 Adopted Project, giving her closer to reaching her dreams.
Right now, they're working towards frozen ready-made meals that you can easily heat up and eat right away!
They're focusing on Japanese dishes for now as halal Japanese cuisine is pretty hard to come by in the area.
Some of their dishes include Kareraisu (Japanese Curry Rice), Gyoza (Dumplings) and Nikuman (Meat Buns).
What Lies In The Future Ahead?
Since it's still a new project, there's a bountiful future ahead filled with many possibilities.
Sabrina hopes to launch a frozen line of ready-made food soon! Imagine going to the konbinis and finding an easy to make halal Japanese meal there on the shelf.
When asked about the possibility of making bento boxes, Sabrina remarked that it's definitely a possibility and would be great to expand to other parts of Japan!
Check out their project here! Who knows, you might be buying bento boxes or ready-to-eat-meals to eat on the Shinkansen next time!