Successful cooperative gets RM10k award

Ireline (second left) with her entourage

15 June 2024

By AVV

PENAMPANG: The Koperasi Pembangunan Desa Saradan Tenghilan Berhad received RM10,000 as an incentive from the Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperative Datuk Ewon Benedick yesterday.

The presentation ceremony carried out at TEKUN Penampang office by the Minister was attended by Cooperative president Ireline Damit and cooperative Treasurer Yatau Ubin, Deputy President Patrick Pyne Tudus and committee member Lucy Batak.

During the event, Ireline thanked the Minister for the acknowledgement which was also a prize to recognise their efforts in the cooperative endeavours.   With the recognition the Cooperative would be periodically mentioned as a success story.

The cooperative was established in 2016 when three individuals convened to deliberate on the matter. Following thoughtful discussions, Ireline was elected as the chairman, assuming a pivotal leadership role within the organisation.

She recounted the challenging journey she faced, emphasizing the arduous task of starting from the ground up and relying on their own resources to develop their products. To secure funding, they organised a mini-marathon, initially raising less than RM3,000 in 2017.

Undeterred by initial challenges, they persisted and, on their second attempt, successfully raised RM6,000 in 2018. Additionally, they collected RM11,000 during a charity dinner held in the same year. However, in 2019, when embarking on their business venture, they encountered a hurdle in product production. Despite having the product ready, they lacked the necessary means to produce it.

"So, what we actually did was borrow money from our friends. Once we received the payment from selling the products, we promptly repaid our friends," she explained.

On the Power of Nine product, the best-selling products, she said she dreamt about the ingredients and the formulation of the concoction. It is made up of eight fruits and one vegetable.

“I am a cancer survivor and I took that as a supplement,” she shared.

All her products are manufactured at a factory in Kulim, which is certified halal - a requirement in Malaysia, she noted. They are available at their outlet in Tenghilan.

The cooperative has RM84,200 in shared presently and with 263 members, and once it reaches 300 members, it is likely that membership will be capped. In terms of dividends, the cooperative distributed 6% in 2018, suspended payouts in 2019 and 2020 due to the pandemic, and then returned to a dividend structure in 2021 with an 8% payout. In 2022, the dividend rate increased to 10%, and it is expected to remain at that level in 2023.

"We are thrilled to have been awarded the incentive by the Minister to encourage small cooperatives. We consider ourselves fortunate to be the first recipient of this award. The funds will be used for management, promotions, and programmes to benefit the cooperative," she shared.