LOOB Holding Sdn Bhd has opened Malaysia’s first-ever Tealive Tapioca Pearl Plant in Klang. This is a new initiative to get its brand, Tealive, into a fully self-sufficient tapioca pearl production by next month. The factory was commissioned by Loob to produce tapioca pearls domestically in Malaysia. The plant, costing approximately RM10 million, aims to boost production to 300 tonnes of pearls per month. Loob founder and CEO Bryan Loo said the plant has an installed capacity of 400 tonnes per month.
“Currently, we are producing about 100 tonnes per month. By year-end, we will triple production to 300 tonnes per month and this will be enough for our own internal use,” he said during a media tour of the production plant on Nov 30.
Loo gave a briefing on how tapioca pearls are produced, boiling it down to a simple five-step process.
“It really is magical how tapioca is transformed into the chewy pearls that we love. You will see that it is a delicate process that also needs patience and accurate measurements,” Loo said.
It begins with tapioca starch mixed with filtered water, resulting in a damp, caramel-coloured powder. The beading process follows, where the starch and water are tumbled around to initiate the shaping process.
During the tumbling process, the starter beads are mixed with more water and more starch to grow in size.
This ensures that each pearl is around 8mm to 9mm, with the ones that are too big or too small being filtered and recycled back to the start until they conform to the accurate measurements. This is called sorting. The final step is packing, where the pearls are vacuum-sealed and weighed at around 3kg per package before being shipped out to the warehouses.
After that, they are sent to Tealive shops, where they are to be boiled and waited on until they rise to the surface.
“By controlling the entire production process, from sourcing the finest ingredients to crafting our signature tapioca pearls, Tealive ensures that every sip of our beverages reflects the pinnacle of quality and flavour.
“We will also continue to make further investments — for example, by installing a fully automated packaging line next year,” Loo said.
Going through the plant, one must be perfectly clean and wear hairnets, masks and coats to ensure that nothing is contaminated. Loo explained that this plant would help cut costs, considering the ample tapioca production already present in Malaysia.
Loob will also begin exporting its tapioca pearls next year, firstly to the Philippines where Tealive already has a presence. “Loob believes in reinvesting locally to help transform Malaysia into a hub of excellence for the food and beverage (F&B) industry. With the support of our China-based partners, we have helped to bring in foreign direct investment (FDI) into Malaysia.
“We have achieved a breakthrough here and we are confident we can collaborate even more closely in the future. With their expertise, technology and market reach and our strong halal heritage, we can penetrate more markets,” Loo added.
Tealive is the leading lifestyle tea brand in South-East Asia, with 830 outlets in Malaysia alone and nearly 1,000 worldwide.
Since its opening in 2017, Tealive now serves over five million consumers monthly with its tea, coffee and other beverages.
Loob, one of the largest F&B companies in Malaysia, was founded in 2010 by Loo. It is now a leading Malaysia-based regional beverage player which specialises in the premium quick service segment with four brands, Tealive, Bask Bear, Soda Xpress and Wonderbrew Kombucha.
Loob’s brands collectively serve more than 5.5 million customers monthly in over 1,000 outlets in Malaysia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Australia, Brunei and Canada, among others.