TUMPAT – Her liking for strawberries had prompted Nik Ayuani Nik Amat to sell strawberry drinks, a hot selling item at her shop at Jalan Cabang Tiga Geting, here.
The 32-year-old, who is also known as Kak Ayu, said the idea came about seven years ago, adding that she never thought that her special drink recipe would be sought after by the locals who were willing to stand in queue to get their hands on the delicious beverage.
“Initially, the idea to sell the strawberry drink was because I really love eating the fruits or putting them into the juicer for my daily drink,” the mother of two told Bernama.
She said she used to sell the drinks at Pasar Wakaf Bharu, before moving to the shop at Jalan Cabang Tiga Geting.
“Each strawberry drink is sold at RM3 and I can sell up to 600 packets in less than 2 hours each day during Ramadan,” said Nik Ayuani who opens her shop at 5 pm.
Nik Ayuani said selling this product can be quite challenging because strawberries are easily spoiled and they are expensive.
Fresh strawberries
She said to ensure the freshness of the strawberries, she gets fresh supplies of about 15 to 25 kilograms daily from a ‘runner’ in Cameron Highlands.
“Not many want to sell the drink because the fruits go bad very fast. To make the juice I only choose the big-sized fruits and those which are really red, to get the colour that I want,” she said.
“To drown the sourness, the strawberries are boiled over a slow fire for one-hour before they are blended and sugar is added to make the liquid thicker.
“For the sugar mixture too I have my own secret to ensure it will not affect the strawberry taste,” said Nik Ayuani who hires three workers to help her.
According to Nik Ayuani she also sells the juice in bottles to cater for demand from outside the state, including Terengganu and Kuala Lumpur.
“Almost every month around 100 bottles of strawberry juice will be posted to customers outside Kelantan for sale at RM15 per 350 ml bottle,” she said, adding that she donates half of her daily income to those in need including orphans around the state.
A regular customer, Mohd Farhan Ahmad, 35, from Kampung Pengkalan Nangka said he fell in love with the drink because of its great taste with the natural strawberry flavour.
