Winner South Organeh Mini CrackersA baby’s first snack
Ilamoon Co., Ltd.
Phatthalung
Brand : Organeh Mini Crackers
Every mother will choose what is best for her baby, especially if the child finds it difficult to eat, suffers from food allergies or throws up often. A mother’s key duty is to find food that provides her baby with complete nutrition.
It is this motherly love and need to feed her baby that gave birth to
“Organeh Mini Crackers”. With a baby that suffered from lactose intolerance and could not be fed milk, Ms. Kwan Ketkao, CEO of Ilamoon Co., Ltd., began hunting for the best alternative that would give her baby the right amount of nutrition for proper development.
“The idea for the Organeh Mini Crackers came when my son was very young. He was allergic to food and couldn’t drink milk, especially cow’s milk. We were worried that these allergies would affect his growth and began looking for something he could digest. This is when we came across a baby snack imported from China. It came in the form of bread and one box of 10 slices cost about 60 to 70 baht. Though our baby could eat these snacks, he kept throwing and wasting them. This cost us a lot of money, and we bore the burden for a while because at least it was something he could eat.
“Later, we thought that maybe we should try to make these snacks ourselves. But our trials at home failed miserably,” Ms. Kwan said.
Though a lumber trader by profession, Ms. Kwan would not let her failures stop her. So, she turned to a friend who had studied food science and together they came up with “Organeh Mini Crackers”, a baby’s first snack made from Patthalung’s famous Sangyod rice, the first rice variety in Thailand to be given geographical indication (GI) status.
“Initially, we hired a factory to produce the snacks, but were worried about the raw materials used. Since I’m from Phatthalung, I thought that my province’s Sangyod brown rice would be excellent for desserts and would also be nutritious for children. So, we decided to start using Sangyod rice as the main ingredient and reduced the tapioca and wheat flour used to shape the snacks, but which stuck to child’s hands and gums.
“So, we came up with an innovative process of adjusting humidity and temperature of our ingredients at the right time before molding them into shapes. With proper ageing, the flavors become more well-rounded. Also, the snacks were cooked at a lower-than-usual temperature, which resulted in crackers that had a smooth taste and a light texture that melted in the mouth quickly and did not stick to the gums or throat. The snacks are small enough to fit in a baby’s hand, and can be used to help them use their growing muscles,” she said.
The standout point of “Organeh Mini Crackers” is that it was formulated by nutritionists and nurses specializing in child care, and the manufacturing system has met all safety standards.
The “Organeh Mini Crackers” come in six flavors: Sangyod rice with mixed fruits, Sangyod rice with carrots and apples; Sangyod rice with sweet potato and blueberry; quinoa and brown rice with orange flavor; Quinoa and brown rice with strawberry flavor; and germinated brown rice puffs with mixed vegetables and fruits.
The product is targeted at working parents aged 22-45 who have children between the ages of six months and six years, and a monthly earning of 12,000 baht or more.
“Organeh Mini Crackers” are currently sold through three channels, with 60% coming from Facebook, Line and online marketplaces like Shopee and Lazada, 30% from offline stores and 10% from exports to neighboring countries like Myanmar and Laos.
The company’s revenue target for 2023 is about 37.8 million baht, which is expected to grow to 100 million baht in three years once it expands its sales channels to cover Lotus’s and Tops supermarkets, the Central Department Stores’ children’s department and pharmacies. This year, the company plans to link up with hospitals and life insurance agents, so the snacks can be delivered to new mothers. The company is also planning to expand its product line to cover older children and expand its export market to CLMV countries as well as Malaysia and China, among others.
InnovationChildren’s snacks made from Sangyod rice, which was registered as a Geographical Indication (GI) product of Phatthalung province, has boosted the grain’s value 60-fold. The snacks are produced by adjusting the humidity and temperature of the grain for a suitable amount of time before it enters the extrusion process. This results in a lightly textured, melt-in-the-mouth snack that does not stick to the child’s throat and gums. The snack’s shape is perfect for infants to use their tiny muscles and is suitable for children aged between six months and six years. .
GrowthBoosting awareness of food allergies among babies via both online and offline channels. Making the product available via modern trade channels and hospitals, as well as building more export markets such as CLMV countries, China, Malaysia, etc.
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