It is 17th March 2016 and excitement fills the air as 19 Nestle retirees took to the country road from Besut to Pasir Putih in leisurely convoy to visit the MAGGI® Kebun Dapur in Kampong Gong Kulim, the Chillies Collection Centre at Bukit Awang and a Chilli farm at Kg Chegal, Gaal, Kelantan.
At the MAGGI® Kebun Dapur, Mr Yong Lee Keng, Nestlé Agriculture Services Manager explained the objectives of the research facility, the science behind growing not only chillies but also other spices to complement chillies in the kitchen – hence the name Kebun Dapur. Other than chillies, participants were surprised to see research being conducted on other spices and plants like kesum, serai, pandan, groundnuts, sorghum…..
The refreshing iced nira kelapa (coconut nectar) – freshly harvested from coconut trees nearby – was indeed very much welcomed on a hot day. Participants were also rewarded with various seedlings from the nursery.
At the Chillies Collection Centre at Bukit Awang, Pasir Putih, participants witnessed quality control in the chilli supply chain in action, including the storage, sorting and destalking of chillies before delivery to Nestle Factory. Some participants had a nice cooling-off period in the cold room.
At the Chilli Farm in Kg Chegal, Gaal, participants were thrilled to see so many healthy chilli plants in one place (first time for many!). The local farmers expressed gratitude in learning best agricultural practices for sustainable farming of high quality chillies from Nestle Chilli Club and also for being chilli suppliers for MAGGI® products. Indeed it is Nestle CSV in action.
An outing is not complete without shopping and a pit stop was made at a local keropok lekor outlet where participants witnessed how the local delight is prepared. Products just flew off the shelves.
Thank you Mr Yong and En Annuar of PPK for the educational adventure.
