FOOD FOR GOOD

Hunger is more than missing a meal; it is a debilitating crisis that affects millions of people in the world. The latest data from the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation reveals that an estimated 795 million people in the world suffer from chronic undernourishment, with 791 million residing in developing countries.

While it might be inconceivable to think that famine, starvation and undernourishment still exist in this day and age of instant gratification, many of these countries actually practise large-scale farming, which allows for mass consumption, but fall short when it comes to food distribution. This can be attributed to endemic issues such as lack of proper roads and storage facilities, overwhelming dependence on livelihoods such as farming that can easily be disrupted by natural disasters or climate change, and poverty.

Simply put, those in dire need of food often lack access to it, and the ones most affected are young children. Almost five million children under the age of five perish from malnutrition-related causes every year.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Besides advocating and raising awareness, what else can be done to directly affect the lives of those most vulnerable? This is the conundrum that Ronald Khoo faces on a daily basis. Khoo is the founder of Rocaro Group Sdn Bhd, which owns the franchisee rights to the casual Thai restaurant known as Mango Chili. The flagship restaurant was launched in March last year at the Nexus building, located in the affluent residential-cum-commercial enclave of Bangsar South. Distinguishable by the colourful, custom-made tuk-tuk placed near the entrance, what also makes this restaurant unique would be its ‘Food for Good’ philosophy that has spawned its unusual business model based on a commitment to improve communities.

At the forefront of Mango Chili’s altruistic endeavours is the ‘Meal For A Meal’ programme, which pledges to contribute a free meal to an underprivileged child for every meal worth MYR20 sold. Since the launch, Mango Chili has contributed over 40,000 meals and counting to various children’s homes across Malaysia, with the ultimate goal of expanding the business and regionally feed 10 million children per year. “We want to ensure that these kids don’t go hungry and get a chance to grow up to become citizens who contribute back to society,”  says Khoo.

CHANCE ENCOUNTERS
When asked what compelled him to take on such a risky venture in the first place, Khoo reminisces: “I actually started out in the wine business. Although I was passionate about wine, I left after realising that I needed to pursue something different,” By 2012, Khoo would attend a conference in the Philippines where he would be introduced to Dylan Wilk, a British entrepreneur behind the start-up known as Interactive Commercial Enterprises, once a leading direct-to-home supplier of computer games in Britain. The chance encounter would prove to be the turning point for Khoo, as Wilk had told him that, despite earning the label as one of Britain’s richest men under 30, he felt increasingly disenchanted by the extravagance that came with his newfound wealth. Wilk eventually decided to give up his worldly trappings after finding his calling in the Philippines to co-found Human Nature – a social enterprise specialising in organic beauty products that aims to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development that brings about real improvements in people’s lives.

“Most people tend to see traditional business models as being ruthless and all about profit maximisation, where money is always the bottom line, which means having to push your employees and suppliers to their limits. Meeting Wilk introduced me to the possibilities of practising a profit optimisation model; instead of maximising profits, a portion of whatever profits we make can instead be invested into things like our staff and helping others in need. This is also why we make it a point at Mango Chili to hire staff from impoverished communities, which even includes providing airfare, housing and mentorship. If they do decide to move on, they can still utilise the skills they have obtained to improve their own welfare.”

Not long after the meeting with Wilk, Khoo would receive an opportunity to bring over the Mango Chili franchise from the COCA and Mango Tree group in Bangkok to Malaysia. “I decided to consult with Wilk, who said I needed to find the right community that needs support. I realised that while the world actually has enough food for everyone, millions go hungry because there’s a lot of wastage. So, if I was to venture into the food business, I needed to look out for those who cannot fend for themselves, and this was how the ‘Meal For A Meal’ programme was born.”

CONNECTING THE DOTS
While Khoo has the hunger to give back to society through inventive new ideas, he admits that there has been a learning curve in discovering what works and what doesn’t. “One of the initial problems was delivering the meals to the individual locations, which was simply not feasible as we also needed to manage the restaurant.” It was from this minor setback that led to the collaboration with the innovative public transport app known as MyTeksi. “When they found out about our predicament, they gladly extended their services to help us distribute the food packages. The trial run has been great, and we managed to deliver a total of 240 meals. We’re also looking to extend this into a long-term deal.”

According to Khoo, while the Rocaro Group owns the franchise rights to open Mango Chili in Indonesia and Singapore, there are future plans to expand its reach. “We are still in the midst of figuring out which part of the world truly needs help, as there are quite a number of less-than-scrupulous groups out there willing to go above and beyond to trick others into thinking they are charitable organisations.“

SMALL STEPS, POSITIVE CHANGE
Recently, the company teamed up with an American NGO called Together, We Can Change The World, which aims to improve the health and education of impoverished women and children in South-East Asia. The group travelled to Cambodia to visit remote communities, and Mango Chili brought in a chef to help prepare meals and teach youths the importance of maintaining a balanced diet. This was the official first delivery conducted outside of Malaysia, and Khoo is hopeful that it won’t be the last.

“No matter how many times you visit these places, your heart still breaks. I remember when I visited Wilk in the Philippines, where he works with an NGO, Gawad Kalinga, that builds houses for the poor. The NGO was actually founded by his father-in-law, Tony Meloto, who is known for this saying: ‘Less for self, more for others, enough for all.’ Not only does it summarises everything that’s wrong in the world today but, hopefully, this will be the message that will shine through whenever it comes to sharing my story.”

For every meal purchased, Mango Chili will feed a child in need on your behalf. The restaurant features a number of private dining options with a seating capacity of up to 110 people. Mango Chili is also available to cater at your home or office. For more information, please call +603-22423737 or e-mail mangochilinexus@gmail.com