Our story

The sambal
was always
in a suitcase.

Every Malaysian knows the trip back from the kampung: a boot full of jars, a cooler of keropok, a bag of gula apong on someone's lap. Pekena started in 2023 because we were tired of waiting for Raya to eat properly.

Small makers, big problem.

The best sambal in Kelantan is made by a family with one wok and no website. Their customers are their neighbours and the Friday market. Selling online means photos, couriers, chats at midnight and platforms that take a cut and pay two months later.

So we do that part. We collect on their batch day, photograph, pack, post and answer the chats. They cook. They set the price, and they get paid within a week.

Three years in, we work with 12 makers in 11 states. Most of them still sell at the market on Friday. Now they also sell in Kota Kinabalu, Kangar and Kuala Lumpur.

Hands pouring hot palm sugar from a ladle into small round leaf moulds

makers: 12makers
states: 11states
jars packed since 2023: 38,600jars packed since 2023
to pay a maker: 7 daysto pay a maker

Four promises

01
Made this week
We only list makers who cook in small batches. Every jar has its batch number and the day it was made.
02
Maker's price, out loud
Makers set their price. We show our cut on every product page. No hidden fees, no 60-day payment terms.
03
No plastic in the box
Kraft paper, shredded card and cotton twine. A broken jar gets replaced, no forms.
04
One person, one chat
When you message us, you talk to someone in the packing room who has tasted everything.

Gifting for 20 to 2,000.

Festive hampers, client thank-yous and staff boxes with a card about every maker. One office or hundreds of home addresses from a CSV, tracked per address, with one invoice.

Ask for a quote