BY IDA NADHIRAH
IN the lush lowlands and open spaces of Borneo, midin, the beloved wild fern, thrives, and has become a staple dish among locals.
Revered for its safe consumption and traditional medicinal uses, these verdant wonders offer more than meets the eye.
Beyond being a culinary delight and herbal remedy, the versatile midin fern unveils a surprising secret — it can be brewed into a nourishing tea.
As a comforting and invigorating beverage, midin botanical tea has emerged as a newfound source of vitality for the body.
In the realm of ever-evolving innovation, this tea is beginning to capture the attention and curiosity of both domestic enthusiasts and international connoisseurs.
As its popularity grows, this unique infusion has piqued interest from far and wide, sparking a new chapter in the world of tea.
HOW IT STARTED
As an academician, Associate Professor Dr Parveen Kaur has always shown her interest in natural plants that give health benefits to humans.
Her pursuing and looking into midin is all thanks to her entry in the Shell Live-Wire Award in 2023.
Her confidence in producing this plant into a botanical tea product successfully captivated the hearts of the judges.
“Originally there were more than a hundred applicants but there were only 30 applicants who were selected to present their ideas.
“Initially, we were trained by Shell experts in a week-long training to enter the field of entrepreneurship and then competed for the state level.
“I am using the Social Enterprise Approach in helping the local B40 farmers in this endeavour. I have recruited a local B40 woman farmer who is in need of assistance.to be my midin tea partner.”
Her hard work in proving her ideas become a reality did not just bear fruit overnight as she diligently researched about the plant with her team of food scientists from MARDI, food chemists from Sarawak, botanists from abroad and nutritionists from Malaysia.
Her relentless hard work paid off when she emerged as the champion of the Shell Live-Wire Award 2023 with her innovative idea of using midin as the main base of her tea.
With the idea that became the pillar of her success, Shell did not just end their connection with her but instead coached her to establish a company to produce the botanical tea product.
Thereafter, she opened up her company Dr. Parveenss Global Sdn Bhd under the tutelage of Shell experts.
THE PROCESS OF MAKING THE PRODUCT
Dr. Parveen admits that she had to go through various stages of careful research and testing to ensure the tea that she produces is palatable and safe to drink.
She worked hand in hand with experts from various fields consisting of nutritionists, botanists, chemists, and food technologists and producers who have 27 years of experience in the sector.
“Each production has to go through the process of health standards such as HACCP, ISO, MeSTI, JAKIM, as well as HALAL certification,” she explained.
By adhering to HACCP, MeSTI, ISO and HALAL standards, she proved to consumers that this tea is a product produced with a careful process according to the standards set.
Also, great support from the government of Sarawak and agencies such as MATRADE also helped her to exhibit her product internationally at a Natural and Organic Expo in Dubai last December and Singapore recently.
According to her, she received a positive and encouraging response from the expo visitors who were interested in the unique taste and properties of the tea.
WORKING WITH RURAL WOMEN FARMERS
Being a gender expert and now an entrepreneur, she was driven by a passion to bring a positive impact to the local community.
As midin is found abundantly in rural areas, she took the initiative to work with B40 women farmers statewide by getting and buying the vegetables from them.
She said she chose to create a social enterprise model that is not only profitable in terms of giving income to these farmers but also one which empowers the underprivileged in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
“Our social enterprise approach is an effective solution to help give marginalised poor farmers in Sarawak, Borneo especially women a fair income for their raw resources while also facilitating sustainable economic development.
“We work with rural farmers in processing their raw resources into value-added products. We provide training and resources to farmers to help them identify raw midin plants for processing.
“Our whole goal is to achieve the UN SDGs : No poverty (SDG 1), Zero hunger (SDG 2), Good health and well-being (SDG 3), Quality education (SDG 4), Gender equality (SDG 5), Decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), Industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9), Reduced inequalities (SDG 10), Sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11), Responsible consumption and production (SDG 12), and Partnerships for the goals (SDG 17).”
She said the SDGs emphasise the interconnected environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainable development by putting sustainability at their centre.
“Thus, our social enterprise can support sustainable economic development that benefits marginalised communities in Sarawak,” she emphasised with pride.
“We have taught these farmers, especially the women, how to choose the type of midin, the stage and what to do after picking them.
“We have farmers from Serian, Bintulu, Asajaya, Bau and other areas who provide us with the resources.
“These farmers will earn income from the delivery of midin by kilogramme and profit through the commercialisation of the company,” she said.
NINE DIFFERENT VARIATIONS
As the first ever midin based tea, this botanical tea is not only limited to one flavour, but has eight other flavours to choose from.
Among the flavours offered is the original flavour along with midin infused with Ginger, Peppermint, Turmeric and Kaffir Lime Leaf, Chamomile, Lemongrass, Blue Pea Flower, Lemon Verbena and Masala Chai.
According to Dr Parveen, scientific research shows that midin has a high rate of effectiveness as a functional food that helps with health in various aspects.
Moreover, this unique tea does not contain any stevia, caffeine or preservatives. It is all natural and organic from the fresh midin plant and ingredients.
She explained that the midin plant has long been known by the native community in Borneo as a treatment for various ailments such as stomach ache and fever, similar to the use of neem leaves in Indian society.
“So, I would like to introduce that midin is very good like all other functional foods.
“After reading journal articles and going through various scientific evidences, I am convinced that this is a good plant for people to enjoy.”
CHALLENGES AND HOPE
Dr Parveen explained that the key to launching a product as an entrepreneur has always depended on the strength of financial resources.
In her case, she admitted that she and her team had to rely on their personal savings to ensure the product could be commercialised bit by bit.
She invites any interested party which wants to know more or collaborate to call her at 012-6523375.
Nevertheless, looking at the potential and goodness of functional food contained in midin, she is positive that her product can go far.
“I’m hopeful that this product, Midin Botanical Tea, will be the proud heritage of Sarawak. I’m not taking any credit for it. That’s why I always say it should be credited to the soils of Sarawak,” she said.
