Persevering entrepreneurs: De Jong’s drinking and frozen yogurt
Swiftly packaging the end product
Why do export-oriented local entrepreneurs fail? Travis de Jong, Chairman, Woodywood Creators (Pvt) Ltd, makers of novel drinking yogurt and frozen yogurt in Sri Lanka, has the answer.
A versatile entrepreneur throughout who started ornamental fish rearing at the age of 9 with only one fish tank earning money for his school expenses, he later became the largest ornamental fish farm owner in South East Asia.
Bought the Keells Ornamental fish farm complex at Ekala, Ja-Ela for Rs. 120 million consisting 21 acres, three acres in Negombo and 33 acres in Ginigathena and continued the export business.
While in export business all the required documents, with prices and the details of the foreign buyers are sent to authorities such as Customs and the airport, there is an invariable tendency to leak out this information to their rivals, he alleged.
Mr. de Jong explained that this crisis led him to close down his ornamental fish exports as other unscrupulous exporters were selling a male ‘guppy fish at US 10 cents to his original buyers having learnt that he was selling at US 40 cents.
An entrepreneur with novel ideas, with exports always in mind he moved to export children’s furniture to internationally famed Ikea furniture (knocked down) exported in packages and maintained a retail outlet in Chennai, India.
At the same time, he started researching and testing globally popular varieties of yogurt – frozen yogurt and drinking yogurt, manufactured and sold under the brand name “Fruity Fro Yo” which became an instant success, installing his dairy plant at Pethiyagoda, Kelaniya.
Last week the Business Times met Mr. de Jong and he was accompanied by his son, Hamish de Jong and daughter Annalease Gomez, directors of the company. The product is sold through ‘Good Marketing’ channels – natural product, no plastics used, no preservatives and no chemicals.
Some manufacture frozen yogurt with a readymade powder based mix, but Fruity Fro Yo uses only fresh milk which would be with low sugar, 100 per cent natural, no fat, no preservatives, no chemical and no plastics used in the manufacturing process. They hit the market with tremendous success.
Initially in 2013 they started with 10 litres of milk expanding it to 500 litre batches. Now they release around 2,500 packs to the market per week. More ultra-modern machinery would be introduced by mid-March to enhance the existing production by an additional 50 per cent.
Now successfully marketed throughout Colombo, Fruity Fro Yo would be expanded regionally and encompass the entire country soon and they would also seek to export. ‘Greek’ Yogurt (Frozen Yogurt) is marketed with the hallmark of traditionally strained, no additives, just fresh milk, no added sugar, no sodium, no preservatives, no chemicals and low carbs. Greek yogurt in concentrated form is 46 litres of yogurt made out of 100 litres of milk.
Travis de Jong, Chairman, Woodywood Creators (Pvt) Ltd and the two directors: Ms. Annalease Gomez and Hamish de Jong
Though they appear to be pioneers to introduce these novel yogurt, some other traders are apparently entering the market and as it is the common ugly phenomena in Sri Lanka to lure the consumer with misleading label information – actual ingredients are different from what is indicated in the label.
This has become a major threat for up and coming genuine products, which is a matter of concern, according Mr. de Jong, and should be examined by the Consumer Affairs Authority.