Ho Mai Food and Family Values
Makmur Enterprises has been manufacturing delicious FMCG cook-at-home foods from their Richmond factory in Melbourne, Victoria, as Ho Mai Yum Cha for over 40 years. One of the great foodie and family stories of Melbourne!
Ho Mai was the first Asian brand in supermarkets in the 1960’s. Their product was so popular that it filled an entire fridge section in supermarkets. Behind the glass the entire fridge door looked completely red with Ho Mai product. Kevin Cahya is the fourth generation to take the helm of the Makmur ship, after his Great Great Grandfather set up shop when he first migrated to Australia. Originally from Guang Xhou in China, he fled to Australia because of the Japanese War.
Then in 1992, a very young Kevin and his parents fled the Jakarta uprising that targeted the Chinese community. Kevin’s entire family have all called Australia home at some stage. In the early days of Ho Mai, everything was carefully made by hand. Ho Mai was originally intended for migrants to easily enjoy the traditional food of home. When the doors to the factory first opened many of the employees were refugees and people seeking political asylum. Hard work and a congenial feel have always been a central ethos for the family and often Kevin’s grandfather would invite employees home on the weekend to share family meals. When it was time for Kevin to get involved with the family business the median age of employees was 76 with the original team of workers staying on for decades. Since the doors of Makmur first opened, it has been a company that put family first, closely followed by food. Every recipe comes from the brilliant mind of Kevin’s grandmother, Elly Meriati Tjangdjaja, known affectionately as Grandma. Grandma Elly has been developing rich fillings and preserving the essence of traditional Asian delights handed down from generation to generation.