SOY NATURAL

Find out how. Shirley Chia, third-generation soy sauce artisan, is reducing the stigma a Younis

"Making soy sauce is like taking care of a baby," laughs Shirley Chia, the founder of Mu Artisan Soy Sauce. She is only halfjoking but the intricate process really does take up to nine months and is laborious, requiring time, care and patience. Located in Kajang, the soy sauce factory is filled with around 200 clay urns of different sizes, each containing soy sauce at a different period of fermentation.

As Chia lifts the lid of one of the urns, I am greeted with a distinct, savoury waft. Inside, salt crystals surround darkened soybeans. "My family business has been soy sauce for the past three generations, but the focus was on supplying to restaurants, and we weren't attached to a brand," says the cheery business owner. One wouldn't guess, but Chia spent 11 years in private banking before she began Mu Artisan Soy Sauce in 2019.

"I realised people longed for natural, healthier versions of soy sauce and were turning to imported products," she continues. "Therefore, I wanted to produce premium Malaysian soy sauce with no preservatives, additives, or taste enhancers."