e refill packs, or bring their own bottles to refill. This is not only a cost savings in terms of packaging, but also reduces plastic waste. The company practises a packaging-free policy in-store, so it doesn’t provide any paper or plastic bags. The company works with Penan Bags Europe, an NGO helping Penan ladies in Sarawak, which offers a 100 per cent buy-back policy. The story so far Lee doesn’t see Remedy as competing with other companies; he has always regarded his business as a “humble retail concept store” which he hopes to make self-sustainable through community support. “Though we never set out to truly differentiate ourselves, we are certainly very different because we set out to do things that other businesses are not doing – figuring out how we can incorporate sustainability in the things we do,” he told Inside Retail. He spends a lot of time on the design of Remedy’s products, making its packaging more sustainable yet desirable, and also figuring how to use ingredients like coffee grounds from cafes to make scrubs, coffee soaps, and even remelting plastic waste to make soap trays and coasters. The challenges Lee said one of the biggest challenges he faces is that Malaysia is low household incomes, which means every dollar counts for most of its citizens, so shoppers are very price-sensitive. “Natural products are generally more expensive as we cannot mass-produce them due to the shorter lifespan. The market is in general very results based and they are after instantaneous results, even if it’s just short-term,” he explained. In many cases, however, that is not how natural ingredients work. “I guess the opportunity is there is a lack of offering in the market so one can say it is more niche and there is a chance for us to make a name for ourselves but the reality is that it will be a slow and long journey for us where we need to do more education and convince consumers to go towards the more expensive natural products,” he added. What’s next? While the brand faces an uphill battle in reaching a wider audience, since it makes all their products in small batches, using the best natural ingredients, the reality is that it will be targeting the middle- to upper-class consumer base. “Our goal really is to compete with the big internationals. We have seen countless local brands and it’s always the same message – Malaysian consumers want a well-priced product, but this means they will have to compromise on the ingredients,” he said. Lee wants to make products he can be proud of, so he has spared no expense to find the best natural ingredients at Remedy. “I know of countless business owners that would not even use the products they produce. So we want to compete with the best of the big international brands. So as much as we hope to have a bigger market, Remedy still is very much a niche brand,” he added. The future Lee has been in the retail industry for the last 12 years and seen many local brands start, rise and fail.  Unlike many more developed countries like Japan, Australia, and Europe, where local brands are highly supported, Lee has not found this to be the case in Malaysia.  “There aren’t many multi-brand stores in Malaysia to support our talented makers and we really need more of that and hence Remedy’s ethos to really prioritise local brands,” he stressed. Consumers are often surprised when they discover Remedy, because they are unaware of most of the brands that the brand carries. “So far we are surviving, it is hard and consumers are always sceptical and there is a lot of competition so it is super important for us to earn a reputation that the products we sell are really good,” he elaborated. Lee’s advice for entrepreneurs is to be prepared to be in it for the long haul. One should not solely think of the financial gains, but also look at the personal and social perspective.  “However I firmly believe it will be the future of business as it has to be like that. I hope I can make Remedy a model of hope as our goal is to help redefine and change what people want which is way harder than just selling to them what they want,” he concluded.