YHS withstands test of Time

Historically, it was a tradition for many Chinese families to use their family name for a shop, a company or a brand. That was how founder Yeo Keng Lian came to brand his product Yeo’s over 100 years ago.

“Yeo’s has come a long way. Like any other brand, Yeo’s has withstood the test of time and the brand has been astonishing,” Ow told StarBiz recently at its head office in Petaling Jaya.

“The brand is well positioned to compete with other names like Nestlé ’s Nescafe. Yeo’s is a ‘healthy’ Asian beverage. I would say the brand has become trustworthy,” he said.

Going forward, Ow said the group would focus on things that it was good at, and spend more time and money on innovation and research and development (R&D) to improve its manufacturing capability.

The YHS group is involved principally in the production, marketing and sale of food, sauces and beverages not only under the Yeo’s brand, but also Fizzi, Goodtase, Cintan and SoyRich as well.

Tracing YHS’ history, Ow said Keng Lian started making soy sauce at his home in Fujian, China, in 1900. Later, he set up his first factory and named it Yeo Hiap Seng, meaning “working together for success” in Hokkien. “The younger generation might not have heard of or seen our soy sauce product. We plan next year to reintroduce Yeo’s soy sauce in Malaysia. It is time to continue globalising our soy sauce again,” he said. - The Star