By Leong Hung Yee
Saturday June 23, 2007
THE mere mention of “ada Ummph!” often brings BOH tea to the minds of many Malaysians. BOH, a home-grown brand that turns 78 this year, has become a local household name. The brand is also synonymous with some of the world’s finest teas. The tea affair started in 1929, when BOH Plantations Sdn Bhd founder John Archibald Russell saw the potential of tea as an important crop for Malaya then. Together with A.B. Milne, a veteran tea planter from Ceylon, Russell applied for and was granted a concession of land in Cameron Highlands.
With the help of a single steamroller, some labourers and several mules, the duo proceeded to transform steep virgin jungle slopes into a tea garden known as BOH Plantations, the first highland tea garden in the country.
According to the company’s archives, Russell derived the name BOH from Bohea hills in the Fujian province, an important tea growing area in China.
BOH Plantations is currently the leading tea grower in the country. It owns four tea gardens, of which three – in Boh, Sungei Palas and Fairlie – are located some 5,000ft above sea level in Cameron Highlands. The fourth is in Bukit Cheeding, Selangor. Collectively, the gardens constitute a total planted and mature area of 1,200ha.
The company produces four million kilos of tea annually, translating into about 5.5 million cups of tea per day. And about 70% of all tea in Malaysia comes from the BOH gardens. Besides being the leading brand in Malaysia, it also exports to Brunei, Singapore, Japan, the United Arab Emirates and the US.
BOH Plantations chief executive officer Caroline Russell said despite having an established brand, the company must continue to strengthen its name and keep abreast of the latest developments that could affect the industry.
Caroline is the granddaughter of Russell.
“Being the number one tea brand in the country and a Malaysian brand is an important recognition for BOH as we have been growers and producers of tea since 1929.
“Through on-going research and development, we intend to strengthen our brand leadership by continuously providing Malaysians with quality and innovative tea products to suit their evolving taste requirements,” she added.
BOH Plantations also offers the widest range of tea products covering herb and fruit infusions, standard and premium teabag blends, hot and cold instant tea mixes, and a wide selection of flavoured teas.
Although it has one of the widest ranges of tea products in the local market, the company is constantly researching on what consumers want in a beverage product, and exploring how tea can deliver on future consumer needs.
Over the years, it had embarked on numerous marketing campaigns. One of the strongest campaigns ever to represent the BOH brand – the BOH Ada Ummph! tagline – is still remembered by many today, including the young.
The phrase encapsulated the brand promise to serve as a catalyst for bonding by helping create moments of togetherness with loved ones, which delivers the Ummph! – that “more than words can describe” kind of feeling.
“Ada Ummph!’ is the perfect word to describe the robustness, strength or ‘kick’ quality of our tea in a way that was distinctly Malaysian,” Caroline said.
BOH Plantations is the first tea company in the world to be awarded the ISO22000 certification – an international standard designed to ensure safe food supply chains worldwide. BOH Plantations is the sixth organisation to obtain the certification in Malaysia and Singapore.
“One of our top priorities has always been the production of safe and quality products for our consumers, and now with the ISO22000 they can be further assured of quality every time they open up a packet of BOH tea,” Caroline said.
BOH Plantations’ packing facility in Bukit Cheeding has also received ISO9002 certification and the company was awarded Superbrand status for three consecutive years. As acknowledgement of its excellent brand identity, BOH was awarded the National Creativity and Innovation Award from Malaysia Design Technology Centre.
Russell said although BOH has established itself in the market, it will not rest on its laurels.
“We will keep abreast with the evolving consumer demographic and industry trends while continuing to produce distinctive teas for both domestic and international customers,” she said.
BOH Plantations’ packing facility in Bukit Cheeding has also received ISO9002 certification and the company was awarded Superbrand status for three consecutive years. As acknowledgement of its excellent brand identity, BOH was awarded the National Creativity and Innovation Award from Malaysia Design Technology Centre.
Russell said although BOH has established itself in the market, it will not rest on its laurels.
“We will keep abreast with the evolving consumer demographic and industry trends while continuing to produce distinctive teas for both domestic and international customers,” she said. -- The Star.
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