Tempeh and gourmet — not a pairing you’d expect. Yet Ethan Wong, Founder of Truly Gourmet, has turned a humble Malaysian staple into a thriving premium food brand. From perfecting a seven-day fermentation process to creating products that feel indulgent yet accessible, Ethan shares how he’s redefining what "gourmet” can mean in a diverse, price-sensitive market.



In this conversation, we uncover the strategies, decisions, and turning points that shaped Truly Gourmet’s growth, from securing capital and scaling production, to balancing quality with market demand. Ethan also reflects on how he’s navigated challenges in the F&B scene, and the mindset that has kept the brand resilient and profitable.

Tempeh and gourmet — not a pairing you’d expect. Yet Ethan Wong, Founder of Truly Gourmet, has turned a humble Malaysian staple into a thriving premium food brand. From perfecting a seven-day fermentation process to creating products that feel indulgent yet accessible, Ethan shares how he’s redefining what "gourmet” can mean in a diverse, price-sensitive market.In this conversation, we uncover the strategies, decisions, and turning points that shaped Truly Gourmet’s growth, from securing capital and scaling production, to balancing quality with market demand. Ethan also reflects on how he’s navigated challenges in the F&amp;B scene, and the mindset that has kept the brand resilient and profitable.

The flagship entrepreneurship show on BFM, featuring personal business stories from early stage start-ups, all the way to billionaire octogenarians in Malaysia and abroad. Notable guests include Martin Cooper (father of the mobile phone), Julian Assange (founder of WikiLeaks), Ralph Henry Baer (father of video games), Tony Buzan (Mindmap Guru), Isaac Tigrett (Hard Rock Cafe founder), Robert Kiyosaki (Financial Guru), Nick Vujicic (motivational speaker) and more. Tap into this valuable resource of shared experiences for the SME industry, which also touches on news, issues and trends affecting the business community and beyond.

Open For Business

Discover fresh concepts, tackle obstacles, and unleash growth - Open For Business is the dynamic show where BFM engages with entrepreneurs, business leaders, and industry trailblazers, igniting inspiration, sparking success, and exploring new business models.

Making Tempeh a Truly Gourmet Brand

Spanish Cellar KL is a fully bootstrapped, three-million-ringgit gourmet import business supplying the Malaysian market with premium Spanish olive oils, farmhouse cheeses, wines, saffron, and cured meats. The company operates across three distinct revenue streams: B2B distribution to restaurants and hotels, direct-to-consumer retail, and private dining events. 

Founder Victor Dejesus’ trajectory in the F&B import sector is quite unconventional. After arriving in Malaysia on a corporate assignment with IBM, he resigned to remain in the country, launching his first Spanish import enterprise in 2000. He successfully scaled that initial company to six million ringgit in revenue before selling a 70 percent stake to local partners. However, as he watched that entity narrow its operational focus and scale to roughly RM30 million without him at the helm, he made the rare decision to walk away from the massive enterprise he created and restart his original, wider-ranging concept entirely from scratch.

Victor joins us to discuss building the exact same F&B business twice in a single market. We also cover importing a foreign gastronomic culture into a region that doesn't naturally reach for it, how a lean operation effectively balances both B2B and B2C revenue streams, and the math behind his ambitious plan to force 50 percent growth in a stagnant post-Covid market.

Spanish Cellar KL is a fully bootstrapped, three-million-ringgit gourmet import business supplying the Malaysian market with premium Spanish olive oils, farmhouse cheeses, wines, saffron, and cured meats. The company operates across three distinct revenue streams: B2B distribution to restaurants and hotels, direct-to-consumer retail, and private dining events.&nbsp;Founder Victor Dejesus’ trajectory in the F&amp;B import sector is quite unconventional. After arriving in Malaysia on a corporate assignment with IBM, he resigned to remain in the country, launching his first Spanish import enterprise in 2000. He successfully scaled that initial company to six million ringgit in revenue before selling a 70 percent stake to local partners. However, as he watched that entity narrow its operational focus and scale to roughly RM30 million without him at the helm, he made the rare decision to walk away from the massive enterprise he created and restart his original, wider-ranging concept entirely from scratch.Victor joins us to discuss building the exact same F&amp;B business twice in a single market. We also cover importing a foreign gastronomic culture into a region that doesn't naturally reach for it, how a lean operation effectively balances both B2B and B2C revenue streams, and the math behind his ambitious plan to force 50 percent growth in a stagnant post-Covid market.

Building, Selling, and Restarting a Gourmet Import Business

Otti is a corporate training and research institute focused on what it calls "Human-AI Synergy". The Institute teaches professionals to aggressively leverage AI for productivity without sacrificing independent, critical human thought. Co-founded in 2020 by neuroscientist Aster Wei alongside Cambridge-trained psycholinguist Chang Yin Jue and REDtone technopreneur Dato' Wei Chuan Beng, Otti now generates seven-figure revenue across five distinct streams, recording roughly 740 percent growth since its first operational year. 

The institute successfully secures B2B and B2G contracts, boasting a client roster that includes Novartis, Grab, Standard Chartered, DHL, and government entities like the Ministry of Health.

Aster joins us to discuss bootstrapping a B2B training institute to seven figures, why she argues that most corporate AI training is selling the wrong framework entirely, and the difficult work of breaking founder dependency to build a company that can scale without its original creators.

Otti is a corporate training and research institute focused on what it calls "Human-AI Synergy". The Institute teaches professionals to aggressively leverage AI for productivity without sacrificing independent, critical human thought. Co-founded in 2020 by neuroscientist Aster Wei alongside Cambridge-trained psycholinguist Chang Yin Jue and REDtone technopreneur Dato' Wei Chuan Beng, Otti now generates seven-figure revenue across five distinct streams, recording roughly 740 percent growth since its first operational year.&nbsp;The institute successfully secures B2B and B2G contracts, boasting a client roster that includes Novartis, Grab, Standard Chartered, DHL, and government entities like the Ministry of Health.Aster joins us to discuss bootstrapping a B2B training institute to seven figures, why she argues that most corporate AI training is selling the wrong framework entirely, and the difficult work of breaking founder dependency to build a company that can scale without its original creators.

Mind & Heart: The Business of Human-AI Synergy

Three women who have been friends for thirty years each built a business in wellness. Raja Jesrina Arshad scaled PurelyB into an eight-figure superfood brand. Diane Chia co-founded Millennia Village, an integrated lifestyle destination for active seniors. Sarah Lian built Supparetreat, a women-focused wellness community.

Then they built something together.

The Women Wellness Festival began as a gathering and is now, Malaysia's largest women's wellness event. Two editions, both sold out. The third edition runs on the 3rd and 4th of October at the Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur at KL Midtown - Two full days, more than fifty sessions, and a speaker list that includes squash legend Datuk Nicol David, and two-time Hyrox world champion Hannah Prescott.

But behind the breathwork and the women's circles is a genuine operating business. Sponsors to sign, a venue to fill, a programme to curate, vendors to vet, hundreds of delegates to move between rooms on schedule, and a set of numbers that has to work.

Sarah Lian and Diane Chia join us to talk about the business of building an event this size, including how they knew the demand was there, how it's funded, how they measure whether it worked, and where it goes from here.

Three women who have been friends for thirty years each built a business in wellness. Raja Jesrina Arshad scaled PurelyB into an eight-figure superfood brand. Diane Chia co-founded Millennia Village, an integrated lifestyle destination for active seniors. Sarah Lian built Supparetreat, a women-focused wellness community.Then they built something together.The Women Wellness Festival began as a gathering and is now, Malaysia's largest women's wellness event. Two editions, both sold out. The third edition runs on the 3rd and 4th of October at the Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur at KL Midtown - Two full days, more than fifty sessions, and a speaker list that includes squash legend Datuk Nicol David, and two-time Hyrox world champion Hannah Prescott.But behind the breathwork and the women's circles is a genuine operating business. Sponsors to sign, a venue to fill, a programme to curate, vendors to vet, hundreds of delegates to move between rooms on schedule, and a set of numbers that has to work.Sarah Lian and Diane Chia join us to talk about the business of building an event this size, including how they knew the demand was there, how it's funded, how they measure whether it worked, and where it goes from here.

Making Tempeh a Truly Gourmet Brand

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