Founder's Note
Hello home cooks and home bakers! It’s Liyen here. This is just a casual note from me so I invite you to read this with an open mind, grab a cup of coffee, milo, or teh tarik, and get cozy. If you are new to the Hawkr, a warm welcome I bid to you! But regardless of how long you’ve been with the platform, I would like to thank you for taking the leap of faith to join our growing family of merchants. You probably had your doubts about joining such a young platform. I’m not here to tell you we’re as good as GrabFood or Foodpanda, which are stellar platforms in their own right, because that’s not really what we are trying to be…
Wait, if we’re not trying to be the next GrabFood, then what are we? What I’m here to talk about, is the story of how and why Hawkr was formed, but more importantly, how each and every one of you fit in and add to this ever growing story.
I had the privilege to attend university in the US. I graduated in June 2020. Covid-19 was already devastating the US by then. My family could not see me graduate and equally as disappointing, I lost my full-time job offer after securing it during my internship. Just like many of you, I knew I had to take the matter in my own hands to gain control of life again. So, I sold nearly all my belongings, moved to Silicon Valley (the startup mecca), and rented a small AirBnb room where Hawkr was born. As embarrassing as my cooking skills are compared to you, I became Hawkr’s very first merchant. :) Fast forward a few months of growing steadily in California, we soon found out it was illegal to sell homemade food in the US. Along with many crazy events that were occurring in the US during that year, I started to think maybe the right place to grow Hawkr is actually back home…
In October 2020, I created a simple Google Form to recruit home cooks, shared it in Malaysian Facebook groups and received 50 sign ups in one week alone. I knew I could not just carelessly dive straight into the Malaysian market. So, the focus at that time was just as simple as connecting with fellow Malaysian cooks, homemakers, culinary students, restaurant workers, warung owners, and anyone who was passionate about the food scene. I was coming in as a newbie so it was important to listen and learn from people who have been doing this day in and day out regardless of their level of expertise. What became clear to me were two things:
The billion dollar question for Hawkr then was, “How do we create a platform that is not a one-size fits all platform to cater to the different needs and goals of such a diverse range of home cooks and home bakers?”
Guess what? We don’t have all the answers yet. Hawkr is a journey to look for that answer. However, our promise to you is that this principle will continue to underpin every decision we make at Hawkr. You are your own unique brand and together, all of you bring something so unique to the dining tables of fellow customers. It is only fair that your goals and aspirations, no matter how big or small, are placed at the forefront of our platform.
With that, I hope you will find this brand new community board created by our team to be of great value to you and your journey with us. Over time, we will continue to add helpful tips, tricks, ideas, updates, opportunities, and many more! We’re very excited to see what this community board can potentially transform into because this is just the beginning. In the medium term, we will also be building a merchant forum for you to connect with and hold discussions with other merchants. After all, Malaysia’s dynamic food culture is not an overnight success of one person, but the entire keluarga Malaysia.
A little bit of a humble brag but the experience of joining a platform like Hawkr is like none other. The culture of the platform will always be centred around community-building. We encourage you to reach out and say hi, have a chat with us, especially if you need help. We want you to know you’re not alone in this journey as a home business owner. For my team and I, we constantly remind ourselves that no problem is too big or too small when it comes to supporting our merchants. Our fondest memories have always been connecting with our amazing merchants like you!
Here’s a fun fact but I figured it’s also a nice way to wrap things up like a beautiful nasi lemak bungkus. I was born and raised in Penang with a large amount of my childhood playtime spent at my grandparents’ restaurant where recipes passed down through generations were loved by many Penangnites. Like many Malaysians, food, and even more so, homemade food has always been a huge part of my life. Think of all the Malaysian dishes you know. Nasi Lemak, Char Kuey Teow, Mee Goreng, Laksa just to name a few. These dishes were created in a humble home kitchen with each family taking pride in their own style of cooking or recipe. We can all agree that our diversity has played a part in building our gastronomic heritage, but what is still underrated and not really talked about is how much home cooks and home bakers have added to that heritage. And that’s where you come in.
At Hawkr, we strive to be so much more than a food delivery platform because at the core of what we do lies the story of our merchants. You are why we do what we do and we are committed to telling your story through the food, drinks, desserts, and snacks you sell. We wish you the best of luck, we’re honoured to have you on this journey, and if we have not gotten a chance to chat, I hope we can say hi one day! Our doors (and tummies) are always open.
Ta ta for now,
Liyen Tan