Mr. Khue was not always in the dried meat business. In fact, the enterprising Mr. Khue started off making kaya (coconut jam), and Lo Hon Ko, a popular beverage among the Chinese community, as far back as the early 1960s.

In the early 1970s, he successfully ventured into making orange juice and branded it Mo Dik Sin (Super Fresh). It was such a hit that a Taiwanese gentleman used to visit Mr. Khue to buy the orange juice whenever he was in Kuala Lumpur.

As the story goes, the Taiwanese gentleman used to come to Mr. Khue’s shop, shouting, “O Loi Ya, O Loi Ya.” (”Here I Come, here I come.”).

The two gentlemen became friends over the years and exchanged recipes. Mr. Khue taught him the secret to making great orange juice, and the Taiwanese gentleman taught Mr. Khue his family’s recipe for dried meat.

Always the entrepreneur, Mr. Khue started perfecting the dried meat recipe at home, with the help of his wife. Once they were satisfied with the taste and texture, they decided to sell it and named the dried meat Oloiya (Here I Come).

Life wasn’t easy for the husband and wife team in the beginning. They underwent financial difficulties and spent their days and nights making the products by hand because they couldn’t afford to employ staff or invest in the processing machines available then. However, they persevered until the business picked up.