APAC Issue 9 2018

APAC / Issue 9 2018 7 , Morris Cookies: Driving Change in the Food Industry for the Better In aworld that is quickly becoming defined by a newobsessionwith health, fitness and wellbeing, Morris Cookies stands apart fromtheir contemporaries for their dedication to chemical-free baking products. InAugust, Morris Cookies were recognised in the 2018 APAC Excellence Awards programmewith the title of ‘Best in Biscuits’. On the back of their success, we endeavoured to find outmore about this innovative, future-centric company through its Founder, Morris Ong. At the heart of Morris Cookies lies a dedication to healthy products, free of the additives and substances that have plagued the food industry over the last few decades. In this, they aim to be the latest trend-setters in an industry eager for revitalisation and innovation. To start the interview, Morris takes a moment to explain more about his firm’s overall mission: “We aim to bring food-safety considerations to as many people as possible and as soon as possible. We will achieve this by using our “Green Production Program”, where we work with global qualified manufacturers to produce different products with different factories under our sourcing and guideline direction.” Morris Cookies was born from a dedication to perfection, as Morris details: “We spent 5 years in R&D of chemical-free baking solution and launched the world’s first guaranteed Acrylamide-free cookies in Nov 2017. Morris Cookies work closely with our clients as cross- branding business partners; for example, if Amazon Whole Food Market work with us, we develop exclusive products just for Amazon, with the product carrying both Morris Cookies and Whole Food Market branding. We take care of the product’s quality and safety control, and they take care of customer relationships and sales & marketing programs – to put it simply.” This is, by all regards, a novel way to operate in a market that has always idolised the traditional. Indeed, Morris Cookies look set to challenge the industry from the ground up; where others stick to the tried and the tested, Morris innovates, adapts and develops. This has helped the company keep at the cutting edge of the health sector and, above all, distinguishes them from the competition. When it comes to this competition, Morris takes an enlightening approach: “We do not look at the word “competitors”, because we strongly believe that, after we have changed consumer eating habits to prefer our healthier products, the rest of the so called “competitors” will change accordingly. Once everyone has changed, the world will be better. That is what our vision is.” We don’t foresee developments in the industry; we aim to lead the industry forwards. Morris takes a moment to talk about how he tackles emerging developments in the sector; “The only way is to keep our team up-to-date in different technologies and cultures, because our work demands that we stay informed across cultures, across industries, and across technologies. Only by staying informed can we ensure that we can apply our full scientific knowledge and skill to each project.” Coming to the end of the interview, Morris discusses the future of Morris Cookies, and how they aim to build their presence through professional 1809AP09 partnerships; “We will keep moving forward and working closely with professional organisations. One of our more immediate plans is to develop an app which will store all kinds of food-related data, so people can better understand what they are eating.” This is the essential element of Morris Cookies that drives every decision and fuels their growth. Their dedication to wanting people to live healthier, better lives is refreshing in an industry that seems obsessed with profit margins and capitalist concerns. They strive to make the industry follow in their footsteps and adopt a consumer-centric outlook that considers the contents – and nutritional value – of the food they produce. It’s an admirable goal, and a goal that Morris Cookies is determined to achieve. Company: Morris Cookies (Asia) Limited Address: No.33 Luen Cheong Street, Fanling N.T., Hong Kong Website: morriscookies.co.uk