These Sabahans have built a profitable biz built on all things avocado, from F&B to jewellery

Recently, while shopping at Bukit Bintang, I came across one of Pingmin Market’s events in front of The Starhill. With the afternoon heat, I was craving something light and refreshing. That’s when I spotted Avosome, a booth selling all things avocado.

Manning the booth that day were founders Fung and Isabelle.

“We’re a couple, partners in crime, soulmates who share the same passions, values, and beliefs,” they later shared with Vulcan Post.

While Fung holds a Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management, Isabelle holds a Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management from the UK.

As hospitality practitioners, they curated bespoke events, travel, lifestyle, and culinary experiences for corporate clientele and luxury travellers.  

But then they decided to take a leap of faith and quit their corporate job to embark on the entrepreneurial journey. Today, they run Avosome full-time.  

Not their first rodeo

This wouldn’t be the couple’s first encounter with avocados, though. As Sabahans, they were exposed to the fruit from a young age, nibbling on homegrown avocados with condensed milk.

“We did not fancy avocados back then until we grew up,” they revealed.

However, in their adulthood, they realised the variety and nuance that avocados offer. Since then, they have been exploring endless possibilities with avocados.

“We tried avocado varieties around the world and homegrown avocados, visited local avocado farms, and connected with local farmers,” they said. “We lived on avocados, on toast, in baking, smoothies, homemade avocado mask on our face for self-care.”

Their entrepreneurial journey started out with Avocatier, a cafe revolving around avocados. Founded with some business partners before the pandemic, this provided Fung and Isabelle with valuable insights into cafe management.

“The people around us struggle in picking the perfectly right (ripe) one or telling if the avocado is ripe,” they explained. “They cut into an avocado excitingly only to find it’s hard or brown and mushy inside. We feel everyone’s pain.”

To address this pain point, Fung and Isabelle decided to start Avosome in November 2020.  

Collaborating to create change

Starting out, Avosome primarily offered avocado-based drinks, like the one I purchased. During one of their pop-ups, they received an overwhelming response, leaving behind a lot of avocado byproducts.

“We looked at the beautiful mess of avocado skins and pits pilling up—these avocado scraps weren’t scraps,” he said. “We saw the beauty in avocado skins and pits. The avocado skins and pits stained our cloth when we left these on our balcony.”

Seeing this, they were struck by the thought that they could create something meaningful out of waste.  

Inspired by that, they now repurpose all parts of the avocado, breathing new life into it. For one, they use avocado skins and pits to create natural dye with local artists and the community.

“We are glad to be a part of the journey of the natural dye artists, such as t.o.i.n.k. from Penang, to explore the art of avocado dye,” they said.

Teaming up with a local NGO, Persatuan Seni Jahitan Kreatif Malaysia (PSJKM), Avosome also empowers underprivileged communities by providing avocado natural dye workshops so they can make a living from avocado-dyed tees.

Avosome has also collaborated with a local handmade soap maker, Soapan Santun, to turn avocados into natural handmade soap.

Another partner is a local jewellery maker, allithing from Penang. Using avocado skin and pits, they create unique pieces of handmade jewellery, earrings, and keychains.

“When you don’t see us in pop-up events, we are handpicking avocados for chefs, restaurants, cafes, and our customers,” they added. “Our partners, chefs, and restaurants we work with are also joining our efforts. They collect the avocado skins and pits in their daily operations for us.”

Going forward, they’re excited to collaborate with more restaurants and cafes to bring the versatile avocado into new culinary experiences.

Plus surplus avocados

To further close the loop, Avosome also makes use of “wonky” or surplus avocados. Although they taste as good as the beautiful-skinned avocados, these avocados tend to be overlooked for not fitting into the norms.

Specifically, they use these avocados to create brownies, replacing the butter typically used.

“We work with a local surplus market, Graze Market, to turn these visually less appealing avocados into avocado brownies with a story,” the duo shared. “Since then, there are also fruit wholesalers who reach out to us for help in rescuing the surplus avocados from going to waste.”

At one point, they received 20kg of the wonky fruits from a supplier. Sharing this with their community, they actually drummed up support from customers and friends who happily bought the perfectly imperfect avocados.

Speaking on sourcing, Avosome’s avocados are primarily from Australia, as Australian avocados are available all year round, resulting in consistent yields of quality fruits in the Australian avocado industry. At times, they also source avocados from Mexico, New Zealand, and the US, based on seasonal availability. 

But why not shop locally? To that, the duo shared that they absolutely would love to support local farmers and have been exploring the possibilities. 

“However, when shipping avocados from Sabah to west Malaysia, there are challenges such as logistical issues, rising air freight costs, and dealing with the fruit’s perishability,” they explained. “High logistics costs could impact the end consumer prices.”

They also shared that local avocados are still scarce, and there are still inconsistent yields of quality fruits.

But having visited these farms, the Avosome founders know that local farmers are pouring their hearts and souls into local avocado farming, and thus they wish they could support them more in the future.

Beyond just sourcing avocados from local farmers, they even have bold ambitions of even tapping into agrotourism with them.

Avocado advocates

It seems as though avocados have become quite popular in the past few years, with avocado shakes being more common now. Other brands like Bo the Avocado and Avocadian have been on the scene for some years at this point.

But the Avosome founders don’t perceive other players as competitors. Rather, they’re glad that avocados have found their place in the local F&B scene. That said, they believe their brand stands out as their concept goes beyond selling avocado F&B products.

The brand has been generating a steady revenue of nearly RM10,000 per month over the last two months. “While the business is currently profitable, we are still in the early stages of growth and our profits are modest,” they said.

Thus, the focus now remains on expanding their reach and building on their foundations, with a long-term vision to scale and make more significant impacts. To make these goals a reality, they’ll be participating in more meaningful pop-ups and events.

“It has been fulfilling to pursue our passion and watch our stories unfold,” they expressed.

And as a customer now myself, it’s just as exciting to follow along the journey, too, and see how Fung and Isabelle will continue pushing the boundaries of the avocado market.

Featured Image Credit: Avosome