IMC exhibition: Mat Murtabak has the potential to go far

By, Fatin Norsyahirah Shafie and Fatin Nur Aliah Shamsul

Gombak, 29 May 2024: The Exhibition on Empowering Local Entrepreneurs in Gombak was held today at the Human Sciences Square of the Human Sciences Building, at IIUM Gombak. It was held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. involving nine booths set up by local entrepreneurs in Gombak. The exhibition was coordinated by Program Manager, Sr. Anis Ayuni binti Zaidi and students of the course, COMM3315: IMC that played an important role in the exhibition. It is an exhibition under the guidance of the lecturer of the course, from the Department of Communication, AHAS KIRKHS, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aida binti Mokhtar.

One of the booths was owned by Mat Murtabak of Gombak. Mat Murtabak was formed in 1985 by Tuan Mat and is now managed by the daughter, Tuan Mus Erma, after she finished her studies in 2005. Since its establishment, Mat Murtabak, is being sold in several places at the Gombak district; at Al-Syakirin Mosque, in a shop lot, night markets and catering every day. Mat Murtabak was inspired to continue to advance and survive in the market when a customer from China said that the murtabak created by Mat Murtabak could go far and could make a lot of profit if it were in China. Therefore, Mat Murtabak was rebranded to make it more competitive.

One of the uniqueness of Mat Murtabak compared to other murtabak out there is that its operators have already used a child-friendly concept, which involves the use of a lot of onions that are not visible and using spices for better taste. This makes children like it more and parents will buy it because the children love eating the murtabak. There are different types of murtabak offered by Mat Murtabak: the normal murtabak that is the standard-sized murtabak, murtabak mozzarella chesses, murtabak king that is bigger and thicker than the normal type, murtabak king chesses, murtabak Singapore and normal frozen murtabak and murtabak with cheese. In addition, the ingredients used are of high quality by using chicken fillet and lean beef that are initially pan-fried as well as some other secret ingredients. Mat Murtabak is sold at affordable prices ranging from RM5.00 to RM20.00. 

Because of the quality and taste, the Mat Murtabak brand has loyal customers of several generations. This is proven when Mat Murtabak receives feedback from customers who state that they have been Mat Murtabak customers for a long time. Besides that, Mat Murtabak is also more active on WhatsApp, where customers will prefer to directly contact the owner of Mat Murtabak. New customers will interact on other social media sites, such as Facebook and Instagram.

Mat Murtabak operates every day in several places, starting from 1p.m. until 7p.m. in the Al-Syakirin mosque area. They operate from 2pm to 9p.m., 4p.m. to 9:30p.m. in the night market, and 11p.m. to 2.p.m., 7a.m. to 12p.m. at their shop. As the business operates every day, Mat Murtabak ensures that quality and fresh ingredients are used. Therefore, Mat Murtabak will guarantee that fresh and good quality products will offered to customers every day.

Every business will definitely have its ups and downs. One of the challenges that Mat Murtabak faces is competing with viral products that are always growing rapidly. However, Mat Murtabak is still strong in the market because murtabak is a non-seasonal food that is always one of the top choices for Malaysians. In addition, Mat Murtabak said that murtabak will gain a name amongst customer during the month of fasting. During Ramadhan, there was an increase in sales and profits by four times. Mat Murtabak also shared its achievements that took place at the Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture, and Agrotourism Show (MAHA) held at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park (MAEPS) in Serdang. One of Mat Murtabak’s future plans is to maintain producing quality products.

Among the platforms used by Mat Murtabak are WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, which uses the name: matmurtabakgombakhq. Customers can find out more about Mat Murtabak’s development on social media. It is hoped that the exhibition will further empower local entrepreneurs in contributing to the national economy.***

(This article was written as a class activity for COMM2312: Basics of Writing.)