Halal ice cream with Zamzam water anyone?

KUALA LUMPUR — Claiming to use water from the Zamzam well in a mosque from Islam’s holy city of Mecca, a Malaysian entrepreneur is hoping his Aiskrim Minda Genius30+ will be a hit with Muslims here, especially during the current hot spell.

Mohd Hisham Zamri, who started the Aiskrim Kifayah label, is touting his sweet creations as “halal” as they are made with ingredients based on “sunnah”, meaning in accordance with the traditions of Prophet Muhammad.

“The ice cream produced contains sunnah food such as almonds, dates, canned fruit, Zamzam water, raisins and saffron, giving it a different taste,” he was quoted as saying by local daily Sinar Harian today when explaining his Aiskrim Minda Genius30+ blend.

Mohd Hisham, popularly known as Sigu Sham, said he was inspired to start his business after noticing that no Muslims were producing ice cream that is guaranteed halal, or permissible in Islam.

“Some time ago, I realised more and more traders from Cambodia were coming to our country to start ice cream businesses, and whether homemade or otherwise, I discovered the daily profits were quite lucrative,” the SPM holder was quoted saying.

Mohd Hisham added that he travelled to Thailand and Cambodia to learn how to make ice cream, before starting his Kifayah Global Resources firm with a capital of RM600 to buy equipment, Sinar Harian reported.

He started small by producing ice cream with conventional flavours such as vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, and now, his products are sold nationwide.

The father of five, who was formerly a technician, said he once struggled to make ends meet, adding that his family survived on monthly wages of RM1,100 for three years. He said he decided to better their lot in life by venturing into business.

Mohd Hisham also offers a one-day training course to budding entrepreneurs on how to run an ice cream business, together with information on how to produce and market his signature sweet treats.

His company also provides the ice cream machine, freezer and ingredients, among other essentials.

He also told Sinar Harian that he is currently in talks with Universiti Pahang Malaysia on finding ways to innovate ice cream-making machines. MALAY MAIL ONLINE