GEORGE TOWN – Once a tourist attraction, Tropical Spice Garden (TSG) is now appealing for public support for its Spice Fam subscription to ride out the current lockdown restrictions.
Owner Katharine Chua said although the business was created to be sustainable, it is not pandemic-proof as it is hanging on by a thread.
“When Covid-19 hit last year, we had a sense that this was going to be a very long journey by April. We had to let go of more than half of our staff.
“We currently have 10 people working, and one of them has decided to help for free.
“Right now, everyone’s salary has been cut. We are all on minimum wage and lower. Despite that, we need at least RM25,000 to continue operating. But if we want to offer our workers wages that match the current living standards, we will need RM30,000 to RM35,000 a month.
“If we are talking about pre-Covid times, our expenditure could easily be RM50,000 to RM60,000 a month – but it is unreasonable to even think about that as we are just trying to stay alive now,” she told The Vibes.
Those who are still employed have had their hours scaled back, and whatever working hours they have are used to reorganise their online presence. Many perishable items have had to be thrown, and those that can still be used were rescued, she said.
However, the pandemic has led Chua to take a hard look at TSG’s business plan.
She is no longer focused on international tourists but switched to building a local community and a space.
“We realise that what we were doing before didn’t really hit the mark, though we were profiting at that time. I hope this model, where we build a community of Penangites and Malaysians first, is more sustainable.
“The Spice Fam subscription is the garden’s lifeline to stay open. In return, I hope that we’ll be able to bring those who subscribe and their loved ones closer together in nature.
“With 1,000 subscribers, we will be able to keep ourselves going. We’re just getting started, as there is so much in store for everyone in the years to come.”
TSG is hoping to raise funds to stay operational and reopen once travel restrictions are lifted. Malaysians who want to support the gardens can either purchase a Spice Fam membership or donate here tsgspicefam.com/save-tsg
At RM25 a month, subscribers will get two online cooking classes, yoga classes and even dance classes with Aida Redza, one of Malaysia’s well-known contemporary dancers, every month. Members are also entitled to exclusive garden camping passes. – The Vibes, August 3, 2021
