In the 1960s, a young Malaysian boy watched his friends enjoy imported biscuits—treats his own family could rarely afford.

Fast forward a few decades later, that boy, Su Chin Hock, would build a biscuit brand loved in more than 80 countries.

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🇲🇾 Building a local winner

With ten other siblings, biscuits were a real luxury for Su. Sometimes, one cookie had to be shared among all of them. Those little moments of sweetness stuck with Su for life.

The years went on, and Su grew up and became an accountant. But as he saw more and more foreign snacks filling Malaysian supermarket shelves, he thought: why can’t we make biscuits just as good—or even better?

So, in 1981, he took a big leap. He quit his steady job, invested his savings, and started a small biscuit factory in Alor Gajah, Malaysia. With just one oven and 200 workers, Perfect Food Manufacturing was born.

It was a brave move, especially in a market dominated by big foreign brands.

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😋 Quality always comes first

Right from the start, Su had one rule: “If we don’t eat it ourselves, we don’t sell it.” He was serious about quality, using real American peanut butter in his sandwich biscuits, even if it cost more.

When it came to Julie’s strawberry wafers called Strawberry Love Letters, Su refused to use artificial colours—even though natural fruit colours made the wafers less bright and production more expensive. “Real fruit isn’t neon,” he said. For Su, kids’ health came first.

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💰 The price is right

Because of the high-quality ingredients, Julie’s biscuits hit shelves at RM5 (about $1.13), which was way pricier than the RM2.50–RM3.50 ($0.57–$0.79) other brands charged back in the 1980s.

Distributors thought no one would pay that much for a local biscuit.

But customers kept coming back for those peanut butter cookies and naturally coloured strawberry wafers.

Their loyalty gave Su the confidence to stick to his guns. And to this day, Julie’s hasn’t compromised on quality.

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👧🏼 What’s in a name

Back then, most Malaysian biscuit brands had long, traditional names. Su wanted something simple, easy to remember, and that could work internationally.

He picked “Julie”—a friendly, approachable name that stood out on shelves.

The smiling blonde girl on the packaging? Not a real person, but she quickly became the friendly face of Malaysian biscuit quality and Su’s global dreams.

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🤕 Breaking and building trust

In 2008, Julie’s faced a huge challenge. A supplier’s ingredient was contaminated with melamine-tainted ammonium bicarbonate, sparking a global food safety scare.

Julie’s biscuits disappeared from shelves in many countries. Years of hard work seemed to shatter overnight.

But Su didn’t give up. He tightened quality controls, rebuilt trust, and worked closely with authorities to bring Julie’s back. Slowly but surely, the brand returned—stronger and safer.

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👋🏼 A new face, the same name

By the 2010s, Julie’s was a household name. But Su knew it was time to refresh the brand. His son, Sai Tzy Horng, came back with fresh ideas.

In 2020, Julie’s got its first big makeover in 35 years: a modern logo, new packaging, and a focus on storytelling and sustainability.

It was a risky move—right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. But with people snacking more at home, the new look caught on. Younger fans loved it, and longtime customers appreciated the same trusted quality.

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🌏 Where we are today

Today, Julie’s biscuits are enjoyed in over 80 countries—from Southeast Asia to the Middle East and beyond.

While the company tweaks products and packaging for local tastes, the promise stays the same: honest, caring, top-quality biscuits.

The numbers tell the story too. In 2019, Julie’s made RM326.6M (around $78M), up nearly 6% from the year before. Net profit more than doubled to RM18.2M ($4.3M). It’s proof that sticking to quality pays off.

And by sticking to his principles and building a brand name ready to go international, a boy who once couldn’t get a biscuit of his own has made it possible for families around the world to enjoy high-quality yet affordable biscuits.