KUALA LUMPUR, March 13 (Bernama) -- The Sompo Welfare Foundation (“The Foundation”) presented a cheque amounting to RM32,000 to Seven Tea One Sdn Bhd (“Seven Tea One”). Seven Tea One is among the four recipients of the Foundation's FY2022 International Social Welfare Grant outside Japan. This is the tenth time Malaysia is receiving international grant support from the Sompo Welfare Foundation.
Berjaya Sompo Insurance (“Berjaya Sompo”), the Malaysian operating entity and part of Sompo Holdings (Asia) Pte. Ltd, recommended Seven Tea One to be one of the grant recipients for their continuous effort towards programmes aimed at equipping individuals with disabilities with skill sets that will improve their employability opportunities. The grant from the Foundation will fund the setting up of a Halal-certified production centre which will help Seven Tea One increase its market growth to supply Halal-certified healthy infusion herbal blends for a growing community seeking natural, wellness and Halal-friendly beverages.
Mr. Tan Sek Kee, Chief Executive Officer of Berjaya Sompo, said, "At Berjaya Sompo, we actively strive towards being a diverse and inclusive society. We are honoured to support Seven Tea One in their mission to provide vocational training and employment space for individuals with disabilities."
"We are encouraged to see Seven Tea One's efforts in making the company production line sustainable through developing their infusion herbal blends market and training centre. We are confident that they will achieve their vision to produce socially responsible products and foster inclusivity in the communities," he added.
Mr. Tan Sek Kee presented the RM32,000 mock cheque to Mr Lai Chong Haur, the owner of Seven Tea One Sdn Bhd. In his acceptance speech, Mr Lai said, “It is an honour to be selected as one of the recipients of the Sompo Welfare Foundation Social Welfare Grant, which will go into expanding our business and equipping the production centre. In the coming year, we intend to provide more job opportunities to differently-abled and single mothers from the B40 group. Hence, we are grateful to receive the grant as it helps us further increase the business capital and grow our impact."
Currently, Seven Tea One employs six individuals with disabilities and provides training for 15 specially-abled trainees at their vocational training centre. They envision extending their impact to enable more individuals with disabilities to receive training and support for employment. With the growing consumer market of herbal infusion drinks, Seven Tea One looks to penetrate the halal food and beverage industry to enable more consumers to purchase their products and contribute to their cause.
About Seven Tea One Sdn BhdEstablished in 2016, Seven Tea One is an impact-driven infusion herbal blend producer founded on the philosophy of “business as a matter of inclusiveness”. The team provides a safe, inclusive and non-discriminatory platform for differently-abled and marginalised communities to learn employment skills and earn dignified income for sustainable living.
Concurrently, they are committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 5 (gender equality), 8 (decent work & economic growth) and 10 (reduced inequalities). This social enterprise stands with a mission to be a leading fair trade and inclusive producer of Malaysian herbal heritage products in the region.
In 2022, Seven Tea One set up a new production centre to provide a more advanced working environment for higher-functioning disabled teens, where they will earn higher wages. Later in that year, the Company expanded to Segamat, Johor with their new production facility equipped with industrial dehydration and powder grinder equipment. Both these production centres will be geared into a halal-certified production stop.
In mid-2023, Seven Tea One will set up a more spacious vocational training centre in Kapar, Klang in collaboration with a private entity, GoForth Corporation Sdn Bhd, with the aim of impacting more beneficiaries from local communities.
The establishment also owns a two-acre land, where local herbs are planted to supply the botanical drink business. The teenagers with disabilities are trained and involved in the farming of herbal plants. They are given a more comprehensive range of skills to increase their employment prospects.
For more information, go to
https://seventeaone.my/ About Berjaya Sompo Insurance Berhad Berjaya Sompo Insurance Berhad ("Berjaya Sompo"), is the Malaysian operating entity and part of Sompo Group. Bolstered by the Sompo Group's 80 years of trusted presence in Asia, spreading across 14 markets in the region, Berjaya Sompo is a leading name in general insurance in Malaysia, with an ever-expanding network that presently comprises 16 offices and 2,590 agents nationwide. Berjaya Sompo provides a comprehensive range of general insurance solutions for individuals and corporations.
For more information, go to
www.berjayasompo.com.my.
About Sompo Welfare FoundationSompo Welfare Foundation is a public service entity created and funded by Sompo Japan Insurance Inc. to promote social welfare activities as part of the company's contribution to society. In addition to its core mission of awarding the above grants, the Foundation offers research grants. It holds seminars and lectures on social welfare, non-life insurance, and gerontology. The Foundation also presents the Sompo Japan Welfare Foundation Awards for outstanding academic research in social welfare in Japan, subsidizes lectures and symposiums presented by the award recipients, and offers scholarships to individuals training to be care workers.
The Foundation launched the international grant programme for social welfare organizations in 2010 as an extension of its financial support programme for social welfare organizations in Japan. The Foundation offers grants to support non-profit organizations engaging in social welfare activities in developing countries and regions. The grants are awarded based on recommendations solicited from local representatives of Japanese companies who are working in India, South Africa or the ASEAN member states — Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
