A Johor Entrepreneur’s Recipe For Bergedil Tofu Success

JOHOR BAHRU: When Nur Khalisah Ismail first started making bergedil tofu, customers were not really impressed. The filling was not quite right, and complaints came quickly.

Instead of abandoning the idea, the Johor Bahru native kept adjusting the recipe, listening to feedback and trying again. It took nearly a year before she was satisfied.

Today, the 33-year-old founder of TahuXTahu can go through as many as 100 sacks of potatoes a day during peak periods to produce up to 90,000 pieces of bergedil tofu.

The contrast with her earliest days is striking: Khalisah started the business in 2017 with about RM100, making the snack at her mother’s shop after graduating.

“At the time, bergedil tofu was trending, so I decided to make it myself,” she recalled. “In the beginning, my recipe did not quite suit customers’ tastes, and I received many complaints.

"But I used all the feedback to improve my recipe until customers said it was delicious.”

That response gave her the confidence to sell at events, where customers from Johor and Singapore began taking notice. As demand grew, Khalisah decided to open her own outlet in 2020.

Building a shop one day at a time

The move was anything but easy. Khalisah, a former insurance agent, said she had barely any money left when renovation work began.

“I didn’t even have RM1,000 in my bank account,” she said. “The shop was in very poor condition, and I almost gave up.”

Meanwhile, she continued refining the food. The recipe took close to a year to perfect, while the spicy soy sauce dip - now one of her signatures - required another six to seven months of experimentation.

“Many people sell bergedil tofu, so we wanted customers to experience something different in the filling and the combination with our soy sauce chilli dip,” Khalisah explained.

Consistency became especially important as production increased. On an ordinary day, the business may use about 50 sacks of potatoes. On weekends and public holidays, that can double.

TahuXTahu now concentrates mainly on chicken and beef bergedil tofu, alongside chicken and beef spring rolls. Bergedil tofu prices start at RM9 for five pieces, rising to RM75 for a family box of 50.

As the workforce expanded to 18 employees, Khalisah introduced SOPs so every batch would be prepared using the same measurements and quality control.

Making room for other food makers

One of the more unexpected parts of the business developed almost by accident: her shop became a marketplace for other home-based food producers.

It started when an elderly man asked whether she could help sell his cream puffs. Customers liked them, and soon other small-scale food makers began approaching her.

Today, around 100 vendors sell products through TahuXTahu. Many are older entrepreneurs, while others are younger food makers who know how to cook but struggle with marketing.

“If a customer wants to place a large order, I connect them directly with the vendor without taking any commission,” Khalisah outlined.

“I believe that my blessings also include blessings meant for others.”

For small producers without their own storefronts, this approach offers visibility and access to customers they might otherwise struggle to reach.

Growing without losing the recipe

Like many food businesses, TahuXTahu has had to contend with rising ingredient costs.

Rather than simply increasing prices, Khalisah said the company has tried to offer customers more value by increasing the amount of filling in each bergedil tofu from 30g to 40g, as well as improving its packaging.

She has also reinvested heavily in the business. About RM200,000 went into renovating a second outlet, which opened in August 2024. Sales doubled in the first year after the move.

The company is now pursuing several certifications as it prepares for wider expansion.

As for the future, Khalisah wants to strengthen the brand within Malaysia before looking overseas, particularly because the products have a short shelf life and require careful logistics.

With expansion plans taking shape, she hopes the business can continue doing what it has done from the start: bringing people together over food while making room for others to grow, too.