Onsoi products on display.
KOTA KINABALU (June 19): When the Covid-19 pandemic ground the world to a halt, it seemed like just another blow to the local economy.
But for Sharon Voo, a Tenom native with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, this unprecedented crisis became the catalyst for a revolutionary venture.
For generations, the mist-shrouded hills of Tenom have been synonymous with the rich, bold aroma of local coffee. To those who grow up there, coffee is not just a morning ritual; it is a way of life, a cultural identity, and the heartbeat of the community.
What started as an act of survival for her family’s restaurant business has blossomed into ONSOI, a rapidly growing beverage manufacturing brand that is modernising Tenom coffee while empowering the very farmers who cultivate it.
Today, ONSOI is shifting the narrative of local agriculture, a journey supercharged by Voo’s triumph in the prestigious Shell LiveWire programme.
Voo’s ultimate dream is that within the next five years, ONSOI will become a household Sabahan brand recognised by every single Malaysian.
The accidental entrepreneur
Like many business stories, ONSOI was born out of necessity rather than a meticulously crafted corporate blueprint. During the height of the pandemic, Voo’s family restaurant in Tenom faced a devastating blow: strict lockdowns meant a total ban on dine-in customers.
Confronted with empty tables and plummeting revenue, Voo realised she could not afford to sit idly by and wait for foot traffic to return.
“I had to find a way to walk out in order to wait for people to come in,” she recapped to The Borneo Post.
“With no second thought, I bottled our Tenom Coffee in simple, transparent bottles, dropped them off at the nearest petrol stations, and just decided to ‘try’ if it would work.”
What happened next took everyone by surprise. Within days, petrol station managers and sundry shop owners were calling frantically, asking for urgent restocks. Even in the middle of a global health crisis, the product was flying off the shelves.
The secret was convenience. While Tenom coffee had always been beloved, it was traditionally enjoyed in local coffee shops or brewed laboriously at home.
For essential workers, delivery riders, and long-distance drivers, a premium, ready-to-drink, grab-and-go version of their favourite local brew was exactly what they had been waiting for.
It provided the ultimate convenience without compromising the authentic, robust taste of traditional Tenom coffee. The product went viral among drivers who relied on the caffeine kick to navigate long, lonely stretches of highway.
Brewing a heritage
As the initial rush subsided and the business stabilised, Voo said she transitioned from survival mode to strategic vision. Looking closely at her hometown, she recognised a deeply rooted systemic problem that she could no longer ignore.
“I grew up in Tenom, where coffee is a way of life — but I also saw how local farmers struggled — facing low yields from old trees, lacking high-value market access, and watching their children leave for the big cities because they saw no future in farming,” she explained.
This realisation transformed her accidental business into a mission-driven enterprise: Voo expanded ONSOI to prove a fundamental truth that businesses can be both highly profitable and deeply purpose-driven.
She thus set out to create a brand that would make Sabahans intensely proud, while simultaneously giving local farmers a tangible, financial reason to stay on their ancestral lands.
To turn this vision into a structured reality, ONSOI launched the ‘ONSOI maju bersama penanam kopi Tenom’ programme with focus on improving agricultural practices, rejuvenating old coffee plots, and guaranteeing fair pricing for smallholders.
The programme’s profound social impact caught the attention of Yayasan Hasanah — the impact-based foundation of Khazanah Nasional Berhad — which now actively supports the initiative, validating ONSOI’s role as a major driver of rural socio-economic development.
The Shell LiveWire journey
As ONSOI grew, Voo recognised the need to sharpen her corporate skills to take the brand to the next level. Acting on a recommendation from her friend and past programme winner Cherry Ding, Voo entered the Shell LiveWire programme — a decision that would forever alter the trajectory of her company.
In 2024, Voo was named one of the winners of the Shell LiveWire programme, a milestone she describes as incredibly meaningful.
“That was the very first time I had ever pitched my coffee business!” she shared. “The pitching and presentation skills I learned from the program were incredibly valuable, and I still use them to this day.”
Beyond the intense training, the programme opened doors to experiences outside of East Malaysia. Voo fondly recalls a programme event held at the iconic Shell Building in Kuala Lumpur.
“First, I was deeply impressed by the sheer work attitude and efficiency of the Shell staff. Second, I got to connect with a diverse group of entrepreneurs from other states. We sat down, shared our struggles, exchanged notes, and learned from each other’s experiences.”
The biggest takeaway from Shell LiveWire, however, was the sudden surge in publicity and credibility. Winning the award put ONSOI under a national spotlight. Suddenly, the small-town brand from Tenom was being recognised by major industry players, retail chains, and consumers across the region.
“Without Shell LiveWire, ONSOI would probably still be a small, local-only brand,” Voo admitted.
“The programme introduced me to an invaluable network of mentors and fellow entrepreneurs, several of whom still offer me strategic advice today.”
Managing the entrepreneurial mindset
One of the most enduring gifts of the Shell LiveWire programme was Voo’s connection to her mentor, Kamal, a seasoned finance and investment professional. Navigating the financial complexities of manufacturing requires deep expertise, and Kamal provided the steady guidance Voo needed.
Even years after the programme’s conclusion, he continues to mentor her, offering financial insights that are typically out of reach for budding rural entrepreneurs.
She also credits her deep gratitude to Ganesh, the programme’s Person-in-Charge (PIC) from Shell. “The friendship we built since Day 1 has been incredible. His sincerity in running this programme and supporting us is something I appreciate deeply.”
Of course, her ultimate foundation goes back to her roots. Voo’s father, a lifelong businessman, inspired her ambition from childhood.
“Whenever we had simple essays or homework at school asking what we wanted to be when we grew up, I always wrote that I wanted to be an entrepreneur like my father,” she said.
That childhood grit has served her well, especially when facing the turbulent waters of manufacturing and distribution. When asked about the hurdles she faces, Voo smiled: “Challenges are everywhere! But that is exactly what entrepreneurship is to me: solving and fixing problems daily. That is my personal philosophy.”
Photo shows the farmers empowerment programme with Onsoi.
A call to action for Sabah and beyond
Looking ahead, the future of ONSOI is incredibly bright. Voo and her team see tremendous opportunities to bring Sabah’s rich coffee heritage to more retail shelves across Peninsular Malaysia and international markets. But as the business scales, the budding entrepreneur remains fiercely anchored to her roots.
“To every Sabahan reading this: our land produces amazing coffee, tea, and cocoa,” she enthused. “When you buy a bottle of ONSOI, you are doing so much more than just drinking a beverage.
“You are directly supporting a hardworking farmer in Sabah, helping a young person earn a living in their hometown, and keeping our cultural heritage alive.”
Voo’s ultimate dream is that within the next five years, ONSOI will become a household Sabahan brand recognised by every single Malaysian. More importantly, she wants young Sabahans to realise that they do not have to leave their beautiful home state to find success.
“You don’t have to go far to achieve great things,” Voo said. “You can build something truly world-class right here, on our own soils. If you share our passion for authentic local products and believe in empowering farming communities, let’s explore how we can grow together!”
Shell LiveWire Malaysia is back again this year and calls out all entrepreneurs from Sabah, Sarawak, and Peninsular Malaysia to be a part of this exciting initiative that can be a gamechanger for budding entrepreneurs.
The closing date for Sabah applications is June 22, 2026. Register today at https://livewire.shell.com.my.
Onsoi products on display.
The post Brewing beyond borders: ONSOI’s rise with Shell LiveWire appeared first on Borneo Post Online.