An entrepreneur says it was a “pinch-me moment” seeing her sauce on Selfridges shelves.
Mariae Hackett started Dapur Mariae around five years ago, offering her signature sauce, private chef bookings, supper clubs, and takeaways with her husband Gerard Hackett who is a trained chef.
What started as a small business in their Maple Cross home kitchen moved to home deliveries in the Watford area during lockdown, local markets and fairs, and then Co-op incubator scheme, 'The Apiary', which offers mentoring for small suppliers.
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The project got Dapur Mariae’s Malay, Peanut, and Sambal sauces on Co-op shelves before, last week, they launched at Selfridges in a landmark moment for the recipes' creator.
Mariae said: “It was really a feeling of immense pride.
"Our origin was our humble home kitchen and so being on the shelf of such a prestigious store was honestly a dream.
“I couldn’t believe it was on there even though I was standing in front of it.”
The Malaysian-born businesswoman moved to the UK in 1989 to train as a nurse but brought her passion for cooking and family recipes with her. Mariae worked in the cardiology unit at Harefield Hospital before leaving her job to focus on the business four years ago.
She says that her products set themselves apart by sticking to the authentic Malaysian way of cooking and not cutting corners or changing the recipe to make it more in line with what western customers expect.
The 56-year-old added: “Basically it’s a very cherished family recipe that I’ve adapted to make it my own.
“The process is very traditional we didn’t compromise on anything.”
Despite not compromising on taste, the goal was still to make genuine Malaysian dishes accessible for all and the whole range can be enjoyed by anyone and is vegan friendly and gluten free.
The next goal is to get Dapur Mariae products on even more shelves, including more independent butchers and delis both locally and nationally as well as in big-name stores including Sainsbury’s and Waitrose.
Sauce orders and bookings are also available online.
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