A locally grown biotechnology company has made splashes at internationally recognised events including BioMalaysia 2009 and HortiFair 2009 as it baby steps its way into the international floriculture arena. OrchidLife Sdn. Bhd. is a biotechnology company focusing on the production of high quality horticulture products through the utilisation of plant genomics, breeding and tissue culture. Their colourful booth at BioMalaysia, designed as a rustic garden, decorated with lush bouquets and earthy tones was a center of attraction for many. 

As a spin-off company of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), the company has raised rapidly in the ranks as it built itself upon the research expertise of Prof. Dr. Maziah Mahmood from UPM and the support of its Innovation and Commercialisation Centre (ICC). OrchidLife was established in 2007 through discussions between UPM and its industry partners upon the establishment of the ICC in 2006.

Managing Director Abdul Razak Mohd Isa recalls that, “Back then, the role of the ICC was to look for industry partners to support commercialisation of the R&D efforts of the university,” he said. “As me and my company were in close contact with the university, we had discussions on our area of interest, and since I was familiar with agriculture, we decided to enter the field focusing on just that.” 

Currently a known bio-entrepreneur, Mr. Razak actually came from a completely unrelated background. He completed his MBA from MMU and Accountancy from UiTM before moving into the industry. Following several stints in banking, IT, healthcare and even oil and gas, he decided to return to his roots by forming a landscaping company. “This was what I was familiar with, as my family trade was also in landscaping, my father being the director of his own small-scale company in Sungai Buloh.”

Mr Abdul Razak Mohd Isa (first from right)

However, their expansion does not stop there. To fast track the company's capabilities, OrchidLife have been actively pursuing various forms of joint partnerships locally and internationally. Recently, they have formed a joint venture with Holland-based company, Genetwister Group to establish Genetwister Life (M) Sdn Bhd, focusing on marker identification, marker-assisted breeding, metabolic engineering and genetic modification for the agricultural and horticultural industry. 

As the namesake of the company, orchids are the main product that OrchidLife is actively promoting. Being located in a tropical climate, Malaysia is home to one of the most diverse and attractive varieties of orchids. However, our natural heritage has not been utilised to the fullest, with the production of orchids taking a backseat, with Malaysia being unable to compete with the likes of Thailand and Singapore where in both countries, orchids are sold in bouquets and tissue culture plantlets as souvenirs. 

“We are currently looking into enhancing tropical orchids while maintaining a sustainable process in commercialisation,” said Mr. Razak. “We believe that through marker-assisted breeding of the orchid varieties, we are able to provide quality products. We are also interested in introducing fragrant orchid varieties which are less commonly available in the current market and hope to launch our products through local and international marketing as we are not only interested in growing for local consumers, but to also export.” 

Similarly, OrchidLife is not stopping at just cut-flowers but expanding their R&D into other crops to meet industry needs like banana, pineapple, medicinal plants etc., while on the service side, the company is looking into providing bioinformatics solutions, which have been developed in Holland by their joint venture partner, Genetwister. Other areas include green technology where the company is conducting research in producing biofuels through algae. 

Starting from zero, OrchidLife has certainly come a long way. Not only has it been able to establish itself as a serious player in the biotechnology industry, but also it has its sights set even higher by entering the international playing field. Mr. Razak acknowledges that such achievements would not have been easy without the current nurturing environment that the government has created through the National Biotechnology Policy. It has helped biotechnology gain more prominence and recognition. Though still a challenging environment, this has helped ease the uphill struggle of most biotech entrepreneurs.

On advice for budding entrepreneurs, Mr. Razak gave the following comments, “Establish yourself in the industry through the development of market awareness, market acceptance and market penetration. While small companies do not have the advantage of scale, try to look for ways to collaborate locally and internationally. And lastly, deliver your promises.”