OUR STORY
From a Family Kitchen to a
Malaysian Brand
The story of De’Tumis is one of passion, precision, and people — where a doctor’s pursuit of perfect taste meets an engineer’s drive for excellence in execution.
The Foundation
Where a passion for cooking began
Dr Sathyogananda Silvarajah, whose passion for cooking started as early as the age of five. He showed keen interest for cooking and actively learned from his mother and grandmother. He later was found preparing meals on his own before school. Cooking was never just a task — it was something he genuinely loved. The fine tuning of his cooking happen when he spent most of his time in the kitchen of a restaurant that his dad and older brothers operated, learning directly from the main chef at the restaurant. This early exposure shaped his understanding of different authentic flavours, techniques used and the importance of consistency.
He later pursued into medical school abroad, where he cooked and catered delicious meals for the local students. What began as occasional cooking sessions soon became something students regularly looked forward to. Week after week, he prepared meals that brought people together and dishes filled with warmth, familiarity, and authenticity. For many students living far away from their families for the first time, these meals became more than just food. They offered comfort during stressful periods of study, long nights, and homesick moments.
As word began to spread among the student community, more people started requesting his cooking. Over time, what started as a personal passion slowly evolved into a small catering hobby. During his free time, he began preparing meals in larger quantities for students and small gatherings, turning his passion into a modest source of passive income while continuing his studies.
Completing his medical school, he then served 7 years in government hospitals, before he quit to the private sector where he partnered his brother Dr Sivananda to successfully establish several General Practice in Klang Valley.
Despite his contentment in the medical field, his passion for cooking was so strong that he kept exploring new recipes and dishes. He realized that combining his entrepreneurial skills that he developed along the way with his passion for cooking would result in something special.
Driven by this initiative, one day when he was making his special sambal dish for his family, an idea struck him, on why shouldn’t this goodness be delivered to the public. He then ordered a carton of bottles, prepared a few different types of his sambal recipe, and shared it with his siblings and close family members. This eventually led to something much bigger.
The Transformation
Five siblings, one shared vision
After receiving strong encouragement from those around him, the idea was brought forward as a business opportunity within the family — a moment that would mark the beginning of something far greater than a simple recipe.
Five siblings, each coming from different professional backgrounds came together with a shared sense of belief and responsibility. While their individual journeys had taken them into fields such as medicine, engineering and finance, this idea created a common ground where they could build something meaningful together. What united them was not just the opportunity, but a genuine confidence in the product itself.
With that belief, they formally stepped into the world of business, becoming the founding team and the backbone of De’Tumis. Today, they serve as the company’s directors, each contributing their expertise across leadership, finance, business development, and market growth while forming a structure that continues to guide the company forward.
The early days were far from straightforward. Instead of rushing into the market, the team committed themselves to understanding the product deeply. They spent close to a year researching cooking methods, refining techniques, and studying how to consistently produce a sambal that met their expectations. This phase required patience, discipline, and a willingness to start small.
During this period, bottles that had been ordered in bulk were filled with their sambal and distributed to family members and friends, not for profit, but for honest feedback. Every response mattered. Every comment was taken seriously. The kitchen became a space of constant experimentation, where multiple batches were produced, tested, adjusted, and recreated.
This cycle of refinement — consisting of listening, improving, and perfecting — became the foundation of their process. It was not about speed, but about getting it right.
At the same time, the team actively stepped outside the kitchen to understand the broader landscape of the food industry. They participated in food booths, allowing them to observe real customer reactions and gain insights into market preferences. They attended business conferences and food summits, learning from industry players and expanding their network. These experiences helped them see beyond the product, shaping their understanding of what it takes to build a sustainable brand.
Their journey also led them into the technical side of the business. They visited multiple machine suppliers, exploring different methods of production and testing equipment through actual cooking batches. This hands-on approach allowed them to evaluate how they could scale the business without compromising on quality.
Beyond production, they placed equal importance on presentation. By attending packaging conferences and exhibitions, they studied how products are perceived on the shelf and understood that packaging plays a crucial role in shaping first impressions. They explored ideas, materials, and designs that would eventually influence how their product would be introduced to the market.
Throughout this entire phase, every decision was made together. It was a collective effort driven not by convenience, but by commitment. The process demanded time, energy, and persistence, but the team remained aligned in their vision.
What carried them through was simple — a strong belief in what they had created, and a shared determination to build something that would last. This stage became the true foundation of De’Tumis, where a family’s trust in one another, combined with discipline and continuous learning, transformed an idea into a growing business.
~1 Year
of R&D
5
Founding Siblings
Countless
Test Batches
03
Strength in Leadership
Ramana steps in as CEO
As the foundation of the business grew stronger, the company reached a stage where the vision was clear but the path forward required structure, scale, and full-time commitment. It was at this turning point that Ramana stepped in.
Having built his background in mechanical engineering, he was presented with opportunities to pursue a conventional career path with established multinational companies. It was the safer route that promised stability and clarity. But for him, the vision ahead was far greater than personal comfort.
While others saw a small family business in its early stages, Ramana saw the potential for something much bigger. He had a clear belief in where the brand could grow, how far it could expand, and what it could eventually become. Rather than choosing the predictability of a conventional career, he chose the demanding path of building something meaningful from the ground up. To him, this was never simply about joining a business but about helping shape a vision into a lasting brand.
In the early days, Ramana immersed himself in every aspect of the business. From understanding the product and production flow to observing how operations were managed, he approached it with the mindset of learning from the ground up. There was no fixed structure at the time but only a growing business that required attention in every area.
Gradually, he began identifying gaps and opportunities. Drawing from his engineering background, he focused on bringing more structure into the operations. Processes were refined, workflows became clearer, and production began to take a more organized form. What was once heavily dependent on manual effort started evolving into a more systematic approach.
Over time, his role naturally expanded. He took on greater responsibility, not just in production, but across multiple areas of the business — from operations to coordination, and eventually into overall management. As the company continued to grow, so did the need for leadership that could connect all moving parts into a single direction.
Today, Ramana leads the company as a CEO, overseeing the day-to-day operations while ensuring that the original vision continues to move forward with clarity. Working alongside the founding team, who now serve as directors contributing their expertise across different aspects of the business, the company operates with a balance of experience and execution.
His journey into the business was not defined by a single moment, but by a series of decisions such as choosing to stay, to learn, and to build. Together, this marked a new phase for De’Tumis — one where passion met structure, and a growing idea began transforming into a scalable business.
04
Engineering the Growth
A team built on expertise
Today, the company is supported by five directors, each contributing their expertise across different areas of the business. With backgrounds in medicine, business, and entrepreneurship, they play an active role as consultants, guiding the company’s direction and decisions
Strategic Direction
Guided by directors with deep cross-industry expertise to navigate market complexities.
Operational Efficiency
Engineered workflows that scale production without losing the artisan quality of the original recipe.
Continuous Improvement
A culture of refining, testing, and adapting every batch to maintain premium excellence.
From Small Batches to Large-Scale Production
With stronger structure in place and growing confidence in the product, the company entered a new phase — large-scale production. What was once prepared in small, carefully monitored batches now had to be produced in higher volumes, without losing the taste and consistency that defined it from the beginning.
This transition required more than just increasing output. It demanded a deeper understanding of food safety, shelf life, and production reliability.
To achieve this, the team invested in a thermal disinfectant system, a key part of their retort-based process. This system allowed every sealed product to undergo controlled heat treatment, ensuring extended shelf life while maintaining the integrity of the sambal. It marked a crucial step in making the product stable, safe, and ready for wider distribution.
Alongside this, the company placed strong emphasis on laboratory testing and quality assurance. Product samples were consistently sent for testing to ensure that all safety standards, quality benchmarks, and shelf stability requirements were met. This gave the team the confidence that every bottle delivered was not only flavourful, but also reliable.
Understanding that quality also comes from the people behind the process, the entire team underwent food handling and safety training. This ensured that every step from preparation to packaging was carried out with proper hygiene, care, and industry-standard practices.
At the same time, the team remained committed to their core approach — refine, improve, and adapt. One of the most evolving aspects during this stage was packaging. The product went through multiple iterations, as the team continuously explored ways to improve not just the look, but also the functionality and overall experience. Bottles were changed, labels were redesigned, and materials were reconsidered with each version bringing them closer to what the brand represents today. It was never about settling for one version, but about continuously asking “How can this be better?”
Despite the shift towards larger production, one thing remained unchanged — the attention to detail. Every improvement, whether in production, safety, or packaging, was guided by the same principle that started it all: to create a product they themselves would be proud to consume and share.
This phase marked a defining moment for De’Tumis. It was no longer just about making a good product but about building a system that could deliver that product consistently, safely, and at scale. And through it all, the journey remained the same — a continuous pursuit of better.
Built for Safety, Built to Scale
Every system the team built — from thermal processing to lab testing and packaging — exists to deliver one promise: a product they themselves would be proud to consume and share.
Thermal System
Retort-based heat processing for shelf stability.
LAB TESTING
Consistent safety checks and quality benchmarks.
SAFETY TRAINING
Full team trained in global hygiene standards.
Packaging
Multiple iterations for functional integrity.
Today — A Growing Malaysian Brand
Built on passion, precision, and people
What began as a small family idea built around a single recipe has today grown into something far more meaningful — a brand with a long-term vision for growth, innovation, and expansion.
Since the launch of De’Tumis, the response from customers has been both encouraging and motivating for the entire team. What started with family and friends gradually reached a wider audience, and with every new customer came valuable feedback, support, and growing confidence in the brand.
Many resonated with the authenticity of the flavours, while others appreciated the convenience the products brought into their daily cooking. For the team, these responses became more than just reviews — they became reassurance that the years of testing, refining, and learning were worth it.
As the brand continued to grow, so did the ambition behind it. Rather than limiting themselves to a single product, the vision for De’Tumis expanded into developing a wider range of offerings that could cater to different tastes and households. With continuous research and product development, the company began building a stronger lineup focused on flavour, convenience, and consistency.
At the same time, efforts towards expansion also became a major focus. From strengthening retail presence to exploring larger distribution opportunities, the team continued working towards bringing the brand to more people across different markets.
Behind every new step remains the same foundation that started the journey: a passion for cooking, a willingness to learn, and a family that chose to build something together.
Today, De’Tumis continues to evolve not just as a food brand, but as a company driven by improvement, innovation, and long-term vision. While the journey has already come a long way from its earliest days in the kitchen, the team believes this is only the beginning.
The goal moving forward remains simple: to continue creating products that people genuinely enjoy, while growing De’Tumis into a trusted brand that represents quality, authenticity, and the spirit of entrepreneurship.