From campus to clouds - MMU Alumnus launches the world’s first halal Masala Tea in a Can
A story brewed in the lecture halls of Multimedia University (MMU) has now taken flight. Gisnervern Arikrishnan, MMU alumnus and creator of the viral “10,000 Cans to Sell” challenge, has officially launched the World’s First Halal Sterilised Masala Tea in a Can — a product redefining Malaysia’s beverage innovation and uniting Malaysians through culture, health, and entrepreneurship.
The grand launch, titled “An Alumni’s Dream,” was held at MMU’s Entrepreneur Development Centre (EDC), drawing hundreds of guests, influencers, and business leaders. The event marked a turning point for Malaysia’s F&B industry — where heritage meets innovation and tradition is reborn through technology.
“We are proud to witness our alumni breaking barriers and setting new global standards,” said Prof. Mazliham Mohd Su’ud, President of Multimedia University. “MMU will always continue to support and nurture entrepreneurship that begins from within our campus walls.
What began as a small campus kiosk has now become a brand ready to travel the world. After two years of research and development, Gisnervern’s company, Leafhaus, is now in talks with AirAsia for a potential collaboration to bring Malaysian flavours to international skies.
Inspired by Tan Sri Tony Fernandes’ RM1 dream, Gisnervern shared, “Tan Sri proved that a Malaysian dream can fly. I wanted to show that a Malaysian taste can travel just as far.”
The collaboration aims to feature Leafhaus Masala Tea and Turmeric Milk on select AirAsia flights and Santan outlets, symbolising freedom, accessibility, and innovation — the same values that built AirAsia into a global powerhouse. The Alumnus also added to his interest to join AirAsia, and is looking forward to doing it right.
The journey didn’t stop with tea. Motivated by Datuk Rosyam Nor’s drive, discipline, and fearless entrepreneurship, Gisnervern developed Turmeric Milk in a Can, another world-first innovation designed to promote wellness through Malaysia’s age-old remedies.
“Datuk Rosyam told the benefits of Turmeric Milk in one of his podcasts with Wonda. This isn’t just a drink — it’s a movement towards natural healing through modern packaging.”
To bring these flavours closer to the people, Leafhaus is now exploring a strategic collaboration with BananaBro, Malaysia’s fastest-growing banana leaf restaurant chain.
Together, the brands aim to make authentic, halal-certified heritage drinks available at every BananaBro outlet nationwide, pairing Malaysia’s beloved comfort food with Malaysia’s proudest new beverage innovation.
“BananaBro represents the evolution of Malaysian dining — youthful, modern, and rooted in culture,” said Gisnervern. “It’s the perfect platform for Leafhaus to connect with every Malaysian, every table, every meal.”
Launched in conjunction with Deepavali, this milestone represents not just business success but personal transformation. Once weighing 138 kg, Gisnervern turned health struggles into strength — crafting a product low in sugar, rich in antioxidants, and built around the principle that “health is the true wealth.”
“My mission now is clear — to sell 10,000 cartons by year-end, not just for profit, but to inspire every young Malaysian to dream big, start small, and stay clean in business.”
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Synology Marks 25 Years with Strong Revenue Growth and Unveils Next-Phase Flagship Products
Synology today 16th October 2025, announced the next phase of its mission to safeguard the world’s data. Marking 25 years of innovation, Synology is building on this momentum with a new portfolio of solutions in intelligent backup, enterprise-grade storage, and compliance-ready collaboration solutions to help enterprises strengthen cyber resilience and navigate the era of explosive data growth.
“Digital transformation continues to be the main driver of data growth”, said Thachawan Chinchanakarn, Head of Southeast Asia at Synology. “This strong momentum is fueling greater demand for advanced solutions.”
According to the IDC Worldwide Global Forecast, by 2025 the world will generate 175 zettabytes of data, and within the next decade, that number will grow more than tenfold—exceeding 2,100 zettabytes.
In addition, Synology’s 2025 Digital Transformation Trend Survey found that nearly 90% of businesses in Southeast Asia have already invested in digital transformation— not just as a plan, but as a strategic commitment. However, challenges remain: 85% of organizations are still in the early stages, and while more than 55% have experienced cyberattacks, only one in five express confidence in their recovery capabilities.
“This strong momentum is driving greater demand for advanced technology solutions,” added Thachawan.
With 25 years of expertise and an integrated data management ecosystem, now powering over 14 million installations, protecting 25 million endpoints, and connecting 2 million cameras. Synology continues to be a trusted partner helping organizations accelerate digital transformation securely, efficiently, and sustainably.
“In the past five years, Synology has continuously earned the trust of enterprises and organizations in Malaysia, achieving almost double increase in revenue,” said Jason
Sin, Country Manager of Synology Malaysia. “With our expanded portfolio, business customers in Malaysia now have more tailored solutions to meet their diverse and specific needs.”
Many leading corporations and enterprises across the region recognize Synology not only as a technology provider but also as a reliable strategic partner that enhances operational efficiency and strengthens cyber resilience. Driven by the wave of digital transformation, Synology’s business in Malaysia has grown significantly, with enterprise adoption increasing by 130% over the past five years. This reflects the strong trust businesses place in Synology to meet their evolving IT needs.
Earlier this year, Synology launched ActiveProtect, a purpose-built backup appliance for enterprises protecting diverse workloads across multiple sites. With diverse models ranging from 8TB to 140TB capacity, it meets the needs of diverse enterprise scenarios while delivering immutable backups, air-gap capabilities, and regulatory compliance support—providing a robust defense against evolving cyber threats.
Aside from data protection solutions, Synology also premiered the new PAS7700, Its first all-NVMe enterprise storage, delivers ultra performance with end-to-end NVMe architecture, achieving up to 2 million IOPS and 30 GB/s throughput with less than 1 millisecond latency. Its active-active architecture ensures continuous availability, while robust encryption and enterprise-grade performance make it ideal for mission-critical workloads.
Looking ahead, Synology will bring AI-powered capabilities into Synology Office Suite, including OCR (Optical Character Recognition), semantic search, summarization, and real-time translation. These features will be powered by on premises servers to ensure sensitive data remains private while giving organizations smarter and safer ways to collaborate.
“Cyber resilience is now the top priority for IT leaders worldwide, essential for business continuity and enterprise competitiveness.” emphasized Thachawan Chinchanakarn. “Our portfolio demonstrates Synology’s commitment to delivering simple, scalable, and secure solutions that empower businesses to safeguard their most critical assets and thrive in the digital future.”
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SHIHLIN TAIWAN STREET FOOD DEBUT FIRST-EVER CHICKEN RICEBOWLS AND DROPS LIMITED EDITION BLINDBOX CAT-THEMED PLUSHIE KEYCHARMS FOR AVID COLLECTORS
Shihlin Taiwan Street Snacks turns 22 this year and is spreading its wings even further with a rebrand: Shihlin 2.0! Since it hatched as a humble store in 2003, it has sold over 100 million pieces of XXL Crispy Chicken worldwide, growing into a global street food phenomenon, with over 240 outlets in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the United States, and Egypt.
Now, as part of its Shihlin 2.0 transformation, this well-loved “old bird” is spreading its wings once more, embracing a new chapter of full-fledged mealtime options, and a fresh, modern identity that reflects both its heritage of serving the authentic flavours of Taiwanese night markets in Malaysia and its playful new spirit. Naturally, Malaysia, one of Shihlin’s earliest home markets, will be the first to experience Shihlin’s exciting transformation, starting with the renewal of the existing store at NU Sentral.
Going Beyond Snacks
After two decades of delighting fans with quick bites, Shihlin 2.0 marks its evolution into a full mealtime destination. The brand now offers two new hearty, and value-for-money rice bowls created in collaboration with a Taiwanese consultant that are inclusive and authentic.
One of these is the Braised Chicken Ricebowl 滷肉飯 (RM15.90), reminiscent of Taiwan’s famous braised pork rice bowls. To make this dish more inclusive, Shihlin uses poultry instead of pork, but without compromising on authenticity. Over three months, Shihlin worked closely with a Taiwanese food consultant to perfect the recipe. The result is a rich, delicious and succulent minced chicken sauce over glossy grains of Taiwanese pearl rice, served alongside braised beancurd, an oozy ramen egg, and pickles.
Another new meal option is the Chiayi Scallion Chicken Ricebowl 嘉義雞肉飯 (RM15.90), created in close collaboration with the consultant. Inspired by Chiayi city’s iconic turkey rice, it is drizzled with a moreish gravy made from turkey drippings and soy sauce. Staying true to its chicken speciality focus, and to keep the dish more accessible, Shihlin swaps turkey for tender chicken.
Following the launch of its hearty ricebowls, Shihlin introduces another exciting addition — the Dried Tossed Noodles Series, exclusively debuting in Malaysia. The new series celebrates the authentic flavours of Taiwanese night markets through three different noodle dishes, each carefully balanced to deliver a satisfying and flavourful bite.
The Scallion Oil Noodle 蔥油麵 (RM8.80) features springy noodles coated in savoury scallion oil — fragrant, umami, and perfectly balanced with a gentle hint of heat. For those craving something bolder, the Dan Dan Noodle 擔擔麵 (RM8.80) combines a rich, spicy, and nutty sauce for added depth and texture. Meanwhile, the Taiwan Cut Chilli Noodle 剁椒麵 (RM8.80) turns up the heat with a tangy, fiery sauce tossed over signature Taiwan cut noodles, offering a satisfying night market kick that’s both bold and memorable.
Complimenting the brand-new menu items are refreshing vegetarian-friendly appetisers such as Smashed Cucumber 涼拌小黃瓜 (RM4.90) , Black Fungus 涼拌黑木耳 (RM4.90) and Oyster Mushroom 凉拌杏鲍菇 (RM5.90).
Shihlin 2.0 also unveils a modern identity – a new logo, refreshed branding, and a distinctive Shihlin Pink that’s bold, warm, and instantly recognisable – a contemporary update to its dark red facades. Alongside the makeover comes Miào Miào, Shihlin’s new feline mascot that is cheeky, curious, and fiercely loyal, embodying the Shihlin spirit of playfulness and connection.
To celebrate, Shihlin introduces limited-edition, adorable merchandise, in the trendy “blindbox” format. These feature the new Shihlin 2.0 mascot Miào Miào, in three cuteness overload designs. Will you catch Crispy Miào Miào eating Shihlin XXL Crispy Chicken while wearing the giant cutlet on its head? Or will Slurpy Miào Miào be seen wearing an oyster hat, while holding onto a piping hot bowl of oyster mee sua? Or how about some seafood tempura that QQ Miào Miào grasps, its head also a gigantic tempura.
Shihlin 2.0 NU SENTRAL Reopening Promotions
To commemorate the new beginning of Shihlin 2.0 with the renewal of its NU Sentral outlet, special reopening promotions include:
*Each customer is entitled to 1 bowl only.
From 17 October 2025, while stocks last: Customers can also purchase the limited edition Shihlin blindbox plushies at RM25 each (U.P. RM35) with every RM15 spent.
Before Shihlin became a household name, its story began with two founders deeply in love with Taiwan’s vibrant street food culture. Determined to share that joy with the world, they travelled across Taiwan – from bustling night markets to hidden local gems – tasting, learning, and sourcing only the most authentic ingredients. What followed were months of R&D, as they perfected the recipes many of us are familiar with now; recipes that capture not just the flavour, but the spirit of Taiwan.
Proudly being the first brand to bring the authentic taste of Taiwan to Malaysia, the founders of Shihlin remain steadfast to their commitment to authenticity and joy in every bite. With this new chapter for Shihlin, they want to emphasise that Original means Authentic, the true taste of Taiwan, perfected. And that Original means the Pioneers, not the copycats. As Shihlin brings the flavours of Taiwan to more communities globally, they invite everyone to rediscover the magic of the original: “Join us. Taste the transformation. LOVE THE ORIGINAL.”
Some say Miao Miao had Michelin instincts. She wandered the markets, tasting the best street food in town, but only one stall made her stay – a humble chicken stand, and a man who shared his craft. Night after night, they met. She waited patiently; he fried with care. The XXL Crispy Chicken they shared became the talk of the town, and soon, the world.
Find Shihlin Taiwan Street Snacks here: https://www.shihlinsnacks.com.tw/my/
