Spreading empowerment and positivity in the midst of the pandemic is definitely not an easy feat, but Ipoh boy Darren Lee Yeu Jyn continues to defy the odds with Ribbon!
Ribbon, a curated local gifting platform startup, was incorporated by Darren and his team of five back in April 30 with the aim of making a positive impact and bringing smiles to loved ones, especially in the spirit of the upcoming Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration.
“A part of Ribbon’s gifting mission was inspired by COVID-19 frontliners’ tenacity and their endless contribution in putting an end to the pandemic.
“One day, we saw an article detailing a nurse who cried receiving a care pack from his family while working in Singapore.
“Then it came to me that since I’m already in the gifting business and that our vision is to allow people to make positive impacts to the community via gifts, it’s even more meaningful if we can gain the public’s support to make a gift to our beloved frontliners, even more so during these extremely challenging times.
“Despite their being covered in personal protective equipment most of the time, we would truly like to see a smile on their faces, knowing that we love them,” he explained via an exclusive interview with Ipoh Echo through WhatsApp today (May 7).
Ribbon is currently featuring three gift sets, namely Jom Lah Raya (RM89), Meriah Bersama-sama (RM149) and Dekat di Hati (RM209).
Gift contents are courtesy of collaborations with fine brands cultivated in Ipoh, which are Être Patisserie, Jalan Theatre Coffee and Perak Women for Women Society (PWW).
“We’re extremely thankful that all of our collaborators were willing to join in despite us being a new start-up. We approached them and purchased their products for them to be included in our cause.
“Perhaps what’s most important right now is that we’re all young entrepreneurs who want to jointly empower Ipoh to reach national levels, even globally, because we firmly believe that our beloved city has what it takes to grow much more.
“Each gift set contains handwoven batik face masks from PWW, pastries from Être and coffee drip bags from Jalan Theatre Coffee, along with Hari Raya money packets from Oh Kad Raya. All are encased in a hardcover box with ketupat and decorative flowers, wrapped in a silver batik cloth.
“They also come with their respective themes: Jom Lah Raya signifies purity and cleansing after breaking fast; Meriah Bersama-sama the togetherness, families and friends; while Dekat di Hati the relationships and people that matter, who are close to our hearts,” Darren described.
Ribbon started out with 175 overall gift sets. 50 are slated to be donated to Pusat Jagaan Anak-Anak Yatim Nurul Iman (care centre for orphans and the poor).
“Another gift set, Jangan Lupa Adik is priced at only RM30. The set includes sweet treats, duit raya (money packets), stationeries, handmade toys and face mask designed for kids, making it a perfect gift set for children, including less fortunate ones.
“For information, this set is the 50 that will be donated to the care centre. Let’s celebrate our future generations by giving them something special.
“We would really appreciate donations from the public to make it possible for contributions of gifts to our dear frontliners.
“Also, orders have started today lasting till May 10, with delivery date ending at May 11. However, it’ll be subject to availability, as we started not too long ago and there are limited stocks,” he added.
When asked about the future of Ribbon, Darren said, “This is just the beginning for us. We plan to collaborate with more brands across Malaysia and in our gifting, there’ll always be an option to make a gift for the less fortunate.
“Also, we are all in to curate our gifts in accordance with major festivals. But our ultimate ideology is to empower small businesses that define a particular cause or even festivity.
“Think of Ribbon as a platform where everyone can come together to form the perfect gift boxes, all from Ipoh!” he enthused.
“Interestingly, most of our orders are from Klang Valley. When I asked for their reasons, they said it’s because the products are Ipoh-made.
“Hopefully, this cause gains traction from all walks of life, as it’s a wonderful, yet simple action to show people around us that we care and we love them,” Darren expressed.
For orders and/or further inquiries, contact 012 569 2559 or head to their official website at https://theribbonandco.com/. Keep updated with their posts on Facebook and Instagram.
Chris Teh
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