1st ASEAN YOUNG FOOD ENTREPRENEURS CONFERENCE 2015

all images credit: friedchillies

The 1ASEAN Entrepreneurship Summit (1AES) turned out to be a weeklong celebration of entrepreneurship, packed with inspiring speakers, skill-building programmes and a plethora of exciting opportunities for young ASEAN entrepreneurs.

Held on the 18th - 19th November 2015, the young food entrepreneurs conference this year focused on food trucks allowing eager entrepreneurs-to-be an opportunity to learn from successful operators like La Famiglia, Little Fat Duck, Thyme Out and Cowboys Truck.

Organised by popular food site FriedChillies, the two-day conference was held alongside the 1AES 2015 and in conjunction with the ongoing 27th ASEAN Summit.

Also featured was a great ASEAN speaker lineup consisting of Baba Rafi, the largest kebab franchise in the world and reps from Food Truck Associations in ASEAN. Homegrown labels myBurgerlab and Kaw Kaw Burger shared on how they expanded into Cambodia and Singapore from their humble beginnings in KL.

One of the issues highlighted during the event by ASEAN food truck business operators was that they are calling for their industry to be regulated with the issuance of proper documentation like permits for entrepreneurs to operate smoothly.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer of FriedChillies Media Sdn Bhd Mohd Adly Rizal said food truck entrepreneurs across the region were faced with similar permit problems.

"It's not that they don't want to apply for permits. But, there is no permit specifically for food truck operators.

He expressed hope that local government agencies would give serious attention to this industry which he felt had great potential.

Mohd Adly said a roundtable meeting, involving ASEAN food truck business operators, would be held to iron out the issue of proper permits for their trade.

He is hoping for further collaboration between ASEAN food entrepreneurs after this conference, in terms of expanding the food truck business in the region, as the food truck business is a growing industry. Their objective is to build a platform for young entrepreneurs to enter the industry.

From January this year to date, Mohd Adly said the food truck industry had grown tremendously, rising to over 70 trucks compared with only 35 last year and the number was expected to grow further.