Jia De Bao Unveils Malaysia-Made Red Wine With 'Tongkat Ali'

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 8 (Bernama) -- Jia De Bao Group Malaysia Sdn Bhd aims to introduce its Domaine Laurent Merlot, the world's first red wine infused with Eurycoma longifolia (the scientific name for 'Tongkat Ali'), to international markets by year-end. Jia De Bao also signed an exclusive distributorship worth US$118,129 (RM500,000) with GIT Tours & Travel Sdn Bhd here Thursday for the sale of its first batch of 8,000 bottles of Domaine Laurent. "Besides Malaysia, we aim to tap into other countries, especially ASEAN countries and China by end of the year," Dr Liu Min, the founder chairman of Jia De Bao Group Malaysia, told reporters at the launch of the made-in-Malaysia red wine here. Liu said the Group has spent several million ringgit on research and development (R&D) into the high-end product, which contains 20 per cent tongkat Ali essence. "We hope Malaysia could have its own brand, in which tongkat Ali, the Malaysian product that is equivalent to Ginseng, can enter international markets," he said. He revealed that in the near future, the company plans to produce some 20,000 bottles of several different types of red wine monthly. Meanwhile, GIT Tours & Travel managing director Cindy Seow Chooi Ling said the company, as the sole distributor of Domaine Laurent, is targeting mainly overseas markets while in Malaysia it sees luxury or five-star hotels as a major market. "Only 25 per cent to 30 per cent of Domaine Laurent will be distributed in Malaysia, the rest will be promoted overseas," she said, adding Singapore and China are among countries with huge market potential. Seow said the first batch of Domaine Laurent, priced at US$472.81 (RM2,000)per 750 ml bottle, are expected to be sold out in the next nine to 12 months. Also present was the advisor to the Group, Ong Tee Keat. Ong, the former Malaysian Transport Minister, expressed hope more R&D could be conducted on Malaysian products, especially Malaysian-grown tongkat Ali, to showcase real Malaysian brands to international markets. --BERNAMA