GEORGE TOWN, Aug. 22 -- What began as a way to stop surplus fruit from going to waste has grown into one of Penang's best-known food brands.

When Datuk Alias Ali created his own honey-infused pickled fruit recipe in 1985, he made the jeruk in his home kitchen before selling it at roadside stalls and night markets across the state.

More than four decades later, Jeruk Madu Pak Ali has grown from a three-person operation to a business with four production plants in Simpang Ampat on mainland Penang with over 100 employees and 50 retail outlets nationwide.

Alias opened his first retail outlet in Medan Suri, Sungai Nibong, in 2001 before expanding production as demand for his pickled fruits continued to grow.

The business later received gui...