Bees are such wonderful little creatures. Everyone knows that they produce honey, and that their beeswax can be used as an ingredient to make candles and even skincare or cosmetic products. We can now add another item to the list – food wrappers!
If you are tired of using single-use plastic cling wrap on your food and are looking for a more sustainable alternative, you might want to check out Beeswax Food Wraps, a 100% natural and unique reusable food storage option. Each wrapper is handmade by Iman Preece, 34, a local artisan based in Kuala Lumpur.
Iman, who worked as an interior designer for 10 years, founded the brand which she named Saffron & Serai (www.saffronandserai.com) soon after the pandemic began, aiming to focus on sustainable lifestyle products. She soon settled upon what is currently her company’s signature product, made using 100% cotton or linen batik fabric, natural beeswax, jojoba oil, and pine resin.
She explained: “It’s all-natural and it has no chemicals. If you are using plastic, you don’t know what ingredients are put into the making of the plastic, which comes in close contact with the food which we are consuming. Instead, beeswax wraps are non-toxic and safe to use with food.”
Iman uses natural and high-quality ingredients; the pine resin is a tree sap derived from the pine tree and jojoba oil, extracted from the seeds of the jojoba plant.
Beeswax and jojoba oil have natural anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, which prevents food from turning mouldy too soon.
“If you wrap half an onion or a lemon, it locks the moisture in and prevents it from drying out, while keeping it fresh for a longer time,” revealed Iman.
She added that the long-lasting beeswax food wraps are not only naturally anti-bacterial, reusable, washable and self-sealing, but are great for covering bowls, pots or jars of leftover food.
Each sheet is reusable up to as many as 100 to 200 times, unlike the single-use plastic wrap, which is thrown away after each use.
“[With] reusable beeswax wraps, we could eliminate the use of single-use plastic. Once it is worn out, the wraps can be added to compost or buried in the soil. Eventually, the beeswax disintegrates in the soil.
“Just imagine the amount of plastic food wrap you use in a year ... with one reusable wrap, you are saving money and the environment,” said Iman, adding that she uses only paper-based packaging and sustainable corn-based mailers for her products, eliminating all plastic in the packaging and delivery process as well.
Reducing plastic waste
Iman’s ultimate mission is to reduce plastic waste through her sustainable products.
“If we reduce plastic waste at home, it would lead us to take more steps towards being more sustainable and conscious and to reduce waste in many other ways such as bringing reusable fabric bags to grocery stores.
“Our ancestors used to wrap food with banana leaves, sarong cloth, and paper ... reusable items, that can be re-purposed after, without leaving any traces on the environment. It’s always been our way, why do we have to use plastic now?” asked Iman.
Currently, she is collaborating with a coffee chain to provide beeswax wrap as an alternative for plastic wrap.
“It would be good to provide customers with that option so they can choose,” said Iman, who plans to reach out to more cafes to raise awareness about the wrapper.
She hopes that beeswax wraps will be provided as an option to customers in grocery stores, zero-waste stores, coffee shops and cafes to wrap their food.
A love for nature and the environment
Growing up in the United Kingdom, Iman was exposed to and surrounded by nature, and she has always believed in sustainable living and reducing waste.
Iman was inspired to create the versatile wrapper, after noticing her aunt in England using a simple but plain wrap to cover her food.
As an interior designer who lived in cities around the world, she was used to working with fabrics with vibrant colours.
“My background as an interior designer pushed my creative mind to look at the item beyond its functional use. I thought that the food wrap could look pretty, and it can add a pop of colour to the table, or even inside the fridge,” said Iman.
For the love of Malaysia
Iman, who was born to an English father and a Malaysian mother, truly treasures her unique heritage. Hence, she came up with the idea of incorporating her Malaysian identity, and her love for local craft, by incorporating the batik designs into the wraps.
“I wanted to bring in my own identity and create products with Malaysian elements,” she said.
“I really love Malaysian culture. When I worked as an interior designer, we always referred to the Moroccan, Balinese, African and Indian styles, which are well-known around the world, but I wanted to do something different.
“I wanted the Malaysian style and designs to be recognised and sought-after. I am always inspired by Malaysian culture and heritage and I love using batik in a unique way.”
At that time, she realised that batik fabric was turned into fashionable clothes or bags but had not been used to create beeswax wraps.
“I wanted to take on a new approach to batik by making Batik Beeswax Wraps,” she said. The wraps come in a range of four sizes and are sold in various sets ranging from RM60 for four mini (20cm x 20cm) wraps, to one extra large (50cm x 50cm) wrap for RM75, that can be used to wrap a whole loaf of bread or a large fruit.
Facing challenges
It’s a one-woman show for Iman, who handles everything: from making the products from scratch, to marketing them. It’s been a rough road for Iman as she started the business during the height of the pandemic.
Initially she found it difficult to reach her intended target market, as not many shops were selling sustainable products, specifically.
Nevertheless, Iman continues to strive, and hopes that Saffron & Serai will become the ‘go-to brand’ for beeswax wraps in Malaysia.
Recently, she has been experimenting with a new formula to produce vegan wraps made with soy and other plant-based wax.
In the future, the self-described bee lover hopes to achieve her dream of having a bee farm with a flower garden, to educate people on the important role bees play in keeping our planet alive by pollinating flowers, fruit, and crops.
