“Malaysians cook, we eat. It’s in our DNA,” says Mariae Hackett. That instinct to feed and connect shaped her journey and, together with her husband, trained in French classical cuisine’, became the foundation of Dapur Mariae.
When Mariae moved to the UK more than three decades ago, she brought with her the flavours of home and a passion for sharing them. What began as supper clubs and gatherings around their kitchen table has grown into a brand on a mission to make authentic Malaysian cuisine a familiar name in British kitchens.
“I was always the go-to place for food and friendship,” she recalls. Those meals revealed something surprising: Malaysian food was still overshadowed by Chinese, Indian and Thai. Encouraged by friends and family, Mariae took the leap seven years ago.
Building a brand from the kitchen up
Dapur Mariae began at home. “We made the jars, the products, in our kitchen,” Mariae says. At the same time, she and her husband were hosting supper clubs, catering weddings and cooking at private events. Guests often asked how they could recreate the flavours at home, so the jars became part of the experience.
Mariae Hackett, founder and director of Dapur Mariae
Interest grew quickly. Customers loved the authenticity of her recipes and the richness of her sauces and pastes.
Awards soon followed: two UK Quality Food Awards in 2018 and, in 2020, the Co-op Small Producer Award which secured a retail listing.
The pandemic delayed everything. Although the award was announced in 2020, the brand did not launch in Co-op until October 2022.
The wait brought its own opportunity. Co-op had just launched its first incubator programme and Dapur Mariae was invited to join.
“Because we were already there, we just slotted into that spot and then we got all the mentorship that we needed.”
A costly lesson
Before their retail breakthrough, Mariae and her husband invested heavily in a consultancy that promised full support. “We were green at the time. We thought these are people who know what they are doing,” she says.
It wasn’t the case. “In reality, the proposal was not worth a fraction of what we invested. At the most maybe three thousand pounds,” she says. “It was quite a chunk of our savings that went down the toilet.”
The setback had lasting consequences. “After that we even had to rebrand. We had to watch every penny and we still do,” she says. “That money would have gone a long way.”
The experience changed her outlook. “Do not believe every company that promises the world,” she says. “If you do your homework, a lot of that you can achieve yourself.”
Scaling for success
Scaling production brought its own challenges. “I have a manufacturer and I have two. I have a main one and a contingency,” Mariae explains. Her early partners did not work out. One made big promises but failed to deliver. Another ran into financial trouble and, after equipment failure, could no longer produce her products.
The impact was severe. “For a total of five months, I could not supply my two biggest retailers because I had no stock,” she says. “My major retailers make up eighty per cent of my income.”
The experience taught her exactly what to look for in a partner. “You want a manufacturer who is willing to grow with you,” she says. “If you are successful, they will be too.”
Her current partner has restored her confidence. “He tells you what he does, says he can do it, and then he goes away and does it,” she says. “He is secure in what he has been doing for more than seventeen years.”
With a stable partner in place, Mariae has been able to focus on expanding her range. New products including rendang paste and laksa are now joining the original three sauces. Ingredient sourcing has been easier than expected. “I was pleasantly surprised at how simple it was to find ingredients like lemongrass, galangal and fresh ginger,” she says.
Joining GS1 UK
Mariae first discovered GS1 UK while preparing for her Co-op launch. She had been told she would need QR codes but had no idea where to start. “I got to know you when I was waiting to launch in Co-op and I was told I needed to get QR codes and I did not know how to go about doing that,” she says. A fellow supplier encouraged her to visit the GS1 UK website. “It was a really painless process,” she recalls.
Since then, GS1 identifiers have become a core part of how she trades. “All my jars have your barcodes,” she says. This gave each product a unique identity and helped her meet retailer requirements.
She has also embraced QR codes powered by GS1. “I was on the pilot scheme for your QR codes,” she says. These now appear on her jars and link customers to recipes, social channels and her website. She is also part of an enhanced QR pilot designed to support customer interaction.
For someone who had to learn so much on her own, having access to the right standards at the right moment helped her move forward with confidence. GS1 UK has also connected her with a supportive community of founders who understand the challenges of getting retail ready.
Driven by culture and ambition
Dapur Mariae is now stocked in Co-op, Selfridges and independent retailers across the UK, with a launch planned for Ocado in 2026. Through her products and public profile, Mariae is proud to champion authentic Malaysian cuisine. “Making Malaysian food accessible to everyone. That is the mission,” she says. Community matters to her as much as growth. She regularly shares posts from other Malaysian cooks and founders. “If we do it collectively, it helps the category grow,” she says.
Alongside the business, Mariae is writing a book — part memoir and part recipe collection — inspired by the lessons she learned in her mother’s kitchen. “If I ever wrote a book, I would call it Just taste it girl,” she says.
Looking ahead
Mariae has big ambitions for the future. She wants Dapur Mariae to be the first brand people think of when they want Malaysian food. Her plans include expanding into new channels such as foodservice and travel while continuing to grow at a steady and sustainable pace.
Finance remains her biggest concern, but her optimism never wavers. “If you believe in your product and you are willing to put the work in, you will make it,” she says.
Her journey is a testament to perseverance, community and belief. It also shows how culture and heritage can guide a business with clarity and purpose.