How I Started: The Person to Thank – Mr. Ratna from Vegan District

I still remember reading about Vegan District at Kota Damansara—a vegan mart that seemed to have everything under the sun! Food products, cosmetics, household items—you name it. I decided to pay them a visit, and that’s when I met the owner, Mr. Ratna.

We started chatting, and somewhere along the way, I told him about my experiments with vegan ice creams. Feeling a bit nervous, I asked him if he’d be willing to sell my ice creams in his shop. Without even a second thought, he said, “Sure!” Just like that, he encouraged me to bring my first batch over.

Excited, I went home and got to work. My first batch had black sesame, dark chocolate, and… honestly, I can’t even remember what the third flavour was anymore! But I packed them up and delivered them to Vegan District, feeling both thrilled and nervous about how they’d do.

When Everything Fell Into Place

Not long after, I was on unpaid leave from my job for personal reasons. Then came COVID-19 and the lockdowns. It was a tough time for everyone, but I got a call from Mr. Ratna asking me to replenish the ice cream stock because it was selling out fast!

That’s when it hit me—I might actually be onto something with this. I was so lucky that Vegan District was less than 10 km from my house, so even with the movement restrictions, I had no issues delivering stock.

A Big Thank You

Looking back, I owe a lot to Mr. Ratna and his support. If he hadn’t said yes that day, I might not have had the courage to take the next step. That first batch, those first sales—they were the start of everything for me.

So, thank you, Mr. Ratna, and Vegan District. You’ll always be an important part of Chloe’s Gelato's journey.