Juddy Lasius: Making dried fruit and herbs from local produce in Malaysia

This post is a part of a series of profiles on Shell LiveWire entrepreneurs.

For Juddy Lasius, founder of Xenia Herbal in Sabah, Malaysia, business and community are inseparable. Concerned with sustainable development and women’s empowerment, she created a brand of dried fruits and herbs made from locally grown produce. What began in the pandemic as a response to the need for natural remedies like lemon and ginger has since grown into a social enterprise with impact far beyond health.​

​Winning the Shell LiveWire award in 2021 gave Juddy the capital she needed to scale her venture. She invested in better labeling, new equipment and product development, and opened doors for other entrepreneurs. Today, Xenia Herbal partners with 30 women in her community, 10 of whom she personally mentors, teaching them how to process and market their own produce for an income.​

​“Xenia Herbal is local, genuine, and healthy, for the farmers and for everyone,” Juddy says. At its heart, the brand is a platform for women to build livelihoods, share knowledge, and strengthen their communities. “I work for women in my community.” ​

Watch Juddy develop her enterprise while encouraging her partners to become entrepreneurs in the full video