End product.

¨http://jc920226ss.wix.com/kohsaltedfish

photos not used.

Body text

Script. Text.

KOH FAMILY’S STORY
OF DRIED AND SALTED FISH.

5km away from the city heart of Kuantan, Pahang. Lies here Koh’s family of dried and salted fish industry at Pantai Beserah. Koh’s ancestor started this business more than a hundred years ago, and now the 3^rd generation of Koh is handling the site. They are famous along the east coast, and was recognized as a tourist spot and source of quality salted fish, which also where the movie of “Tiger woohoo” was shot.

The family of Koh’s family success doesn’t come easy, throughout the hundred years of business they have faced a lot of challenges. Koh’s family persevered and manages to turn their problems into opportunity.

Koh’s ancestors worked as fishermen at Pantai Berserah. Selling most of the fish and kept some for food. Because of monsoon they are times that they cannot go out to the sea for fish.  To kept the food on the table, they decided to salt some of the fish they captured. The aroma captured attention of their neighbors, and they started to sell salted fish in a small scale. Later on, the demand got higher and Koh’s ancestor used this opportunity to start salting fish in larger scale to sell them.

The fish they used to salt are only available in seasons because of slight change in weather causes the fish’s habitat to change. The fisherman society also implements strict quotes set for certain fish types to ensure the fish to rebreed and still available to catch in the future.

The beauty of salted fish is, that most fish can be made into salted fish but the type of fish does gives a different quality of product. They spent years to experiment with each type of fish, salted and tested. Finally, they came up with a list of fish they would use to salt in line with the season of fish.

As resident of Kampung Besearah grows, so does the number of fishermen. The competition grows even higher when the number of fish is diminishing. Koh’s family decided it is time to stop following its ancestor’s footstep of being fishermen. They sold their boat with the equipments.

The money gained from the sale they used on investing and building a shop. The shop focused on selling dried sea products especially the salted fish, and also frozen sea products. The salted fish are brought over here to be packet and sold. Focused only on salting fish, their production grew, along with the number of their customers. Because of the quality of their product they got a lot of loyal customers from the east coast.

However, Koh’s family is facing the biggest threat of their industry yet. Although their customers are loyal and their products are always on high demand, the challenges this time is not from the outside but from within the family itself. Due to globalization and the reach of technology, minds of the younger generation on occupation were changed. Many considered white collar job to be the ideal type of occupation instead of labor job. Koh’s family are unsure whether the 4^th generation are willing to take up family business.

Whether the younger Koh’s are willing to take up the business that will be their choices to make. But surely it will impact the salted fish supply in the east coast.

Salted fish or not, life is full of hardship and challenges no matter who and what we are doing for a living. The real matter is whether we can turn our problem into profit. It is human nature to change, grow, learn and adapt to keep up with the ever changing world. Besides, How else would we learn if we never face trouble?

Refined communication plan

Findings: 

 Explored the salted fish industry at Pantai Beserah. Heard their story about their 100 years (3 generations of the business)

The poor fisherman got their fishes from the sea, sold some of them and keep a little for themselves, the aroma attracted a lot from the neighborhood. As the attention are getting more, they turned this opportunity into an industry. 

Type of fish used are changed around seasons because of the availability of type of fishes caught. Resulting in a cycle of change of fish type. So there will be no shortage in production.

When the number of fisherman grows and the fish are getting lesser, they sold their boats and equipments to open a shop that sells sea products. This action made their industry even focused. The fame and quality of salted fish attracted customers from the east coast and even getting recognition from Sultan of Pahang. 

Coming to the 4th generation, the industry met the biggest challenge yet. Globalization are slowly eating away traditional industry through the mindset of the younger generations. White collar job seems to be the standard occupation and targeted job for average joe. The threat of the industry is not about the business (demands are getting more) but more about the 4th generation willingness to continue to business. 

Their line of work always put them on challenges and making decisions, and how the adapt to the situation made their family business grew prosper and lasted for generations.

Goal:

Whether its white collar job or the salted fish industry, life is fulled of different kind of challenges, but it is human nature to change, grow, learn and adapt to keep up with the ever changing world. Using the salted fish industry, to tell a story of change, grow, learn and adapt.

Message: 

There are always challenges in life, but that is what makes life interesting, because these challenges are the things that made us grow.

Target audience:
Teenagers.

Medium:
Digital media, album story book.


Idea for interactive photo album.

Findings:
Through observations, the salted fish industry in Pantai Beserah experienced a lot of changes across the 100 years of business. Their life is all about perseverance, altering and flexibility in surviving. For example, salted fish was created to preserve fish because that is the conventional preserving method, when the needs are getting higher, the ancestors of the family used this opportunity to create this industry which eventually lasted for 4 generations.  They also change the fish used in line with the season, when the next season comes, they change into other fish. When competition of fishing is getting higher while fish are getting lesser, they sold their boat and build a shop instead. When the needs of other sea product are getting higher, they invest on freezer to sell frozen sea product.

Goal:
To tell a story about preservation and being flexible in life through the story of the salted fish industry.

Target audience:
Teenagers.  To expect obstacles in life but think throughout to get across it.

Medium:
Picture book

                                      

9 July

  9 July,Visit to Tanjung Lumpur