The company is a manufacturer, producer and seller of premium health, wellness and beauty products made from natural resources that are planted on the rich, volcanic soil there.
“Our plantation covers many rolling Sabahan hills and and valleys, with all these plants everywhere. It houses a wide variety of flora and fauna, with all sorts of birds, many varieties of snakes and there are monkeys," said Gaya’s Sabrina Majuakim.
"We plant all these herbs naturally, we don’t want to pollute the environment. Our boss, Marinah Embiricos, is very particular about that.
After harvesting the ingredients, they are distilled into essential oils that can be used in a burner to scent a room, or in the formulation of cosmetics and personal care products including soaps and beauty creams for their beneficial and fragrance qualities.
New opportunities
To make the most out of its resources and extraction plant, Gaya is looking for more outsource opportunities, alongside manufacturing its own range of of essential oils, massage oils, candles, cosmetics and soaps.
"We are open to OEM, and we welcome any companies that would want to work with us," said Sabrina.
"We’ve been getting inquiries from cosmetics companies as well as some fragrance companies—especially for oils and creams for the face. I've just spoken to a lady from the UK. She said she was looking for oils to act as a fragrance to enhance the smell of her face creams."
A vast agricultural and rainforested state about 1,500 kilometres from peninsular Malaysia, Sabah provides fertile ground for thousands of smallholders, many of whom are Gaya's neighbours at its Merotai plantation. The spirit among them is more of co-operation than competition, Sabrina explains.
"We have a good relationship with other the suppliers near us," she said. "All the Sabahan suppliers are small and medium sized, and we know a lot of them. We help link them up and use them if they have things we don't have, maybe like pineapple."
Everything in Sabah goes round to complete a full-circle, from business to farming. Even the the lemongrass sustains itself on the Gaya plantation.
"After we extract the oil from the lemongrass, we then use the finished raw material and give it to the cows. We will use their manure as a fertiliser, so everything goes full circle."