Misota Food is putting Cambodia's dried fruit products firmly on the global map with its delicious and healthy range of natural dried fruit snacks and beverages – as well as its adherence to the highest international standards.

Founded in 2017 in Battambang by Michel Tan and his wife Sophie Chhuy, Misota currently exports its wide selection of natural dried fruits, soft dried fruits and chocolate-coated dried fruits to Japan, Thailand and France.

And the US and Australia are the next destinations for Misota's dried fruit delights, with market tests currently underway.

"We are glad to be fulfilling increasing demand from export markets as this allows us to create more jobs for people and better contribute to the socioeconomic development of Cambodia.

"Exports represent more than 80 per cent of our commercial activities, and last year we achieved seven-fold sales growth compared to 2021, while we are confident of continued growing sales in both the domestic and export markets.

"We remain optimistic for increased growth moving forward as we expand to even more countries," said Misota chief operating officer Ol Tola.

Misota transforms local agricultural products such as mango, pineapple, Pursat orange, dragon fruit, mandarin orange, banana and Roselle into delicious and nutritious foods and drinks, while adhering to the highest international standards of food safety and quality.

"Misota has implemented food safety and quality management systems according to international standards such as HACCP, Halal, ISO 9001: 2015 and ISO 22000: 2018.

"And we have defined our corporate values with PIC – 'Professionalism, Integrity and Continual Improvement'.

"This means we keep improving our working systems, in particular the adaptability of our team to meet the evolution of regulatory, statutory and customer requirements," said Tola.

The Battambang native says Misota is honoured to be raising the profile of the Kingdom regarding excellence in fruit products.

"We feel really proud to be promoting Cambodian products across so many international markets, with the Kingdom having such great potential in the agricultural sector.

"While Cambodia is blessed with a rich abundance of natural resources, with fruits and cultivated plants that are delicious and have excellent health benefits, local farmers face many challenges maximising their potential.

"Misota takes this natural bounty and creates products with more added value, and which adhere to international food safety and quality standards," said Tola.

Misota has built partnerships with noted Japanese companies including the Osaka-based consumer goods and pharmaceuticals corporation Rohto, Amekaze and Japan Farm Products.

Meanwhile, it can count among its supporters USAID, with its Harvest programme, German development agency GIZ, the Cambodia Australia Partnership for Resilient Economic Development (CAPRED), Khmer Enterprise and the Cambodia-Japan Association for Business and Investment (CJBI).

Tan – the son of a Battambang fruit distributor – returned to Cambodia from France in 2012 with a determination to give back after having escaped the Khmer Rouge and achieving business success.

And this is reflected in Misota's social commitment as it partners with local farming communities, with suppliers provided fair prices and support, while Misota enjoys a steady supply of the freshest, highest-quality fruits.

"Our purpose is to help local farmers while competing with domestic and international competitors, so we agree a price that is fair for both parties, one that is stable throughout the term of the agreement.

"We work closely with farmers on planning, pricing, quality requirements and logistics, while controlling food safety along the whole value chain, from the supply of raw materials to the distribution of the finished products," said Tola.

All Misota’s products – which also include wild honey and Roselle flower infusions – are made from fresh Cambodian natural products, which being high in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals bring excellent health and wellbeing benefits.

"Our natural dried fruit products contain no added sugar, no preservatives, no colouring agents and no flavourings – just the natural nutritive substances in the fruits.

"All our products are produced following international food safety and quality standards, so customers can trust in our brands and feel safe consuming Misota products, whether they are in Phnom Penh, Paris or Tokyo," said Tola.