‘Accidental’ vanilla farmer keeps Christmas spirit alive all year

Alfred Phua’s social enterprise, Vanilla Impact Story, gives Sarawak's marginalised communities a second chance at life.

For social entrepreneur Alfred Phua, who helps those who are overlooked in society, Christmas is every day of the year. (Alfred Phua pic)

PETALING JAYA:

 Long after the last Christmas carol fades and the festive lights are packed away, Alfred Phua continues to live out the true meaning of the season – quietly, consistently, and with compassion for those often overlooked by society.

For the Sarawakian, Christmas is more than a date on the calendar. It is a way of life, one shaped by giving, kindness, and a belief that every person deserves a second chance.

“We always think of Christmas as a season of giving and sharing,” Phua told FMT Lifestyle. “But giving isn’t limited to money – it can be in kind, through our words and actions.”

That belief finds daily expression in Vanilla Impact Story, the social enterprise he founded to empower lives through vanilla cultivation.

On an 8-ha farm in Sibu, Vanilla Impact employs former drug addicts, offering them not just work but dignity, purpose, and a path to rebuilding their lives.

In the rural outskirts of Kuching, the 64-year-old works closely with indigenous communities from the Iban and Bidayuh tribes, providing training, consultation, seedlings, and ongoing support to help them succeed as vanilla farmers.

These are communities often pushed to the margins – but for Phua, they are people full of potential, deserving of hope and opportunity.”

Phua with Henry Wong, a former drug trafficker who found love and acceptance at Vanilla Impact Story. (Alfred Phua pic)

Remarkably, farming was never part of his plan: Phua had no agricultural background until his 50s.

At 53, while volunteering with an NGO to teach the poor how to grow crops for food and income, he realised he needed to learn farming himself if he wanted to truly help others.

So he began from scratch, immersing himself in learning with quiet determination.

Later, when he encountered two single mothers in need, Phua and his wife opened their home to them. But he knew shelter alone was not enough.

“They needed a way to earn an income,” he said. “But they couldn’t leave home to work – they had no transport, limited education, and they had to look after the kids.”

The answer came in an unexpected form: a neighbour was growing mushrooms, and Phua decided to give it a try.

He learnt everything he could, from his neighbour and from the internet, and soon began employing the single mothers before later extending opportunities to individuals with disabilities.

“My house turned into an urban mushroom farm,” he recalled with a smile.

Hope can bloom in the most unexpected places, like on a vanilla farm in Sarawak. (Alfred Phua pic)

Vanilla entered the picture almost by accident. While composting worms for the mushrooms, Phua discovered the compost was perfect for orchids. Vanilla, he learnt, belongs to the orchid family.

Curiosity sparked experimentation, and that journey eventually led to the founding of Vanilla Impact Story in 2022.

Today, Phua describes himself as an “accidental” farmer and entrepreneur – one driven by a clear purpose. “Seeing lives change gives me hope and joy,” he said.

One of those lives is Henry Wong, a former drug trafficker whose sentence was commuted. When Wong joined Phua’s farm in Sibu, he found more than a job – he found acceptance, encouragement, and a second chance at life.

The spirit of Christmas

Long before vanilla farming entered his life, Phua was already living out the message of Christmas as he understands it: loving and giving to others.

Over the years, he has devoted himself to social work, walking alongside individuals battling drug addiction in rehabilitation centres, starting a soup kitchen for the homeless, and running creative arts programmes for marginalised youths.

His generosity feels even more poignant when viewed against his own difficult beginnings.

For Phua, Christmas is best spent sharing quiet moments with his family. (Alfred Phua pic)

One of eight siblings, Phua grew up in a troubled household. His father, a Teochew chef who migrated from China to Malaysia, struggled with alcoholism.

“He was good at cooking, but he was also good at drinking,” Phua recalled. “Whenever he got drunk, there would be trouble at home. I didn’t enjoy my childhood or teenage years.”

He battled insomnia and depression, and at just 17, lost his father in a hit-and-run accident.

Yet, rather than letting hardship define him, Phua chose a different path – one rooted in empathy, resilience and hope

On Christmas Day, Phua keeps things simple, spending quiet moments with his family. It’s a celebration that feels fitting for a man who believes the season is best honoured through everyday acts of love.

Because long after the decorations are stored away and the season ends, Phua continues to carry the spirit of Christmas with him – through every seed he plants, every life he nurtures, and every second chance he helps make possible. - FMT