KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 31 — In the bustling corners of Old Klang Road, hidden within a kampung almost forgotten and right next to the Klang River, sits a cooperative space where a small but passionate group of people began by asking a simple question.

“What if our economy wasn’t just about buying and selling — but about living sustainably while remembering what it means to live as a community?”

They were ordinary consumers — individuals from professional backgrounds, including farmers, homemakers and friends — who shared a growing concern.

A pandemic that changed priorities

When Malaysia went into lockdown in 2020, daily routines were disrupted almost overnight.

Supermarket shelves emptied, farmers struggled to reach consumers and families began to reassess what security and wellbeing truly meant.

For the group behind Kongsi Co-op, the pandemic exposed the fragility of conventional systems — particularly those surrounding food and livelihoods.

It also prompted deeper questions about purpose, work and sustainability.

“Covid forced many of us to pause and rethink, and the pandemic highlighted how disconnected we had become — from our food, from the land and from each other,” said co-founder Chong Siu Hou.

“We’ve had this idea for some time, but there was nothing concrete, and then when Covid-19 hit the country, it got us thinking about making this a reality rather than just talking about it among ourselves.

“And so this is why three and a half years ago we decided to set up this cooperative community, we had our papers submitted in 2021 and on March 24, 2022 we were officially registered,” he said.

A cooperative built on shared ownership

They called it Kongsi Co-op — a name that reflected their belief in sharing, togetherness and collective ownership.

“Kongsi” in Malay means to share.

Officially registered as Koperasi Kongsi Selangor Berhad, Kongsi Co-op operates on a community-owned structure.

Each member is a co-owner, with a voice in how the cooperative is run and how resources are used.

Rather than scaling rapidly or chasing profits, Kongsi Co-op prioritises transparency, participation and long-term relationships — between consumers, producers and the environment.

Beyond buying and selling

Today, Kongsi Co-op functions as more than a marketplace.

“Our mission is about how we can actually connect people’s minds and nature together, and how we can be a full model of sustainability for community building,” Chong said.

Driving Kongsi Co-op are seven core principles — supporting organic and biodynamic agriculture; offering earth-friendly products and services; developing a more responsible green consumption model; doing business ethically without exploiting people; supporting local farmers and artisans; providing diversified holistic education; and building a community through an associative economy.

“We do a lot of things here — community markets that bring small-scale organic and biodynamic farmers directly to consumers, shared community spaces at Kongsi House, and many types of workshops, meals and discussions on sustainable living.

“Education is a core pillar of our work, and today we are able to conduct talks and hands-on sessions,” he said.

“At Kongsi Co-op, we also support collaborative purchasing initiatives, waste-reduction efforts and community farming projects aimed at strengthening local food security,” he added.

Food banks are among the many things Kongsi Co-op does, forming another of its main pillars, which the group terms a community-supported agricultural culture.

“Agriculture to us is meant to meet needs, with the community supporting agriculture while farmers support the livelihood of the community.

“In the current mainstream approach, we feel farmers are driven by a very capitalistic mindset, so it doesn’t really serve the actual purpose of serving the community as a whole.

“Now you find many farmers, while they call themselves farmers, focusing on normal crops purely for profit, and it doesn’t serve our diversified food chain,” Chong said.

Better farmer livelihood, better food quality

From their observations and work on the ground, Chong said consumers’ palates have become so westernised that many no longer appreciate local food or recognise farmers.

“The only thing they recognise is the hypermarket or supermarket. So for us, we need to build that connection so that at least we know who the farmers are, and who is supporting us through our consumption.

“Because to me, supporting them is one of our biggest intentions, and by doing so it means better soil quality, a healthier environment for our food system, and being more conscious of what we consume,” he added.

How do you be a part of Kongsi Co-op?

To join Kongsi Co-op as a co-owner, Chong said one must first decide what they are going to offer — whether a product or a service.

He explained that as a consumer co-op, where members are also consumers, Kongsi Co-op’s model addresses challenges faced by smaller farmers who often struggle with market access.

“Mainstream farmers usually sell to a pasar borong, so instead of selling to a wholesale market, we act as a representative of our owners, allowing people to buy directly from the farmers.

“This gives farmers assurance that they have a market here, while members are assured of where their food comes from,” he said.

Not just a pop-up cafe

Another way Kongsi Co-op connects product and service providers is through its pop-up cafe.

It is not just an ordinary cafe, Chong said, explaining that it functions as an incubator for artisans and new experiments by members.

“Through this, we get to know people and the ideas they want to venture into.

“This is also a good platform for those who want to step out of their comfort zone and test ideas here, instead of jumping straight into opening a store that may or may not work,” he said.

Appreciating what we have

This is also why Kongsi House is located in a kampung and operates out of a kampung house.

Although some restoration works were carried out, Chong said the idea was to keep it intact to retain its cultural value, rather than demolish it for efficiency.

He added that the approach was also about being resourceful in maintaining the house and incorporating upcycling, instead of outsourcing work to foreign labour.

“The message we want to send is also about being less reliant on foreign labour, because what if one day foreign countries decide to keep their workforce to themselves?

“For countries like Japan, China and Taiwan, they have their own labour force to sustain their ecosystems, while we rely heavily on foreign labour even for our malls.

Here to stay

While the concept may feel slightly ‘too idealistic’ for today’s hectic lifestyle, Chong said it has to start somewhere and be allowed to grow.

What Kongsi Co-op is today was born out of many ideas that eventually materialised to benefit communities at large.

“We’re definitely here to stay and grow, incorporating more ideas that work towards better and more sustainable living, and creating a platform that connects resources while generating more fulfilling livelihoods.

“We’re working on many more projects, and as we carry on, we hope to reach out to more people to join us and be part of this self-sustaining community,” Chong said.

Among others, Kongsi Co-op is currently raising funds to secure a 30-year-old organic farmland.

Since its launch in April 2025, the initiative has raised RM975,296.77 as of December 18, towards its RM3.65 million goal by April 2026.

The land is located about 40km south of Kuala Lumpur, near Bangi, where GK Organic Farm has been growing a variety of vegetables and fruits since 1994.

GK Organic Farm is one of the co-op’s partner farms and is currently renting the land.

Chong said the site sits on prime property and faces increasing pressure from development.