✨ Community Workshops for Root Embracing August: Appreciating Malaysia from the Land to Culture 🥳

🇲🇾 This Merdeka month, let's celebrate our roots through meaningful community experiences. 🌿 A moment to RECONNECT, REDISCOVER, and GROW TOGETHER. 💚

✅ Join us in embracing nature, heritage, and conscious living through our specially CURATED COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS 🌱

🎨 Experience and connect with the people, land, and traditions that keep our roots alive 🌏



[Zoom Workshop] Our Food, Farm and Future: What We Can Do As Conscious Consumers
Date: 4 August 2026 [Tuesday]
Time: 8:30pm
Venue: Zoom
Speakers:
1. Hii Ning, Publicity and Community Development of Kongsi Co-op
2. Zoe Tan, Fund A Land with Kongsi Coordinator

Every meal we choose could shape the future of our land

Every day, we make countless food choices—but have we ever stopped to ask where our food comes from, who grows it, and what impact our choices leave behind?

As our lives become increasingly fast-paced, we've slowly become disconnected from the very things that sustain us: the soil, the farmers, and the ecosystems that make every meal possible.

This Merdeka month, under our Root Embracing theme, join us for a meaningful conversation on how we can reconnect with the land through the choices we make every day.

Together with Kongsi Co-op, we'll explore how conscious consumption goes beyond buying organic—it's about understanding the journey of our food, supporting resilient farming communities, and building a healthier future for generations to come.

🌿 What you'll discover:
🥬 How every food choice influences the health of our soil and environment.
🚜 The journey from farm to plate—and what it truly takes to nourish a community.
🤝 How each of us can contribute to a more resilient and sustainable food system through everyday decisions.

Because every purchase is more than a transaction.
It's a vote for the kind of food system—and future—we want to build.

Join us as we reconnect with our roots and discover how small choices today can create lasting impact tomorrow. 🌏💚

🔒 RSVP here.



[Signature Gathering] A Nature Trip Beyond the City: From Farm to Food Experience
🗓️ Date: 9 August 2026 (Sunday)
🕣 Time: 8:00am - 2:00pm
📍 Venue: GK Organic Farm, Jalan Besar, Kampung Sungai Buah, 43800 Dengkil, Selangor
🎟 Admission:
Exclusive Price for SM Community Members: RM200
Standard Public Price: RM250
Only Exclusive for 20 pax

💡 Speakers:
1. 👨‍🌾 Clement Low, Former graphic designer turned farmer, reconnecting people with food and the land.
2. 🌾 A Niao (Tung Siew Hoe), Engineer turned biodynamic farmer, passionate about growing wholesome food sustainably.
3. 🧼 Lau Jia Hao, Co-founder of Maisoap, Co-owner of Kongsi Co-op, dedicated to sharing the connection between nature and well-being.
4. 🌏 Zoe Tan, Founding Member of Kongsi Co-op, championing the movement to protect farmland for future generations.



Back to nature, reconnect with the land, and enjoy an organic lunch with fresh ingredients from the land

Signature Market x Kongsi Co-op to GK Farm!

What if the food on your plate is more than just “food”…
but a reflection of the soil it comes from, the people who grow it, and the future we are shaping together? 🌱

This August, we invite you to step away from the city and immerse yourself in a rare experience at GK Organic Farm — a biodiverse living farm where nature, farming, and community come together as one.



More than a farm visit, this is a journey to reconnect the dots of life: how our food is grown, how soil is nurtured, and how our future depends on the choices we make today. 🌏💚

As part of the Fund a Land with Kongsi Co-op initiative, this experience also opens a deeper conversation — about land stewardship, community ownership, and the importance of protecting farmland for food sustainability for generations to come.



🌿 What you will experience:

🥗 Farm Welcome & Fresh Beginnings
Light breakfast, introduction to GK Farm, vegetable tasting & pre-ordering with Clement — a former designer turned farmer seeking meaning beyond the concrete jungle.

🌱 Soil, Science & Biodynamics
A deep dive into biodynamic farming and soil systems with A Niao, an engineer-turned-farmer who has spent over a decade nurturing life from the ground up.

🥬 Harvest Experience
Feel the land firsthand as you harvest fresh vegetables alongside the farmers.

👃 Food Sensory Journey
A guided sensory experience with Jia Hao, exploring how we truly perceive food beyond taste.

🍃 Fund a Land Sharing
A meaningful sharing by Zoe on why protecting farmland is not just about land — but about safeguarding life itself.

🍽️ Immersive Organic Lunch Buffet
Prepared by Chef Tai, a former luxury cruise chef who now dedicates his life to “simple eating, simple living” through 呆食 (Daishi). Expect a nourishing, seasonal, plant-based feast.

**There will be about 12 dishes and drinks, including various snacks, salads, rice or pasta, as well as various vegetables and desserts. **

🤝 Closing Circle
A moment to pause, reflect, and reconnect — with food, nature, and community.

🌾 Beyond the experience, we hope you walk away with:
✨ A deeper understanding that food carries life force beyond price and taste
🌱 Awareness that soil-building requires community, not just farming techniques
🌏 A reminder that farming is not just a job — but a living art that sustains civilization itself

🌿 Meet the people behind the land:
The passionate practitioners, healers, and farmers — each story is a reminder that this land is shaped by people who chose meaning over convenience.

📌 Farm Etiquette Reminder (Please take note):
👕 Dress comfortably & lightly
👣 Slippers or barefoot preferred
🚭 No smoking on the farm
🌿 Avoid perfumes when visiting
♻️ Bring your own reusable bags & avoid wet wipes/paper waste
🌱 Be mindful of zero-waste practices
🍽️ Meals are seasonal, plant-based, and naturally inspired

This is not just a farm visit.
It is a reminder of where life begins — and what truly sustains us. 🌿

Come with curiosity. Leave with connection. 🌾💚

*Your participation helps cultivate a better future. All admissions from this event will be donated to the Fund A Land Project, supporting community-led farmland preservation for future generations.

🔒 RSVP here



[Zoom Workshop] From Finance to Preserving Culture through Art
Date: 18 August 2026 [Tuesday]
Time: 8:30pm
Venue: Zoom
Speaker: Swee Lin, Beading Artist, Founder of Maneknya, Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia (2018)

Rediscover heritage through creativity and entrepreneurship!

🎨✨ From Finance to Preserving Culture Through Art

What happens when you walk away from a conventional career path and choose to build something rooted in passion, purpose, and heritage?

We're excited to welcome Swee Lin, Founder of Maneknya, for an inspiring sharing session on how she transformed a traditional craft into a contemporary artistic expression and built a purpose-driven brand around it. 🌿

Born from her love for her Chinese Peranakan heritage, Maneknya reimagines the timeless art of Nyonya beading through modern design and storytelling—proving that traditions are not meant to stay in the past, but can evolve and thrive in today's world.

In this session, we'll explore:

🧵 Reimagining Traditional Craft in Contemporary Art
How heritage can be preserved while staying relevant and inspiring for the next generation.

🌱 Building a Purpose-Driven Brand
The journey of turning passion into a meaningful business that celebrates culture and creativity.

💡 An Entrepreneur's Journey
From the world of finance to becoming a beading artist and founder—embracing uncertainty, taking courageous leaps, and creating impact through purpose.

As Malaysia celebrates Merdeka, this conversation is also a reminder that our roots, stories, and traditions are worth preserving—and perhaps, even reimagining. 🇲🇾❤️

Join us for an evening of creativity, culture, and inspiration as we discover how art can become a bridge between heritage and the future!

Because sometimes, moving forward begins with reconnecting to where we come from. 🌿✨

🔒 RSVP here



[Physical Workshop] Heritage in Hand: A Peranakan Beads Embroidery Experience
Date: 22 August 2026 [Saturday]
Time: 11:00am - 1:00pm
Venue: COLLABSTORE, 2nd Floor, Shoppes at Four Seasons Place, 145, Jln Ampang, Kuala Lumpur
Admission:
Exclusive Price for SM Community Members: RM159
Standard Public Price: RM189
Exclusive for 15 pax
Instructors: Swee Lin and Swee May, Founders of Maneknya

Create, bead, and carry a piece of heritage home ✨

🧵✨ Every bead tells a story—create yours through the timeless art of Nyonya beading.

In the month of embracing our roots of culture. Let's step into the beautiful world of Peranakan craftsmanship with a special hands-on experience by Maneknya, a heritage-inspired brand founded by two Peranakan sisters with a mission to preserve and reimagine the art of Nyonya beading.

At first glance, bead embroidery may seem intricate and intimidating, but this workshop is thoughtfully designed for everyone—whether you're a complete beginner or someone looking to reconnect with your creative side. 💛

Guided by Maneknya's master artisan, you'll discover the meditative process of selecting beads, playing with colours and patterns, and carefully bringing your design to life, one bead at a time.

🌸 What you'll experience:
🧵 Learn the traditional art of Peranakan bead embroidery on a frame
✨ Create your own unique design or draw your own pattern
💛 Experience a mindful and rewarding creative process
🎨 Bring home your unfinished masterpiece and continue your journey at your own pace

Want to make it even more personal? You're welcome to bring your own clothing item or bag, and our artisans will help assess whether it's suitable for your bead embroidery creation.

Beyond learning a craft, this workshop is an invitation to slow down and reconnect—with creativity, heritage, and the stories woven into our cultural traditions.

As we celebrate Merdeka month, let's take a moment to appreciate the beauty of preserving our heritage—not just by admiring it, but by experiencing it with our own hands.

Because some traditions aren't just meant to be remembered… They're meant to be created, shared, and carried forward. 🌿✨

🔒 RSVP here

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