Habhal’s, commonly associated with the “Cap Kipas Udang” (Prawn Fan Brand) label, is a food brand best known for its soy sauce and other sauces and condiments. The brand has historical roots in Singapore and Johor, and is particularly associated with Malaysian and Singaporean Malay food culture.

Today, Habhal’s products are manufactured in Malaysia by Zara Foodstuff Industries Sdn Bhd, a Johor-based food manufacturer established in 1986. The manufacturer’s current website describes Zara Foodstuff as a producer of Cap Kipas Udang branded products.

The Habhal’s name itself is generally explained as an abbreviation of Haji Ahmad bin Haji Abdul Latif, a soy-sauce entrepreneur who began producing and selling his own soy sauce in Singapore in the period following the Second World War. 1

The “Cap Kipas Udang” wording is not a reference to a seafood product. In trademark documentation, “Cap Kipas Udang” is translated as “Prawn Fan Brand.” 2

Haji Ahmad bin Haji Abdul Latif

The history of Habhal’s is traditionally traced to Haji Ahmad bin Haji Abdul Latif, who was born in Tengkera, Melaka, around 1900 and was raised in Singapore. Historical accounts identify him as a soy-sauce trader and producer.

In 1945, Haji Ahmad reportedly purchased soy sauce from a Chinese trader and subsequently developed his own version by modifying the ingredients and flavouring. He began selling the resulting sauce from his home in Kampong Ubi, Singapore.

This is significant because the brand’s name is commonly interpreted as being derived from his name:

HAji BH? AL — usually rendered in historical accounts as HABHAL, from Haji Ahmad bin Haji Abdul Latif.

The precise construction of the abbreviation is not consistently documented in publicly available sources, so it is safer to describe HABHAL as being derived from/associated with Haji Ahmad’s name rather than assert a particular letter-by-letter formula.

Second generation

After Haji Ahmad’s death, the business was continued by his son Haji Zaini. It was subsequently managed by Zaini’s wife, Hajjah Sa’adiah binti Buyong.

The business therefore developed from a small post-war Singaporean soy-sauce operation into an established commercial brand.

Move to Johor

In 1981, production operations associated with HABHAL were moved from Singapore to Lorong Pemuda, Kampung Melayu Majidee, Johor Bahru, operating under the name Jalil Enterprise. Historical material indicates that the business had a significant workforce at this stage and continued supplying the Singapore market.

Singapore remained an important market. Historical advertisements from the 1980s identify distributors in Singapore for Habhal’s Cap Kipas Udang.

A major turning point occurred on 25 November 1986, when Zara Foodstuff Industries took over the business of manufacturing, processing and marketing Habhal’s Cap Kipas Udang.

This date is supported by contemporary historical material reproduced from newspaper advertisements. The takeover meant that Zara Foodstuff became responsible for the production and marketing of the brand in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.

This is why some descriptions of Habhal’s can appear contradictory: Haji Ahmad is associated with the origin of the HABHAL brand and its original soy sauce, while Zara Foodstuff is the company responsible for the modern Malaysian manufacturing operation.

Zara Foodstuff’s own website currently states that the company was established in 1986 and identifies itself as a producer of Cap Kipas Udang products.

The most recognizable feature of Habhal’s is its Cap Kipas Udang identity.

“Cap” means brand, while “kipas udang” literally refers to a prawn fan. The distinctive name and logo became closely associated with the soy sauce and eventually with the wider product family.

The brand’s historical identity is particularly connected with bottles of soy sauce used in everyday cooking, including kicap lemak manis (sweet soy sauce) and kicap lemak masin (salty soy sauce).

The brand is therefore often remembered as a traditional household soy-sauce brand rather than simply as a modern packaged-food company.

Although soy sauce remains the core of Habhal’s, the current product range is considerably broader.

The Malaysian halal-product directory lists Habhal’s Cap Kipas Udang products including:

• Sweet soy sauce
• Salty soy sauce
• Soy sauce
• Chilli sauce
• Tomato sauce
• Sweet sauce
• Seasoning sauce
• Lemon seasoning
• Soya bean paste
• Taucu
• Sri Kaya
• Other sauce and condiment products

Several of these products are also listed under related brands such as Sri Kipas and Tirana, reflecting the wider product portfolio of Zara Foodstuff.

Zara Foodstuff’s own recipe website also demonstrates the use of Cap Kipas Udang products in dishes such as soy-sauce chicken, nasi tomato, teriyaki-style dishes and other Malaysian recipes.

The present-day Malaysian manufacturer is Zara Foodstuff Industries Sdn Bhd.

The company is based in Johor Bahru, Johor, and its registered/manufacturing information appears in Malaysia’s halal-product directory. The directory lists Zara Foodstuff as the manufacturer of multiple Habhal’s Cap Kipas Udang products.

Zara Foodstuff’s current address is listed as:

Zara Building
No. 73, Jalan Langkasuka
Kawasan Perindustrian Larkin
80350 Johor Bahru, Johor
Malaysia

The company’s official website describes its business as a producer of Cap Kipas Udang products and states that it was established in 1986.

Despite its present Malaysian manufacturing base, Habhal’s retains a strong historical connection with Singapore.

The original business was established there by Haji Ahmad, and historical records show that HABHAL products continued to be distributed in Singapore after manufacturing moved to Johor.

There is also a modern corporate entity called HABHAL & SONS (S) PTE LTD, incorporated in Singapore on 21 November 1998. Public corporate information lists its secondary business activity as the manufacture of sauces, including soy and other sauces. 3

The company’s Singapore presence is also reflected in trademark records. A 2025 Canadian trademark publication, for example, records HABHAL & SONS (S) PTE LTD as the applicant for the HABHAL’S / CAP KIPAS UDANG mark covering soy sauce, tomato sauce, chilli sauce, seasoning sauce, coconut kaya, soya bean paste and tauco.

Habhal’s products manufactured by Zara Foodstuff appear in the Malaysian halal directory administered by JAKIM, including sweet and salty soy sauces and a range of other products.

The directory lists Zara Foodstuff Industries Sdn Bhd at its Johor Bahru address and identifies multiple Habhal’s Cap Kipas Udang products under the company’s halal certification records.

This is an important part of the brand’s identity and historical market positioning, particularly given its strong association with Malay and Muslim consumers in Malaysia and Singapore.

One of the most important things to understand about Habhal’s is that the brand’s historical founder and its present-day manufacturer are not the same thing.

A simplified timeline is:

1945 → Haji Ahmad bin Haji Abdul Latif begins developing and selling his soy sauce in Singapore.

Post-1945 → Business continues through his family, including Haji Zaini and Hajjah Sa’adiah.

1981 → Operations move to Johor Bahru under Jalil Enterprise.

25 November 1986 → Zara Foodstuff Industries takes over the Habhal’s Cap Kipas Udang manufacturing and marketing operation.

1986–present → Zara Foodstuff develops Cap Kipas Udang into a broader food-product portfolio.

1998 → HABHAL & SONS (S) PTE LTD is incorporated in Singapore.

Today → Habhal’s remains principally associated with Cap Kipas Udang soy sauce and related sauces and condiments manufactured in Malaysia.

Habhal’s is notable not simply because it sells soy sauce, but because it represents a piece of pre- and post-independence Malay food-business history.

Its story crosses the modern Malaysia–Singapore border: the brand originated from a Singapore-based entrepreneur with roots in Melaka, subsequently moved its production operation to Johor, and developed into a Malaysian-manufactured consumer brand.

For many consumers, particularly in Malaysia and Singapore, Cap Kipas Udang is associated with home cooking and traditional Malay and Southeast Asian cuisine. The brand’s longevity has allowed it to remain recognizable across multiple generations.

Its history also illustrates the evolution of small-scale food production in the region—from a sauce made and sold from a household operation in post-war Singapore to a commercially manufactured and internationally marketed packaged-food brand.

The full name is commonly presented as:

HABHAL’S CAP KIPAS UDANG

The two parts serve different functions:

• HABHAL’S — the principal brand name, historically associated with Haji Ahmad bin Haji Abdul Latif.
• CAP KIPAS UDANG — the product/brand designation, meaning approximately “Prawn Fan Brand.”

The combination has become so strongly associated with soy sauce that “Cap Kipas Udang” is often used colloquially when referring to the Habhal’s product itself.

Haji Ahmad bin Haji Abdul Latif

Trademark records confirm the brand’s use across a broad range of Class 30 food products, rather than soy sauce alone.

Habhal’s occupies an unusual position in Malaysian food history: it is simultaneously an old Singapore-origin brand, a Malaysian-manufactured product and a regional household name.

Its modern identity is largely built around Zara Foodstuff’s production and distribution infrastructure, while the emotional and historical identity of the brand goes back to Haji Ahmad’s post-war soy-sauce business.

The key legacy of Habhal’s is therefore not merely the sauce itself, but the continuity of a food brand across Singapore, Johor and several generations of consumers.

In one sentence

Habhal’s is a Singapore-origin, Malaysian-manufactured heritage food brand whose roots trace back to soy-sauce maker Haji Ahmad bin Haji Abdul Latif in 1945 and whose best-known product, Habhal’s Cap Kipas Udang, is today manufactured by Zara Foodstuff Industries in Johor Bahru.

A note on conflicting dates

Some online articles incorrectly state that Zara Foodstuff took over the HABHAL business in 1886. That cannot be correct: the contemporary historical material gives the takeover date as 25 November 1986, and Zara Foodstuff’s own website states that the company was established in 1986.

Also, some secondary sources describe Cap Kipas Udang as having been “launched” in 1987. That should not be confused with the 1945 origin of Haji Ahmad’s HABHAL soy-sauce business or the 1986 Zara Foodstuff takeover. The three dates refer to different stages in the brand’s history.

1. Baru tahu HABHAL’S ada maksud tersendiri, ini sejarah kicap cap kipas udang yang ramai tak tahu
2. HAJI AHMAD BIN ABDUL LATIF – Pengasas Kicap HABHAL – SAHIH
3. HABHAL & SONS (S) PTE LTD (199805756E) – Other business support service activities – Singapore Company