Life didn’t just knock on Raymund’s door. It tore it off its hinges.
My career paused. The world shut down. And then the woman who shaped his life was slipping away.
What he did next changed everything. This isn’t a startup fairy tale.
This is a story about grief, grit, and choosing purpose when quitting would’ve been easier.
When Success Looks Good but Feels Wrong
For over 22 years, Raymund lived the life many dream of. Senior leadership roles.
Telecom giants.
ASEAN, Asia, Middle East his office was the airport.
Twenty days a month in transit. Boardrooms instead of birthdays. Success on paper, distance at home.
By 2019, the shine wore off.
“I realised I was missing my family. My parents. My life.”
He came home to Malaysia and almost immediately, the world went into lockdown. COVID didn’t just pause economies. It forced reflection.
And for Raymund, it revealed what truly mattered.
A Mother’s Illness. A Son’s Awakening.
During the pandemic, Raymund’s mother took her vaccinations. Soon after, her health declined rapidly. Kidney failure. Chronic kidney disease. Dialysis, three times a week.
Raymund wasn’t just a son anymore.
He became a full-time caregiver alongside his aging dad.
No salary. Mounting medical bills. Long hours in dialysis centres. Children’s education. MCO.
Then one quiet sentence changed everything.
“My biggest mistake,” his mother Shanti said,
“Was depending too much on medication. Doctors treat symptoms, not the root of the illness.”
That moment stayed with him.
When Faith Meets Food Science
With time, pain, and questions on his hands, Raymund started researching holistic wellness. Not trends truths.
Bitter gourd. Moringa.
Cinnamon. Black turmeric.
Etc.
Ingredients rooted in tradition, often ignored in modern diets. Shanti gave him one simple instruction:
“If you’re going to do this, make it easy & affordable for people.”
So, he tried.
Labs were expensive. Samples failed. The bitterness was unbearable. Money was tight. Then, out of nowhere a call.
A former schoolmate. Working for a local University Lab as Head of Food & Science department.
Help offered. Doors opened. Raymund calls it divine timing.
37 Failed Formulas One That Finally Worked
Months of testing. Rejecting. Refining.
Thirty-seven formulations later, they cracked it.
Not just something drinkable, something functional. People reported:
- Less bloating
- Better sleep
- More energy
- Reduced inflammation
- Reduced blood glucose
Low caffeine. No added sugar. No gimmicks.
This wasn’t “just coffee.”
It was wellness, simplified.
And the first person who believed in it? His mother, Shanti.
The Breakthrough That Came Too Late And Meant Everything
12 December 2022.
REF products finally launched in AEON stores across Klang Valley. Quiet celebration. The family smiles. A win years in the making.
The next day, his mother collapsed. Within 24 hours, she was gone.
She passed away peacefully on 14th December 2022 holding Raymund’s hand.
“She was the reason I started,” he says. “And she left just as it began.”
What could’ve ended him became his anchor.
Building R Fex Global Trade, The Hard, Honest Way
No investors.
A three-person team. Zero shortcuts.
Raymund stood behind booths. Sold products himself. I learned FMCG from scratch. Took rejection daily.
This was a far cry from corporate boardrooms and exactly where he needed to be. Today, R Fex Global Trade offers with 9 functional naturally extracted ingredients in variation taste of:
- Functional coffee premixes (coffee lovers)
- Wellness teas (tea lovers)
- Matcha for younger consumers
- Pure Musang King Durian Coffee (no artificial flavouring, colouring or added sugar)
All halal-certified. Low sugar.
Built with purpose.
Not Chasing Hype Building a Health Movement
Raymund isn’t chasing viral growth.
He’s building a community around healthy living. The vision?
- In-house R&D
- Clinical human trials
- Export markets
- Education-first wellness content
- Affordable health solutions for Malaysians
- Giving job opportunities via upscaling manufacturing
“Before things get better, the body has to heal,” he says. “And healing isn’t always pretty.”
A Promise Kept. A Legacy in Motion.
R Fex Global Trade exists because of one mother’s wisdom. One son’s faith.
And a journey shaped by loss, not luck. This isn’t a coffee brand story.
It’s a story about choosing meaning over comfort. Purpose over profit.
Heart over hype.
And if you’re walking through your own hard season, let Raymund’s journey remind you:
Sometimes, the most powerful businesses and lives are built from love, loss, and the courage to keep going. This year 2026, we are 5 years old and more to come.
