In Ipoh, where limestone hills frame a town steeped in tradition, legacy is not an abstract concept. It lingers in shop lots, in family-run businesses, in the quiet rhythm of trades passed down from one generation to the next. It was here that we met Vanessa Chong – a woman who did not simply inherit a business, but stepped into a living legacy shaped by fragrance, incense, and her father’s unwavering principles.
We first arrived at S W Aroma, the fragrance distribution business her father built long before she was born. Tucked within a row of unassuming industrial lots, the space opens into shelves upon shelves of bottles – hundreds of them – each filled with concentrated fragrance oils. The air carries a faint sweetness, layered and complex. This was where Vanessa welcomed us, standing at the helm of a business she once never expected to lead.
Vanessa did not always imagine her life unfolding in Malaysia. For five years, she built a life in New Zealand, eventually becoming a permanent resident. She had, by her own admission, spent nearly three decades living for herself – studying abroad, traveling to 22 countries across Europe, and carving out independence far from home. But legacy has a way of calling you back.
Her father founded S W Aroma as a fragrance distribution company grounded in relationships and instinct. In the course of expanding his market, he encountered the owner of a traditional incense factory, Foo Kwai Heong. Where others might have seen an ageing, routine trade, he saw possibility.
He approached the incense maker with a proposition: instead of producing incense with generic scents, why not incorporate his curated fragrances? It was a bold idea – one that eventually persuaded the factory owner. That decision marked the beginning of a partnership that intertwined S W Aroma’s fragrance expertise with Foo Kwai Heong’s incense craftsmanship, shaping two interconnected businesses for decades.
The plan was always clear: Vanessa’s eldest brother would inherit the enterprise. But fate intervened in the cruelest way. A fatal accident claimed his life, and the responsibility of succession fell unexpectedly onto the youngest child – the daughter who was already building a future abroad.
In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a standstill, Vanessa made the hardest decision of her life. She returned to Malaysia to take over both S W Aroma and Foo Kwai Heong. What awaited her was not just operations and inventory, but the expectations of a community that had known her father for 30 to 40 years.
Standing among the 400 scents now housed at S W Aroma – from body application fragrances and perfumes to detergent formulations and reed diffuser blends – Vanessa walked us through the business. The company operates strictly B2B, supplying fragrances to other businesses rather than direct consumers. “Customer service is a whole other ball game,” she explained pragmatically, choosing instead to focus on distribution and partnerships.
Their primary fragrance oils are imported from India and France, reflecting both global sourcing and local application. Her late brother had always wanted to support small businesses to grow together rather than cater solely to large corporations. Honouring that vision, Vanessa introduced smaller order quantities of 250ml, making it possible for emerging entrepreneurs to enter the market without overwhelming capital.
But inheriting a business is not the same as being accepted by it. When Vanessa first stepped into her role, she faced resistance from long-time employees who were deeply accustomed to the old ways. Many had watched her grow up. Yet familiarity did not automatically translate into faith.
They listened, but did not always follow through. Some were polite – giving face to her father – but hesitant to embrace change. Comparisons were constant. Could she ever measure up to the man who built everything from scratch? “It was difficult,” she admits. “They were comfortable. Why would they want to change?”
The generational tension extended to her father as well. Both Taureans, both equally stubborn, their early years working together were marked by frequent disagreements. They clashed over strategy and modernisation. Yet the results gradually spoke for themselves. When COVID halted their traditional door-to-door sales approach, Vanessa pivoted towards social media – the most cost-efficient marketing tool available. Slowly, awareness grew. Curiosity followed.
After our time at S W Aroma, Vanessa invited us to see the other half of her inheritance. Just a five-minute drive away stood the Foo Kwai Heong incense factory.
On the way, she shared how people once assumed the factory was dusty and disorderly. But when they began welcoming visitors inside, perceptions shifted. Arriving there felt almost like stepping into a living museum. Moulding machines lined in a row. Trays of incense sat drying. The air carried an earthy, resinous scent – grounding and ancient.
Incense-making begins with ingredients such as wood powder and gum benjamin, which are then blended into a playdough-like texture. Each day at 5pm, the moulded incense pieces are then placed into a large oven to cure. There are various shapes and scents, each created for specific spiritual purposes. Vanessa explained that different deities require different types of incense – knowledge she herself only gained after returning to the family business.
“I didn’t use to pray,” she shared candidly. “Now I pray twice a day.” Her transformation has been both professional and personal. She believes that without knowledge, there can be no interest. By opening the factory to visitors and explaining the meaning behind incense traditions, she hopes to bridge the gap between nostalgia and relevance.
The irony is not lost on her. It was this traditional business that funded her education abroad and allowed her to explore the world. And now, she is the one preserving it. The hardest challenge, she reflects, is sustaining a trade many consider outdated. In a world driven by speed and innovation, how do you preserve reverence for something slow, ritualistic, and symbolic?
What anchors her is the ethic her father lives by. “He does business with his heart,” she says. Payments must never be delayed. If you promise something, you deliver. Integrity before profit.
Over the past six years, Vanessa has redefined success. It is no longer about personal exploration. It is about seeing Ipoh-born products reach international shores. Her ambition is to bring both S W Aroma and Foo Kwai Heong overseas – to see incense and fragrance crafted in Malaysia finding homes beyond its borders.
Yet her proudest victories remain close to home. She smiles when recounting how her father now proudly tells friends and relatives about her achievements. After years of arguments, they argue far less. Approval, once uncertain, now feels earned.
As Vanessa Chong runs two businesses, she is also living a legacy built on instinct, tragedy, perseverance, and trust. In the mingling scents of perfume oils and incense, she has learned that inheritance is not about replacing what came before. It is about honouring it and carrying it forward until it becomes part of who you are.
Follow along Vanessa’s journey here. Learn more about S W Aroma here and Foo Kwai Heong here. And lastly, for more inspiring people stories, head here.
Photography by Imran Sulaiman.