The company was founded by Ho Kai Cheong. Its first product was Ho Yan Hor Herbal Tea, a Chinese
herbal tea recipe made of 24 herbs. In the 1980s, the company transformed from a traditional Chinese herbal manufacturer to generic drugs, health supplements and consumer health care products. The company began focusing on
tocotrienol research and development in the 2000s. Ho () formulated the tea in the early 1940s. He started to sell boiled herbal teas in front of his shop and residence. It was a popular alternative to western medicine during the after World War II. Few Malaysians had the funds to pay a doctor during illness, and chose traditional ways to seek recovery. In the 1970s, Ho sent his eldest son,
David Ho Sue San to New Zealand to pursue a degree in
pharmacology. After graduating, David went to
Wyeth in the United Kingdom to work as a research pharmacist for two years. He returned to Malaysia in 1980 and took over his father's business, modernizing the manufacturing process of the herbal tea. David then founded Hovid Berhad and introduced the line of pharmaceuticals. == References ==