Tag: food and beverage

[RECAP] ANGIN Pitch Luncheon January 2019

Posted on | by David Soukhasing | Leave a Comment on [RECAP] ANGIN Pitch Luncheon January 2019

Last Wednesday (January 30, 2019), ANGIN organized its flagship event, ANGIN Pitch Luncheon at WeWork Revenue Tower, Jakarta. Four startups were selected by our angel investors (based on voting systems) to present their businesses. Each startup had 5 minutes pitching time, followed by 10 minutes Q&A and feedback session with investors.

This event was well attended not only by our angel investors but also our venture capital friends, such as East Ventures, MDI, Skystar Capital, Monks Hills, Venturra, Convergence, Prasetia Dwidarma and Patamar Capital. The event was concluded with lunch and networking session. 

The four startups who pitched were:

  • Mallness: An Online to Offline platform (O2O) enabling mall tenants (retailers) to increase their offline customer outreach. It allows retailers to engage with customers through location-specific deals and promotion. Using data analytics, it also provides customer behaviours data, leading to better sales. Additionally, Mallness aims to enhance visitors’ shopping experience by helping them to navigate available deals, providing app store directory with user reviews, and online product catalogues. 
  • Buahhatiku: A product retailer focusing on maternity and baby products for middle-lower customers. It offers good quality products at affordable prices, something that appears to be lacking in the current market. Their products include breast pumps, women underwear collection, halal baby diapers, etc. In addition to producing their own brands, Buahhatiku also sells products from various brands on its e-commerce site. 
  • DepeKu: A p2p lending platform focusing on property down payment fulfillment. It targets middle-lower borrowers who experience difficulties in securing capital for a down payment from conventional financial services. As DepeKu tracks borrowers’ historical installments, it helps them to build a solid historical financial record and increase their chance to secure a mortgage (i.e., KPR or KPA) from other financial institutions. 
  • Greenery: A Jakarta-based healthy food eatery and catering. Using only locally sourced organic ingredients, it serves a range of healthy bowls, wraps and beverages for middle-high affluent customers who are aware of their health and fitness. Greenery ensures that their products are free from artificial and dangerous ingredients and approved by a certified nutritionist onboard. It has opened its first outlet in Senopati, Jakarta.

Find photos from the event here.

UBS x ANGIN Women’s Spotlight: Evy & Mulyati Gozali: Co-Founders of Sababay Winery

Posted on | by David Soukhasing | Leave a Comment on UBS x ANGIN Women’s Spotlight: Evy & Mulyati Gozali: Co-Founders of Sababay Winery

Tell us about your journeys.

Mulyati Gozali (Mother): I love Indonesia: it’s culturally rich and people are kind. For decades, I worked in a public company dealing with tire factories, petrochemicals and mining. I decided that I didn’t just want a pension; I wanted to reach more for people and at the same time to teach my daughter to be strong, meet challenges and turn the tables in her favor.

Evy Gozali (Daughter): I worked in a Kalimantan mining company and I didn’t like it! I was happy to move to Bali with mom and become an entrepreneur.

Why did you choose the wine industry?

MG: First, I considered property; however, I really care about helping others. Sometimes, I’d do a road trip from South Bali to East Bali to see what it offered. While rich in natural resources, farmers were poor because they didn’t have fair pricing. The middlemen bought their crops; no one would buy direct. Farmers would leave ripe fruit hanging as they couldn’t get a good price.

We conducted an extensive field analysis. Indonesia saw 10 million tourists in 2015 annually, half of them in Bali. They spent around USD 140 daily – IDR 32 trillion per year – but Bali’s national income was only IDR 4 trillion. Why? Bali imports commodities like fruit, beef, and rice. The money went straight overseas.

So I thought, okay, that’s a problem. Most Balinese live on the 90% of land that tourists never visit, where farmers should be planting the fruit instead of us importing it. There was no ‘bridge’ between rural farmers and their markets, so, I built one: Sababay. Now farmers come to our winery to make wine. In 2015, based on Bali tourism data, 21 million litres of wine are consumed annually, only 1% made locally. In 2017, it grew to 25%.

Why is it so necessary to create businesses in Bali? What is the situation in Indonesia?

MG: People in rural Bali have little money. Approximately 60% have only been educated to middle- and elementary school. High school leavers only earn min wage of 2,7 mio rupiah which is about IDR 27 million Rupiah (roughly USD 1,846) annually. Just 10% of Indonesians can afford decent education to get high-level jobs, like banking. Only now is the President introducing free education.

How is working with your daughter, compared to other staff?

MG: It’s the same. I gave my daughter the required education, and she studied just like the other staff.

How is working with your mother?

EG: I was given the opportunity to run the business as the CEO as I co-founded the business. I know I skipped many steps that people go through in this industry, so I have a lot to learn. I like working with her because it feels natural. We’re a business, yet we have a family culture. I understand her vision and mission. Her passion in agriculture potentials, I learn so much from her, we share the same values and she listens to me too.

What challenges and hurdles have you faced while starting your company?

MG: In Indonesia, the alcohol industry can be viewed negatively. I knew Bali was good for grapes and that I could help people through income from wine production. I called a French winemaker to work with our local team for transferring technology and presented to the government the grape potentials and how farmers can benefit from the partnership.

There is a kilo of grapes in a bottle of wine. After I presented to the government they said: “We have grapes?” “Yes”, I replied, then told them about the 2000 hectares of lands belong to grape growers and that if the grapes weren’t sold, they would become cow food and they remain underprivileged. It still took three years to get the license.

You had no previous wine experience; how did you acquire this knowledge?

MG: If you are focused and determined to help people, you do your research then support will come from people with the same passions. We learn and share ideas and knowledges. Soon, I was teaching farmers how to manage plantations and harvests. Bali has the right kinds of grapes, but not the right industry.

EG: I’m glad that we can inspire others. We have so many capable Indonesians here, just from my mom’s crazy idea. She’s perfect for this job: well-connected and with a great eye for details. That’s how we do it!

What challenges do you face in this industry? How can other women learn from these?

MG: The wine industry has been male-dominated, but times are changing. Here at Sababay, we are training a female winemaker, a local one. I don’t think there’s any form of discrimination. We have women hand in hand working as a family. We just all learn along the way.

EG: We should all work together. As a woman, I can do anything, yet people sometimes see us as purely maternal figures. Indonesian women are strong – see the way they carry themselves and work. Sometimes, we take the responsibility of three people: a mother, wife and businesswoman. We’re changing roles constantly, which makes us tough.

What does wealth mean to you?

MG: I believe that all money and assets are gifts from God. Knowledge is a great asset that you use by teaching others. I wanted to share my abilities with farmers so they could prosper too.

What are your goals in life moving forward?

MG: I want to help this generation to bring Indonesia’s potentials forward by improving life for everyone. We must give back to our country.

What’s it like to have a mother that is so accomplished, ambitious and successful?

EG: I’m very blessed and proud to have a mother like her, but there’s also pressure because the next generation is supposed to do better. She built this for her children, grandchildren and her country. You see family wine businesses that are 200-years-old. We want to continue the legacy and benefit more people around us.

Do you have any words of advice to inspire other Indonesians?

MG: Indonesia has so much potential; the younger generation should tap into it. Bali is a really easy place to showcase products to tourists: local leaves and trees can be used for cosmetics, for example. People just need ideas, passions and integrity.

What would be your advice to other mother-daughter teams?

MG: Do not compete, because you and the next generation are different. You already have the experience, so share your knowledge and don’t expect younger people to know everything from the start.

 

UBS x ANGIN Women’s Spotlight is a special collaboration project between UBS Unique and ANGIN to celebrate strong Indonesian women who are exemplary leaders, unique changemakers, and role models. The project celebrates and reflects upon the individuals’ personal anecdote and professional journey and how they are challenging, reinventing and innovating their workplace in order to improve gender equality and be a force of change in their respective community and industry.

[RECAP] ANGIN Pitch Luncheon November 2018

Posted on | by David Soukhasing | Leave a Comment on [RECAP] ANGIN Pitch Luncheon November 2018

November 28, 2018: ANGIN had the opportunity to once again host its Monthly Pitch Lunch, which was held to showcase four up-and-coming startups – Shipmall, Shox, Coverwatch, and EmpatKali – to ANGIN’s angel investors, as well as several venture capital firms and other ecosystem players.

A short recap of the startups:

  1. Shipmall is an O2O platform that uses affiliate marketing to promote merchant’s products to customers. With the Shipmall affiliate program, partners can help merchants to sell their products.  Merchants will be able to sell their products more effectively and ultimately receive an increased number of sales. The customer will feel comfortable buying products in Shipmall because it is the original and best possible price on the market and most importantly is based on recommendations from friends, family, and influencers. Shipmall’s partner will get commission on every transaction that happens through their referral. Other than that, they will be trained and mentored to be a professional affiliate partner.
  2. Shox is a solution that uses computer vision artificial intelligence, where users can take a screenshot of a product in order to get the look. Users can search all retailers and brands on social media by taking a screenshot of the item. After the screenshot, the user taps on instant-notification sent by Shox, in 3 seconds our CV AI engine finds the items that are in the screenshot and gives the user the online address of where to buy them. Think about a mix of Shazam and Skyscanner model for the fashion retail industry.
  3. Coverwatch is a SaaS solution for insurance claims management while helping insurers, hospitals and TPAs to digitise the entire claims journey from patient registration to financial reconciliation. This enables Coverwatch to harness the only real-time health data in SEA, to become the “Google Analytics” for Health. By using Coverwatch the cost to administer a policy and claim will be reduced by 80% and Fraud can be reduced to <1%.
  4. Empatkali is a P2P lending services that hopes to address Indonesians lack of available credit with their zero interest based model. It delivers a fast and reliable instalment solution – interest free using a mobile platform.  Fashion retailers can get the sale now without having to collect money later. EmpatKali pays retailers the full amount of the purchase, shouldering the risk of default, while  allowing customers to receive their purchase instantly and spread the total cost over four repayments. There is no upfront membership or regular account fees.

Each startup had 7 minutes to pitch to investors, and received 5 minutes of Q&A and feedback. Afterwards, attendees had a chance to network and mingle with each other over a delicious lunch served by Burgreens. ANGIN is happy to have seen such a large turnout of investors attend our flagship event and we are excited for more to come.

Samantha Gunawan & Josephine Bahari of Blueboots Farm

Posted on | by angin

Tell us a bit about yourself.

S: My name is Samantha Gunawan and I’m the founder of Blueboots Farm. I’m 28 this year and I graduated 2013. Upon graduation I worked in Singapore for one year at an industrial engineering firm, and that’s when I realized that I didn’t suit the office life. I’m more of a outdoor person, so I tend to look for something where I can move around more. One weekend, I came back to Jakarta and I was casually talking to my sister like, “Hey, I’m really interested in organic food,” and she’s like, “Oh I know Ibu Helianti Hilman from Javara, maybe you can contact her and just talk.” So I emailed her and she was just like, “Hey Sam, why don’t we just meet the next day at 3 pm at the Javara Kemang office?”

Ibu Helianti ended up offering me an internship at Javara. At first, I thought no, I should be getting a full time job rather than an internship. But maybe because I felt I was still young, I felt that I could still explore. And actually my parents also supported me in the sense that they told me, “You should make all the mistakes now and explore since you’re not married yet.” So I thought, okay maybe a three-month internship would be a good start to see whether I like the industry. Those three months turned into one year.

Ibu Hellianti wanted to open a new side business; she’s doing food processing right but she wants to do fresh produce, too. She has a lot of connections with the hotels in Jakarta and she has farmers in Bogor, but she doesn’t know how to connect the two because she’s too busy. She sees this girl (me) who wants to know more about organic farms, so she’s like, “Sam, you be the middle person and see how you can convey what they want to the farmers.” That’s where I think the trigger was for me to get into agriculture.

J: My name is Josephine Bahari. I graduated in 2016 with a graphic design degree. I was working at a graphic design firm for a year. I actually always had this passion for eating healthy and living a healthy lifestyle and I’ve always been interested in Blueboots and but never got the chance to ask Samantha about it. I became tired of my job. Samantha happened to want to meet up (she’s my cousin), and she proposed that I help her. I said yes straight away and the rest is history.

I’ve been helping Samantha with the creative side of Blueboots and a little bit on the marketing side learning more about actual farming and where food comes from. I don’t think people are actually exposed to the agriculture side of organic food. I’m actually pretty blessed because I know where my food is coming from and how it is being nurtured and harvested into our dishes. And I think it made me more passionate and mindful of what I consume.

What is the health food scene like in Indonesia?

S: I feel like the health-conscious market is growing, but people still don’t really understand what “healthy” is about. For instance, gluten-free is assumed to be good but actually it depends on your body type. A lot of people are being eaten by marketing. Indonesians follow trends. So if Americans or Europeans are eating kale, we’re eating kale. But actually there’s a lot of other local plants that can replace that. We’re missing our own health culture.

J: i think it’s definitely super niche. The health scene is growing but there’s no personality to it. We’re really following Americans or Australians. It feels like everyone is copying each other. There’s no creativity or actual thought put into it. I think Salad Stop is actually a good model to follow. They have fresh produce as well, and there’s a story behind their business. I think their business is more conscious.

There’s a real psychology in the food business. It’s not just the taste, but also the story behind the food, where it comes from. The health market here is more about marketing than actual health consciousness. In short, it’s growing, but its growing very slowly.

Why is it important to know where your food comes from — why is that narrative important?

S: I think growing up as a city girl, I realized that I felt so disconnected with where my food came from and that I just took things for granted. So if you don’t finish the food, you don’t tend to have any guilt. But once you go to nature and you realize how seeds grow into plants and that it takes about 3-4 months… then you realize that you should not waste your food, and how you should treat the food. You need to minimize your cooking process because certain ways of cooking has more nutrition. I think when you know where your food comes from, you just become more appreciative and you tend to appreciate the ingredients themselves.

How was the transition between working for someone to becoming your own entrepreneur?

S:  Well, working for someone is really good. You don’t have to think about future steps, you don’t have to come up with a business plan, you don’t have to be accountable to your employees. Your mindset is just to do your job, but you’re not thinking about the whole business aspect of that firm. But when you’re doing your own thing, you have to put everything together, put the ideas into action. It takes more motivation, it takes more effort. You need to have passion. If not, I don’t think you can do it at all. I really love agriculture, so I think I jumped into the business with an excitement; it’s something I look forward to. Agriculture is not an easy task, so there were definitely a lot of worries. But you don’t know until you try.

The food industry in general is it male dominated or female dominated, how do you feel as a woman in that space?

S: I think I’m stepping into two industries; one is agriculture and one is food processing. The agriculture industry is definitely male-dominated. You rarely see a woman working on a farm. In terms of how I feel…I actually feel accomplished. At first, I felt intimidated but after awhile, when you know what you’re doing you feel good about it. I don’t feel any different from the men. Sometimes I feel like I’m even a little better.

As young women, do you actually find it hard to get people to see you as capable?

J: I feel that way in a lot of situations. Even sometimes when I go out with Sam. The people that she meets are experienced. They know more about agriculture. I do feel super intimidated, but I think the key is that I want to learn. That’s why I’m always in the back, listening and learning. I do hope that one day I can speak about Blueboots Farm like Sam. I’m actually in the process of learning right now.

S: I feel confidence is built up with experience. If I’m not experienced and I talk to people about things that are more advanced or technical, I tend to be honest with them and tell them, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, I’m new, can you teach me?” People are actually open to that. If you are humble to them and tell them you don’t know, they will open up to you. So I’m never scared to go to a space where I meet people at a higher level than me because I think it’s a learning process. I’m sure one day I’ll be at that point where I can understand. One thing I’ve learned is that if you don’t understand, it’s because you don’t know yet. It’s not because you can’t.

Where do you see yourselves in five to ten years?

S: My perfect five year plan is for me to have good family time while at the same time a career. Not a career that will take my whole life and time away from family. So what I’m doing right now is i’m finding new partners and collaborations so that one day I can still run this while also spending time with family. Work-life balance is very important to me.

J: I definitely want to be involved in the food industry. Not necessarily towards the tertiary side. More to the primary side where Sam is at right now. I really want to learn about food and where it comes from, as well as helping get the word out that eating healthy is not hard. It’s actually so simple, but people just don’t understand it. I think that is actually my passion, and I’m learning little by little. Slowly. Learning about farming and maybe learning to talk to people about it and finding a business that can convey it to people.

M: How do you see women coming into the food industry? How are they changing the food sector?

S: I’m very impressed by all these women. Nowadays I see that women are more business-minded. They get things done quicker and more efficient than men. Even my mom. I feel like women are more meticulous. You need someone like that in the company. Every company needs a woman. They’re the drive behind it.

J: I think males – at least in Jakarta – are not as interested in the holistic and organic lifestyles as females are. So I think it’s actually a good thing. As women, we have this mother-like instinct, taking care of people and ourselves. Not saying that men don’t possess that, but I think women are more expressive about it. I think that’s why we see a lot of women in this sector. We want to take care of people. That’s why social entrepreneurship is more female-dominated. They don’t just want to earn profit, but they want to create impact.

Any advice for other girls looking to jump into the industry?

S: If you want something, just do it. Explore more. If you keep exploring, you can definitely find how you can connect your passion with work. I also feel like you cannot be lazy. Keep on finding your purpose in life, what you want to do. Don’t wait until you’re 50 because then it may be too late. Start as early as possible.

J: I relate to the laziness part. I procrastinate a lot. Recently I’ve learned to have that go-getter attitude if I really want to succeed. The key is to just not be lazy. To always have that drive. Find that drive and what you like. Just excite yourself.

 

Kartini Igirisa: Founder of UD Kartini Cakalang

Posted on | by angin

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Kartini Igirisa. I am the founder of UD Kartini Cakalang. I started my business in 2008, producing processed fish products such as a variety of sambal (chili sauce).

What was your background previously and how did you come to establishing your own business?

At that time, in 2010, I was going through family problems. I split from my husband and the household, so needed to start earning an income. I have been running my business as a single parent up until now. When I started, we only had one product which was abon cakalang (fish floss). Now there are approximately 7 products, including sambal tuna, sambal teri and various other sambal varieties.

So far, what sorts of challenges do you face in managing your business?

There are competitors who sell their products below the market rate which is worrying for me. We aim to ensure that the quality of our products is not compromised, which means that the price is is raised accordingly. Naturally, when new players enter the market, they automatically look for price competitiveness. All our processing is still done manually.

How do you fundraise?

Until now, I’ve relied on bank loans entirely as the interest rates are very low. However, I only borrow as much as I need.

Can you share any of your experiences as a women entrepreneur?

Firstly, the opportunities are definitely limited living outside of the city. Not having a spouse makes things a bit harder as a single parent, but that’s okay. It does not limit my career. I am still confident, and continue to keep trying because I have to make a living and provide for my children.

I employ 3 women who work on processing, who are all single parents. My vision is to empower women within my community who need an income. Looking for work these day is also difficult, as many employers requires a minimum, level of schooling. So for people who do not have an education, it’s hard to provide daily food for the family. By hiring these people we are helping them achieve financial stability. I am particularly passionate in helping them because I know how hard it is being a single parent.

Why is the issue of women’s empowerment important to you?

I think women should have their own financial freedom, and be able to produce something that can earn themselves an income. I try to promote positive thinking for my female friends who are hoping to open their own business.

In the long term, what do you hope for your business?

I hope that my products can reach the wider domestic Indonesian market, and be in shops all over the archipelago. The goal is to one day have my own factory in Manado.

 

Lientje H.K. Mamahit: Founder of UD Makaarwen

Posted on | by angin

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I am Lientje H.K. Mamahit and I am the owner of Eufraino. We produce a variety of plant products that are processed to be used as traditional medicine for health. I am also coincidentally the Chairwoman of the Association of Traditional Medicine in North Sulawesi. Our products come in the form of instant powdered drinks made from ginger, temu lawak, and turmeric, which are considered natural herbal remedies. We combine these ingredients with fruits and vegetables such as mangosteen, soursop, and carrot, among others to enhance the flavors. My latest product is a 3-in-1 variety consisting of mangosteen combined temu lawak and ginger, which I recommend for people who work a lot, people who tend to eat an oily, fatty diet, and for detoxing in general. The reason why I made these into instant powder was because it turns out that after multiple test trials, that these fruits and vegetables produce higher levels of vitamins when dried and grounded.

What motivated you to start your business?

In the 1990s, I was working as a pastor at a hospital in North Sulawesi when I suddenly became sick. The doctors gave me a drug injection, after which I fainted. It was from there that I realized that my body could not take in chemical drugs, and that’s when I discovered herbal medicine.

Then in 2000, I began to build my own business. I started with only 1 kilogram of ginger, temu lawak and turmeric. For every kilogram, I was able to make 30 sachets of herbal drink. After receiving so much positive feedback and orders from friends and family, I had the confidence to grow the business. Now there are 10 instant drink products under Eufraino which have been distributed to most supermarkets in Manado, as well as stores in Tomohon and Tondano including Transmart Carrefour. My current production per year is 30,000 sachets. At the moment, I am starting to develop green tea, which has become somewhat a global trend. Green tea in powdered form is generally considered higher in antioxidants.

What sorts of challenges have you experienced in developing this business?

This business is not without its challenges. In terms of finding capital, I relied on bank loans. However we have been lucky enough to get support from the Ministry of Agriculture to develop our product. Business growth now has reached 10% every year. The Ministry of Cooperatives has also provided us with mentoring and coaching.

Can you share some of the other initiatives you have been involved in?

In 2011 I was also given a community award by the Ministry of Agriculture called the LM3 (Lembaga Mandiri yang Mengakar di Masyarakat) for outstanding achievement in agribusiness. Those who received the LM3 were directly recruited by the Ministry to work as coaches at the Rural Agricultural Training Center. Because a lot of agricultural output is sold unprocessed, its value is remains low. For example, rice farmers generally directly sell their harvest in its unprocessed form for around Rp.10.000 per kilo of rice. But when the rice is processed into flour, companies like Rose Brand sell bags of 100g for a lot more than the unprocessed rice itself. This is the value added from processing that we aim to promote to agribusinesses.

I have also visited various cities in Indonesia and abroad because of invitations to attend seminars and symposiums on herbal medicine. So my knowledge increases after attending each training session, seminar and symposium.

What do you hope for Eufraino going forward?

Our product is ready for export, especially our 3-in-1 drink consisting of mangosteen, temu lawak and red ginger. With the global health trend at the moment, there is definitely a market for it – particularly with its  great health benefits.

 

Hasria Sarianto: Founder of Poklasar

Posted on | by angin

ANGIN Women’s Spotlight series seeks to showcase a diverse array of inspiring women leaders and their stories and experiences in order to shed light on the unique experiences of women in business. We hope that both men and women can gain from these shared experiences, that these stories can inspire change, and that other young girls are motivated to become leaders as well.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Hasria Sarianto. I run a food processing business called Poklasar, which stands for Kelompok Pengolahan Pemasar.  We process fish for consumption and sell to outside the area. I am also a women’s activist; I often look after women who have problems in their families. Through this work, I noticed that many women were treated badly – largely because they are dependent on the husband. Thus, some friends and I initiated Poklasar to empower housewives and give them economic independence. In fact, they are helping their husbands earn extra income. Poklasar not only received an award from the government but is also now a legal chapter recognized by the government.

What are some challenges you have faced in business?

Our business started in 2015, but we have encountered many obstacles including a lack of tools. For example, we don’t have enough equipment available to make our processed fish balls, nuggets, and makasang products.  We still chop the fish manually, which limits our production capacity despite the abundance of fish available.  Furthermore, people usually use tenggiri fish to make meatballs, but we use another type of fish for economic reasons.

If the first issue is about tools procurement, the second issue is obtaining funding to buy proper machineries needed to develop and grow the business. We crafted proposals to a government agency – DINAS – but they have to serve so many others that they certainly cannot contribute to our business group. As such, our business goes as usual and remains small.  

For marketing, we need help: creating better packaging to be more interesting. We also need to understand better about water content so that our products can last longer.  We need to hire professionals and need to learn more. Our processes are done the traditional way with very limited tools.

Is your business mostly women?

We only have one group consisting of 10 people who all play their respective roles. There are some housewives who make meatballs. The other group handles marketing. Most are housewives from the village and do not have the skills to work outside home. Hence, they did not have much to do other than maintaining the household and cooking. Now they no longer dependent on their husbands, since they can earn their own living. That’s the main purpose – we cans achieve gender equality through economic independence.

Are there still negative stereotypes about women in Manado?

Yes, particularly in the rural areas and in the coastal areas. The coastal area is about 2 hours away from Manado. Activists should also care about the coastal areas so that women will also be aware of their rights. Sometimes when people are deprived, they act differently.  But when they are empowered, they will believe that they can do anything.

Is the awareness of this issue better now?

It has gotten better as the the old cultures that limited women are finally relaxed as well. Women have a lot of potential, but they have never been given the opportunity or enough money.  

What was your previous job?

I am a housewife and started as a housewife as well. But I do social work because I actually got involved in many women’s organizations.

Why did you start this business?

I am a female activist. Many women came complaining because their husbands control the money and they felt powerless.  Later, many women became victims of domestic violence because they had no bargaining power with the men. Based on this, I believed that these women should be given space and opportunities to be independent and make their own money so that it would not be so easy to be harmed, beaten or cheated. I want all the women I can reach to feel that they are entitled to independence.

What challenges did you experience in obtaining funding?

Once, we requested support from the government because at the time, the government promised that the tools we needed would be prepared. But then the procurement did not match what we asked for and did not meet our needs. The goods ended up being stored and not used.

Are there still many women who do not dare to ask the bank for a loan?

Now it’s easy to get a loan. In our system, when one is married, it is surely the husband applying for a loan. In our country, it should be the head of the family, except if the wife is a single parent.

What are your thoughts about the future of this group?

There is a lot of potential; these women hope to make new development and change for a better future. I think this group will need to grow as well. But it it is constrained due to budget and funding, as it has been self-financed for a long time. Fundraising is still in dire need because my aspirations for the group are to actually have better results both internally and externally from the group.

Amina Qonita, Founder of SNCTRY Health Bar

Posted on | by angin

ANGIN Women’s Spotlight series seeks to showcase a diverse array of inspiring women leaders and their stories and experiences in order to shed light on the unique experiences of women in business. We hope that both men and women can gain from these shared experiences, that these stories can inspire change, and that other young girls are motivated to become leaders as well.
Tell me anything you want to tell me about SNCTRY.
I started SNCTRY two and a half years ago. Basically the philosophy behind SNCTRY is to create  a place where you can be happy, as we believe that by feeding your body with food that is good for you, happiness will come from the inside and out. Here, not only can you find food that healthy and nutritious, we try to be a business that is holistically good for the wellbeing;  we have a bright colorful space, very friendly staff  and we are also environmentally conscious. We only use local ingredients, the store itself uses a lot of recycled furniture and we are moving towards being 100% plastic free. So it is a holistically ‘good’ place where you can feed your body well and be happy in knowing that you are supporting a responsible business.
In the food and beverage scene in Jakarta, do you see this holistic philosophy or health trend as something that’s growing bigger?
When we started we were one of the first healthy food places. I remember when I first opened people were like, “You know, I don’t think Indonesians will want this food,” ‘cause you know the diet here is very very different and people are not aware of nutrition.  
Anyway since then, the trend has definitely grown, from being the first place in Jakarta to serve a smoothie bowl, now you can find it in a lot of places in town. So the health food trend is definitely something that is on the rise, Jakartans are more aware of health food and nutrition now compared to how they were 2 years ago.
Which is amazing, to know that something we brought here has changed people’s mentality towards health food. Take our smoothie bowls, it’s not like its green or it’s a salad, it’s friendly and it looks nice, so people are more keen to try it.
In terms of the holistic philosophy, that’s something that is growing at a slower rate, but it’s nice to see that more and more cafes are moving to being more responsible.  
Do you have any comments or tips to stay afloat in the very competitive F&B in Jakarta?
You have to stay true to your business, with Snctry we are quite strict on our food, we only use fresh, pesticide-free, local produce, we don’t use  palm oil, we don’t use refined sugar so we stay true to this and we do not compromise on this quality. So it’s very important to never compromise the quality of what you sell.
Another tip is to always create new things, be experimental and creative and create new menus, like seasonal menus, so your regular customers don’t get bored.
How is the gender landscape in F&B? Predominantly female? Male? 50/50
From what I can see, usually people go into F&B business in groups, and its predominantly males. I would say 70- 30.
Do you find challenges being a female entrepreneur in this industry? If so how do you overcome those challenges?
Actually for me personally, I’ve never seen gender as a challenge. Previous to starting snctry I was working in Australia in a very male-dominated industry.
The challenges that comes with being an entrepreneur comes to any entrepreneur, both male and female.
For me, I personally don’t focus too much on the challenges, but I focus on the positive things I want to achieve.  I have a  ‘just-do-it’ mentality, because the more you think about it, the more you get scared and the more it becomes a hindrance.
Do you have any tips for women breaking into this industry?
To do something you’re passionate about – is definitely a key, it will keep you going when the challenges come. But again, in order to break into any industry, you shouldn’t see gender as something that should stop you, If you think it is then you are agreeing to being less equal to men, I mean really, there’s nothing that we females can’t do now, especially in this day and age. There will definitely be difficulties, but I’m sure if you have enough courage and you put your mind into it, you can do it. Anyone can.
Any tips on the F&B industry in general?
Again, do something you’re passionate about, something you love. If it’s something on trend, that always helps to kickstart the marketing but you need to have a good product for people to keep coming back.  Realize what your market is, what their behavior is like, for example the people in Jakarta loves to take pictures of something new and on trend, so you should use this to your advantage, something photogenic is always good here.
Favorite item? What should I try right now ?
I recommend the coconut breeze smoothie bowl with extra granola for me its super delicious and refreshing. You don’t even realize that it’s healthy because you get the sweetness from all the tropical fruit, it’s cold and fresh like a healthy ice cream and you get a lot of energy from the granola. It’s really good for you, and you feel super nourished afterwards. So yeah, that’s what you should try right now!