Promoting Local Herbal Potential, SIG Brings Rembang MSMEs To Reach The National Market

From the yard to the kitchen of the house, a group of housewives in Glebeg Village, Sulang District, Rembang Regency, Central Java managed to process herbal crop yields into high selling-valued health drink products. Under the construction of the BUMN House of PT Semen Indonesia (Persero) Tbk (SIG) in Rembang Regency (RB Rembang) managed by its subsidiary, PT Semen Gresik, the Women Farmer Group (KWT) Annisa, successfully marketed herbal products outside Java Island and recorded turnover of up to Rp100 million per year.

Since its establishment in 2017, KWT Annisa, which consists of 31 housewives, has produced various processed products for local herbal and food crops such as dumpling drinks, ginger powder, temulawak, turmeric, and special drinks made from kawis fruit. All products are processed from natural raw materials originating from local farmers around Glebeg Village.

Ketua KWT Annisa, Rutiah merasa sangat dibantu dan bersyukur bisa menjadi bagian dari keluarga besar RB Rembang sejak tahun 2022. Wanita berusia 50 tahun ini mengaku, RB Rembang memiliki peran yang besar dalam mendorong pertumbuhan bisnis KWT Annisa dalam menghasilkan minuman herbal. Tidak hanya dibebekali kemampuan mengelola usaha secara administrasi dan bisnis, tetapi juga dikuatkan dari sisi branding dan pemasaran agar produk KWT Annisa semakin dikenal pasar.

At first we just wanted the yard results to not be wasted. From a simple kitchen, we housewives began to learn to process into products that had a selling value. After joining RB Rembang, opportunities opened wider. We were given various trainings, assisted by promotions and facilitation, business networks are also getting wider," said Rutiah.

Rutiah revealed that the business, which was initiated in 2017 with an initial capital of Rp. 500 thousand, was carried out only with simple cooking utensils and changed local potential to superior products. By utilizing their respective home grounds, they can produce up to 100 kilograms of raw materials such as ginger, turmeric, and kawis fruit, which can be processed into around 100 bottles of products per week and start introducing their products to traditional markets to penetrate the MSME network in Rembang Regency.

Along with increasing demand, land limitations made KWT Annisa take the initiative to collaborate with local farmers and fellow MSME players in Rembang to meet the needs of raw materials. Especially before moments such as Eid, production capacity can triple.

Now, ginger and ginger drink products as well as kawis juice from KWT Annisa are not only marketed in the Rembang area, but also reaches a wider market such as Yogyakarta, Semarang, Surakarta, to Surabaya in East Java. Even with the role of e-commerce and reseller networks, Annisa's KWT products are able to reach marketing outside Java such as Kalimantan.

With authentic concoctions made from herbs and affordable prices ranging from Rp. 10 thousand to Rp. 40 thousand per packaging, Annisa's KWT product is now able to achieve an average turnover of Rp. 10 million per month, or more than Rp. 100 million per year.

"As a business actor, I really feel the benefits of RB Rembang. We have a lot of support, ranging from training, marketing to product promotion. I am very grateful to GIS and RB Rembang. My hope is that MSME players can continue to develop and be successful together," said Rutiah.

SIG's Corporate Secretary, Vita Mahreyni, said in a written statement on Sunday, July 27, that SIG fully supports the strengthening of women's role in the economy of rural communities as part of the Company's commitment to inclusive and sustainable development.

"SIG believes that women have great potential as a driving force for the local economy. Through the development of MSMEs, we encourage more women's business groups to grow independently, advance to class, and be competitive in a wider market. GIS will continue to assist MSMEs, especially women's actors, to be more resilient and able to have a real impact on the welfare of the surrounding community," said Vita Mahreyni.