NOMNOM Go International Breaks into Singapore Market with BRI in the Danantara Ecosystem

JAKARTA - Rengginang, mushrooms, and tempeh have long been known as part of the daily food of the Indonesian people. In the hands of NOMNOM, these three ingredients are able to be processed into snacks that attract the attention of the international market. Moreover, after receiving a positive response at an exhibition in Singapore facilitated by BRI, this UMKM is preparing an expansion step into the Lion Country market.

It is known that NOMNOM was initiated by Erwin Jogisaputra in 2016 with the vision of presenting healthy snacks made from local ingredients that are able to be accepted by the global market. Starting from the development of roasted rengginang as an alternative to healthier snacks, Erwin continues to carry out various product innovations by highlighting the wealth of local Indonesian food so that they have added value and higher competitiveness.

"In the process of developing a business, I have been a BRI customer since 2018. Initially, I used various BRI banking services to support transaction and business operations. Praise God, as the business grows, I am also given the opportunity to participate in various empowerment programs for MSMEs presented by BRI," he said.

Erwin explained that one of the important moments in NOMNOM's journey occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic. Departing from the desire to help local mushroom farmers market their crops, NOMNOM then presents Super Shrooms, a healthy, gluten-free, trans fat-free, mushroom snack, and only contains about 100 calories per package.

He said that the spirit of innovation continues. Moreover, seeing the increasing trend of active lifestyles in 2025, NOMNOM is expanding its product portfolio again through Tempe Bites, a snack made from tempeh that is designed as a practical source of protein for people who are active in sports.

Even though he continues to present innovations, Erwin does not deny the fact that NOMNOM's journey is inseparable from various challenges. This condition makes Erwin realize that business growth is not enough to rely on product quality, but also requires stronger business management, appropriate marketing strategies, and a wider network. "I used to have constraints, such as limitations on distribution, market expansion, to dynamics in building teams and developing organizations," he recalled.

In line with these efforts, Erwin has actually continued to open himself up to various business development opportunities, one of which is through the BRILian Young Entrepreneur program organized by BRI. In this program, NOMNOM follows a series of selection, training, and business development that helps strengthen business capacity in a more structured manner.

"We learned to look at business from a different perspective. Not only selling products, but also building a brand that has value, understanding market needs, and preparing businesses to be able to grow sustainably," said Erwin Jogisaputra, founder of NOMNOM.

Thanks to hard work and active participation during the series of programs, Erwin managed to bring NOMNOM to the Top 3 position of BRILian Young Entrepreneurs. This achievement is one of the important momentum for NOMNOM to expand its network, improve business readiness, and open access to the international market.

Furthermore, Erwin conveyed that BRI's support was felt even more when NOMNOM had the opportunity to participate in an international exhibition in Singapore. According to Erwin, participation in the exhibition is an important opportunity for NOMNOM to test market acceptance and open new business networks at the international level.

"The response we received during the exhibition was very positive. NOMNOM products managed to attract the attention of prospective buyers in Singapore and currently we have entered the final negotiation stage. We hope that this process can be realized soon so that Indonesian local food products can reach a wider market," said Erwin.

On a separate occasion, BRI's Corporate Secretary Dhanny said that NOMNOM's journey showed the importance of building an ecosystem that is able to bring together SME innovation with wider market access.

"BRI believes that the competitiveness of MSMEs is not only determined by the quality of their products, but also by the ability of business actors to adapt, innovate, and access markets. Therefore, we continue to strengthen the empowerment ecosystem that connects financing, mentoring, digitization, to business matching so that more Indonesian MSMEs are able to grow sustainably and compete in the global market," said Dhanny.

As part of the Danantara Indonesia ecosystem, BRI will continue to strengthen its role in creating value creation through the empowerment of MSMEs. By expanding access to financing, assistance, technology, and international markets, BRI hopes that more local business actors will be able to turn innovation into globally competitive products and create sustainable economic impact for Indonesia. (ADV)