Exactly 1 Century, PTPN IV PalmCo Rebranding Aro Wood Tea: It's More Than Just a Business Asset

PTPN IV PalmCo commemorates 100 years of Kayu Aro Tea Garden in Kerinci area, Jambi/DOK PTPN IV

JAKARTA - PTPN IV PalmCo commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Kayu Aro Tea Garden in the Kerinci area, Jambi, by rebranding to be able to compete in the global market.

At the age of one century, PTPN IV PalmCo assessed that Aro Wood Tea is a marker of resilience, collective memory, as well as an important milestone in the journey of the Indonesian tea industry.

PTPN IV PalmCo President Director Jatmiko K. Santosa emphasized that Aro Wood is more than just a business asset. The tea garden, which is located at an altitude of more than 1,400 meters above sea level, is part of the long history of the national plantation industry.

"For 100 years, Kayu Aro has been a witness to the journey of the tea industry from time to time. Today, this garden is managed entirely by the people, and it is a matter of pride," said Jatmiko in his statement, Wednesday, January 14.

Entering the beginning of 2026, PTPN III Sub Holding (Persero), PTPN IV PalmCo reaffirmed the future direction of Kayu Aro, a legendary tea plantation that has been standing since 1925 with a rebranding step and strengthening of quality standards towards global competition.

The peak of the commemoration of the one hundredth anniversary of the Kayu Aro Tea Garden was held on December 30, 2022 in the middle of the green expanse of the slopes of Mount Kerinci. The event entitled "A Century of Aroma, Taste, Color, and a Million Stories" was attended by a number of company management, regional government, and elements of the Kerinci Regency Forkopimda. Directly present, Kerinci Regent Monadi, marked the position of this tea garden is not only important for the company, but also for the region.

According to Jatmiko, the future challenge is not only to maintain the sustainability of production, but also to ensure the quality of Aro Wood Tea is able to compete in the global market, without losing a strong foothold in the domestic market.

"Thus, the economic benefits can be felt more widely, especially by the people around the plantation who work and live together," he said.

Entering the second century, continued Jatmiko, PalmCo has great optimism. The long history of Kayu Aro is used as a foothold to take a step further, not just nostalgia.

"One hundred years is the beginning of a new chapter. From here, we write new stories that are stronger and confirm Aro Tea as one of the world's tea quality standards," said Jatmiko.

Jatmiko explained that in the increasingly competitive global market, Kayu Aro chose to take its own path, which is based on quality, preserving heritage, and adapting to the times. "It's a long journey, but we're on the right track," he said.

Meanwhile, Director of Strategy and Sustainability, Ugun Untaryo, said that the momentum of a century was interpreted by PalmCo as a space for reflection and acceleration. One of the concrete steps introduced was the launch of new packaging for Kayu Aro brewed tea and dip tea.

He emphasized that this rebranding was designed to refresh the product's identity to make it more relevant to today's consumer tastes, while still highlighting the long-standing historical character.

"Our transformation is through modernization and digitization, but the historical value and uniqueness of Kayu Aro is still maintained," he said.

Ugun emphasized that increasing productivity and quality standards are the main foundations of tea garden management in this second century. In business terms, said Ugun, the retail performance of Kayu Aro Tea shows a positive trend.

"Since 2008, about 4.5 percent of the total production of PTPN IV tea has been supplied by the Kayu Aro tea garden. Even the tea known to be very popular with the Dutch royal family, including Queen Wilhelmina, Queen Juliana, and Queen Beatrix, even the Queen of England, because of its strong aroma and premium taste, is also distributed to other countries," he said.

Ugun said that currently PalmCo is also integrating production aspects with environmental preservation and historical education. "Kayu Aro Tea Plantation is positioned as a sustainable ecosystem that combines plantation commodities, conservation values, and agritourism potential," he continued.

Meanwhile, for the Kerinci Regency Government, Kayu Aro is the identity of the region. Kerinci Regent Monadi said the existence of this tea garden is inseparable from the local economic and tourism pulse.

"For this reason, we hope that the synergy between the local government and PTPN IV PalmCo will continue to be strengthened, so that the success of Kayu Aro is in line with the improvement of people's welfare," he said.