Mbok Daya, Means of Women’s Empowerment.

Some women gathered that morning in a fairly simple house. Everyone was busy with their work; slicing ginger and turmeric, others prepared the necessary equipment, and some roasted the rice. They were preparing to produce their business products. These women are members of the Rosella Merah Business Group (BG). They are all housewives who are happy to join this group to meet and learn from each other. They put the happy faces along while working; the jokes and laughter felt warm in the room. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the health protocol is applied throughout production activities.

In January 2020, the group received training on Jamu (herbal drinks) production and business management from Gugah Nurani Indonesia – Yogyakarta Community Development Project (CDP) as an initial stage. To follow it up, they agreed to run the business in a group.

Rosella Merah Business Group focuses on developing two variants of Jamu, which are in form of crystal and liquid. Several types of products from the crystal variant are Beras Kencur (a mix of aromatic ginger powder and rice flour), Ginger, Curcuma, Yellow Tumeric, Assorted Herbs Drink. While the liquid variant includes Kunir Asem (a mix of tumeric and tamarind), Beras Kencur, and Ginger Syrup.

The Jamu product has opened opportunities during this pandemic COVID-19. The demand has increased as people believe these herbal drinks are an alternative drink to increase the immune. It has been very useful for us to stay healthy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The development of the Rosella Merah business is supported by abundant raw materials available in the neighborhood, including ginger, turmeric, curcuma, and aromatic ginger. To keep the sustainable sources of ingredients, the group initiated the planting of ginger, aromatic ginger, curcuma, black curcuma, and white turmeric in a one-hectare area. The purpose is to reduce production costs.

Mbok Daya, the brand that carries the Jamu business just reached its second year in production. Even so, not many people are familiar with the brand yet. Facilitated by CDP Yogyakarta, promotions through social media are done and now Mbok Daya products can also be purchased on the e-commerce platform, Shopee.

By managing the promotion on social media, the group has effectively boosted sales results. Various orders from other cities are flowing, one of them is a recent collaboration made with Es Kopi Cario, a coffee shop in Surabaya that regularly orders Mbok Daya. Twelve bottles of ginger syrup per week are regularly ordered from this culinary entrepreneur of Surabaya. To increase production and turnover the group is determined to strengthen the promotion and sales system. In addition to promotion through social media, the sales system is also carried out through mobile vegetable sellers with a profit-sharing system.

From the financial records, it can be seen that the average sales have increased, which in 2020 was Rp.900,000. The smallest income was Rp.88,000 and the largest was Rp.1,200,000. Meanwhile, in 2021 the average income per month is Rp.2,400,000. The smallest income is IDR 600,000 and the largest is Rp.4,700,000.

So far there has been no funding support from externals. Rosella Merah Business Group has been running with the collective capital from the group members' savings varies from Rp. 20,000 to Rp. 500,000 per member. The profit-sharing system will be carried out at the end of each year.

“We collected capital of Rp. 2,800,000 from members. We still lack capital for business. The tools that are currently used for operational is incomplete. Some of the equipment used still personally belongs to group members,” explained Ibu Natri, Chair of the Rosella Merah Business Group in between the production process.

The group is aware that supporting organizations such as Gugah Nurani Indonesia will not be available every time but as a stimulant, the rest are groups that need to work it out. This method is good for educating and empowering the community to be self-reliant.

This is a portrait of a women group that manages herbal drinks business in a rural area of Yogyakarta. These women can answer the challenges of the limitation of capital and marketing capacity. Carrying the Mbok Daya brand, this group aspires to empower women; socially and economically empowered.

Order Mbok Daya product here.

Written by
Yosfialdi - Design, Monitoring, and Evaluation Manager

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