The Impact of Small Businesses on Local Communities
Tea Heaven, Bakso Damas, and Madu Bantal reveal how running a business with a social impact not only drives the local economy but makes its success more meaningful.
The heart and soul of Tokopedia are the 12 million people that sell on our e-commerce platform. These individuals are creative, passionate, and dedicated to not only making their business a success but doing so by caring for and contributing to their surrounding communities. These people are the backbone of Indonesia’s economy: Micro, Small, and Medium enterprises (MSME).
With our products and services available in nearly all of Indonesia’s provinces, this article will feature three sellers who have shown immense business success and contribution to their respective local communities: Tea Heaven (Sukabumi in West Java), Bakso Damas (Malang in East Java), and Madu Bantal (Banjarbaru in South Kalimantan).
Let’s hear from Devina Amelia (Owner of Tea Heaven), Angga Setyawan (Owner of Bakso Damas), and Chairul Mufti (Owner of Madu Bantal).
Can you tell us a little bit about your business?
Devina: Tea Heaven is a local tea business based in Sukabumi. I started Tea Heaven with the mission to introduce quality Indonesian tea and promote healthy living through tea consumption. So far, we have worked with over 30 tea plantations in Indonesia and bamboo artisans to create bamboo-based packaging for our tea products.
Angga: Bakso Damas is a bakso-based family business based in Malang. In 1993, Bakso Damas was founded by my father, who sold bakso on a wooden bike around the city. When it started getting popular, my parents opened a few outlets in Malang. Now, we sell over 30 types of bakso in our outlets and, of course, on Tokopedia.
Chairul: Madu Bantal is a business that sells honey-based products from the forests of Kalimantan. We sell honey, bee pollen, and propolis extract. Our products have a lot of health benefits but also empower the local community. With our presence on Tokopedia, I hope to be able to reach audiences outside of South Kalimantan.
How did Tea Heaven, Bakso Damas, and Madu Bantal come to be?
Devina: Seeing the high-quality tea leaves that come from Indonesia, I wanted to show the world that our local teas are as competitive as foreign tea products. In 2017, I started Tea Heaven as I saw the perfect opportunity to promote our home-grown tea production and local tea farmers’ knowledge of tea planting and production.
Angga: Bakso Damas is a family business that was established by my parents in 1993. My father used to go around with his wooden bike to find customers. Then, in 1995, they decided to open a small bakso outlet in Malang that was later run by my mother. By 2002, Bakso Damas was a small franchise, with four outlets in Malang and one in Tuban. We actually had a store in Jakarta, but we were forced to close it when the pandemic hit.
Chairul: Before I started Madu Bantal, I worked for a palm oil plantation in Kalimantan. Because of the nature of my work, I interacted a lot with members of the local community in Banjarbaru, many of whom sold forest honey. Once I got to know them, I saw that they were struggling to sell and market their products. That’s when I got the idea to start Madu Bantal.
How do you involve the surrounding community in your business?
Devina: Tea Heaven works with more than 30 tea plantations across Indonesia, in areas like Bantul, Sukabumi, Garut, Cianjur, Ciwidey, Padang, and Bali, which employ hundreds of tea farmers. During the pandemic, many bamboo craftsmen were out of a job because many restaurants had shut down. So, I decided to work with them to create quality and sustainable bamboo packaging for Tea Heaven’s products.
Angga: For Bakso Damas, our outlets wouldn’t be able to run without the support of our staff. Across our outlets, we have around 30 employees who are an average of 20 years old. They all come from different backgrounds, but they had one thing in common: they didn’t finish school and are the breadwinner of their families. Also, we have several roles filled by housewives to help provide additional income for their families.
Chairul: We employ many local beekeepers to source the honey and craftsmen to create our packaging. So far, we are empowering five heads of families by training them to become honey breeders and woven bamboo craftsmen, which is unique to South Kalimantan and is used in our packaging.
Why did you decide to join Tokopedia, and how has the company supported your business?
Devina: Ever since I started Tea Heaven, I have always sold and marketed my products online, including through Tokopedia. Initially, I only had one product, but now I have more than 100 tea variants. Being a seller on Tokopedia has been beneficial for my business, as our customers trust the platform, love how easy it is to transact on Tokopedia, and appreciate how fast our products arrive.
Angga: As a small restaurant franchise, the pandemic certainly affected our business. During that time, our sales declined by 60% because our customers stopped eating out. We had a bakso outlet in Jakarta that we had to close. As we still had 30 employees who themselves are the backbone of their families, I didn’t want to let them go. Instead, we decided to innovate and offer a variety of frozen bakso products and open up an online shop on Tokopedia.
Chairul: When I started Madu Bantal, I saw that honey was a product that many people love. I decided to join Tokopedia as a seller because I wanted to reach more people outside of South Kalimantan. Seeing how Tokopedia values maintaining product quality — no matter where the buyers are — was important to me.
What kind of impact have you seen from digitalizing and operating your business on Tokopedia?
Devina: Right now, 70% of Tea Heaven’s revenue comes from Tokopedia. Since we joined, our sales have increased 10-fold and we currently sell around 3,000 products per month. We are also able to reach a wider market of tea consumers in Jakarta, Sumatra, Bali, and Papua.
Angga: Since becoming a seller on Tokopedia, our transactions have increased significantly at Bakso Damas. Approximately 20% of our revenue comes from our Tokopedia sales. Another big advantage is that we are able to reach Bakso Damas customers who are based outside of Malang; for example, in Jakarta, West Java, and Bali.
Chairul: Since opening up our store on Tokopedia, I have been able to make tens of millions of rupiah from our Tokopedia sales alone. At this point, about 70% of our revenue comes from Tokopedia.
For any business, it is easy to think of success from a financial point of view. At Tokopedia, a value that we hold dear and near to our hearts is that success can only be achieved by helping others succeed. Seeing small businesses continuing to empower local communities and contribute to the local economy is not only an inspiration but also a sign that when we work together, greater success is always possible.
Click here to check Tea Heaven, Madu Bantal, and Bakso Damas, on Tokopedia.
