Swasti Adicita: Bringing Indonesian Fruits To The Global Market

Summary

Java Fresh, an Indonesian company founded eight years ago, focuses on exporting tropical fruits like mangosteen, salak, and limes to 19 countries worldwide. Co-founder Swastia shares the company's journey, challenges in logistics, and efforts to make Indonesian fruits more accessible. They are dedicated to supporting small farmers, empowering women, and implementing R&D to improve fruit preservation and packaging. Java Fresh aims to expand globally while promoting Indonesia as a major fruit supplier. The company also highlights the importance of maintaining quality and empowering local communities.

Takeaways

• 🌱 Java Fresh is an Indonesian company specializing in exporting tropical fruits to 19 countries.
• 🍍 The company was founded 8 years ago and aims to promote Indonesia's local fruits globally.
• ✈️ One of the biggest challenges is the high cost of air transportation for fruit exports, making the fruits more expensive.
• 🧪 Java Fresh has an R&D team focused on improving post-harvest processes, including creating coatings to extend fruit freshness.
• 🥭 Mangosteen is their best-selling fruit due to its unique taste, followed by salak, kaffir lime, and other tropical fruits.
• 👩‍🌾 Java Fresh works with over 3,000 micro-farmers and empowers women in packing houses to improve local agricultural practices.
• 🌍 Despite Indonesia being one of the largest fruit producers, the country is not among the top 10 exporters due to limited export focus.
• 💼 The company aims to democratize access to tropical fruits by exploring sea freight to reduce costs and make fruits more affordable globally.
• 🚜 Indonesian farmers, often owning small plots of land, need training and support to improve fruit quality for global export.
• 🍎 Java Fresh is expanding to new markets and aims to position Indonesia as a major global supplier of tropical fruits.

Q & A

What is the main focus of Java Fresh as a company?

Java Fresh focuses on exporting Indonesia's best tropical fruits to 19 countries worldwide.

Why did the founders of Java Fresh start the company?

The founders saw a demand for tropical fruits abroad, especially as people around the world often desire fruits they don't have locally, which led them to tap into this growing market.

What challenges does Java Fresh face in the supply chain?

Java Fresh faces challenges across the supply chain, including pre-harvest, harvest, and post-harvest processes. The cost of air shipping is also a significant challenge, limiting the accessibility of their fruits to a wider market.

How is Java Fresh addressing the issue of fruit perishability?

Java Fresh has developed an R&D team to work on improving post-harvest mechanisms, including creating a special coating and packaging to extend the shelf life of fruits during export.

Why is it important for Java Fresh to reduce the cost of exporting fruits?

Lowering export costs would allow Java Fresh's tropical fruits to become more accessible to a larger global audience, making them as common as apples in other countries.

What is Java Fresh's most popular export product, and why?

Mangosteen is Java Fresh's most popular export due to its unique taste, offering a tropical mix of sweet and sour flavors, which is highly appealing to international markets.

What other fruits are successfully exported by Java Fresh?

In addition to mangosteen, Java Fresh also successfully exports salak, kaffir limes, mangoes, and durians.

How has Java Fresh empowered local farmers and communities?

Java Fresh works with over 3,000 micro-farmers, providing them with training, certification, and showcasing how their produce is appreciated globally, instilling pride in their work.

How did the pandemic affect Java Fresh's operations?

During the pandemic, Java Fresh faced significant challenges as flights were halted, preventing exports. They shifted to distributing fruits domestically to support local farmers until international logistics resumed.

What are Java Fresh’s future goals for the company and Indonesia’s agricultural sector?

Java Fresh aims to expand to more countries and democratize the consumption of Indonesian tropical fruits globally. They also want Indonesia to become a leading global supplier of agricultural products, positioning the country as the 'orchard of the world.'