Repurposed drums boost Trisha's oyster mushroom business and the economy in Nias

The journey to Nias Island in North Sumatra can take hours, with the sea acting as both connector and challenge. For Hafsah Pohan, a woman from Gunungsitoli, a turning point came when she started an oyster mushroom business under the Jamur Tiram Trisha brand. She told Kompas.com that she launched the mushroom venture in 2020. She believed the local market for oyster mushrooms was sizeable, and saw a significant opportunity to capitalise on it. The Covid-19 pandemic forced her to struggle to find work.

Coincidentally, I had just graduated, and it was during the Covid-19 pandemic. I thought it would be very difficult to find a job. So, given the opportunity and the push to start working, I finally dared to start the Jamur Tiram Trisha business, she told Kompas.com on Wednesday, 20 May 2026. Trisha recalls that when she started, her capital was very limited, relying only on leftover savings. But with her family’s encouragement, she was optimistic and confident that her business would succeed. “Only around Rp 600,000, which was the remainder of my savings after university. There were no comprehensive facilities, with no modern equipment, only used drums,” she says.

Over the first months after opening, things went as hoped, with sales growing significantly. However, in mid-year Hafsah faced several failed harvests, as mushrooms are highly dependent on weather. Fortunately, Hafsah received support from PT Elnusa Petrofin. Hafsah has been an MSME under Elnusa Petrofin’s mentoring programme since January 2024.

This began when she needed containers for mushroom cultivation. Elnusa helped Hafsah obtain containers that were second-hand but still usable, sourced from the company. Elnusa then invited Hafsah to join its MSME mentoring programme.