Surviving COVID-19 with Choux Pastry: Lukluk's Products Reach America
Lukluk Ratrika had to quickly adapt when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, wiping out a year’s worth of scheduled events for her event organising business. She shifted to the culinary sector, starting a business selling wet and dry choux pastry from her home on Jl Pulo Macan Raya in Tomang, West Jakarta, utilising her garage as a sales space. Leveraging her network, she began selling to close contacts and colleagues, noting the pastries could be stored in the fridge, and occasionally received orders for people suffering from COVID-19.
After a year of trading, she registered her business in 2021, taking advantage of government facilities for MSMEs to obtain a Business Identification Number (NIB) under the brand Momaira. Her choux pastry range includes vanilla, chocolate, tiramisu, and cream variants for the wet pastries, sometimes with fruit, whilst the dry pastries feature a parmesan cheese version she considers most special. Initially, she simply focused on making and selling without ambitious targets.
Lukluk joined the BRI-managed Rumah BUMN Jakarta in Slipi, West Jakarta, in 2023, a hub providing MSMEs with classes, training, capital access, and market expansion. Through free training sessions, mentoring, and coaching, her business developed significantly in digitalisation, marketing, and team building. The programme brought in speakers on digital business, directing her to establish online stores, join multiple marketplaces, and create promotions using AI, whilst also offering opportunities to showcase products during visits.
Her venture has grown steadily over approximately six years, with turnover rising from around Rp 3-5 million per month during the pandemic to a peak of Rp 25-30 million in 2023-2024, though she notes a recent moderation to Rp 10-15 million. Her pastries are now taken as souvenirs across Indonesia and abroad; the wet choux lasts 10 hours at room temperature and has been carried to Yogyakarta, Bali, and Makassar, whilst the dry choux has been hand-carried to Malaysia, Australia, and the United States, with one customer taking a suitcase full to America.