Through BRI Empowerment, Suhita Lebah Indonesia Develops Honey Business

Suhita Lebah Indonesia has developed a honey business in Bandar Lampung, maintaining the process right from the source. The involvement of communities around forest areas is part of how this business grows, alongside efforts to preserve product quality until it reaches consumers. Suhita Lebah Indonesia has built a business flow connected from the forests of Sumatra to the processing and marketing stages. In the process, Suhita Lebah Indonesia collaborates with beekeepers and bee researchers, while involving communities around the forest through beekeeping cultivation training and supply chain strengthening. The products produced include Trigona Honey, Rain Forest Honey, and Melifera Honey. Marketing is carried out through offline and online channels with a reach from Lampung to various regions in Indonesia. Owner of Suhita Lebah Indonesia, Isnina, revealed that from the beginning, this business has been run with an integrated approach from upstream to downstream. “Suhita Lebah Indonesia preserves Nusantara culture with pure honey as a companion to daily activities. Since 2016, we have focused together with beekeepers and researchers in the field of bees and their derivative products, creating an integrated production system from the primary forests of Sumatra to modern marketing, so that product quality, standards, and traceability can be maintained. We also invite communities around the primary forests of Sumatra to participate as Suhita beekeepers through honey bee cultivation training, forest plant conservation, and maintaining the natural ecosystem of bees,” said Isnina. In its management, Suhita Lebah Indonesia improves product quality through packaging that meets food safety standards, supported by a number of certifications and distribution permits. This strengthening includes NKV and distribution permits for pure natural nectar honey, as well as Halal, HACCP, and TKDN certifications for processed, blended, and herbal honey products. “We have our own farms, partner farms, and involve local farmers and beekeepers integrated with a packaging house that meets food safety standards. We also apply post-harvest handling technology without high temperatures through a method of reducing the water content of honey, so that the nutrition and quality of the honey are maintained according to SNI standards, while making the production process faster, energy efficient, and environmentally friendly,” explained Isnina. During her journey, Isnina joined as a mentee of the Rumah BUMN BRI Bakauheni in 2021 after obtaining information from fellow MSME players in Lampung. Since then, she has participated in various training and business development programmes, both online and offline, including BRIncubator, BRILiaNpreneur, and bazaar activities. Through Rumah BUMN, Isnina received mentorship to strengthen her business development. In addition, she also utilised BRI financing facilities and BRI QRIS to support operations and facilitate transactions with customers. BRI Corporate Secretary Dhanny said that the journey of Suhita Lebah Indonesia shows that a business can grow when run diligently, with continuous learning, and by staying close to local potential. “The journey of Suhita Lebah Indonesia shows that a business built with perseverance and a willingness to keep learning can go further. Through Rumah BUMN, BRI wants to assist more MSME entrepreneurs to grow stronger, expand their markets, and bring benefits to their surrounding environment,” concluded Dhanny.