Through BRI Empowerment, Suhita Lebah Indonesia Develops Sustainable Honey Business
Jakarta (ANTARA) - In Bandar Lampung, Suhita Lebah Indonesia has successfully developed a honey business whilst maintaining its processes and involving communities living around forest areas, in order to preserve product quality right up to the consumer.
Suhita Lebah Indonesia has built a connected business flow stretching from Sumatra’s forest areas through to processing and marketing. In the process, the company works with beekeepers and researchers in the field of bees, whilst also involving local communities through beekeeping training and supply chain strengthening.
Its products include Trigona Honey, Rain Forest Honey and Melifera Honey. These are marketed through both offline and online channels, reaching from Lampung to various regions across Indonesia.
Owner of Suhita Lebah Indonesia, Isnina, revealed that the business has been run from the outset with an integrated approach spanning upstream to downstream.
“Suhita Lebah Indonesia preserves the culture of the archipelago with pure honey as a companion to daily activities. Since 2016, we have focused on working with beekeepers and researchers in the field of bees and derivative products, creating an integrated production system from Sumatra’s primary forests through to modern marketing, so that product quality and traceability can be maintained. We also invite communities around Sumatra’s primary forests to take part as Suhita beekeepers through honey bee cultivation training, forest plant conservation, and maintaining bees’ natural ecosystems,” she said.
In its operations, Suhita Lebah Indonesia improves product quality through packaging that meets food safety standards, supported by a number of certifications and distribution permits. This 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 packing house that meets food safety standards. We also apply post-harvest handling technology without high temperatures, using a method that reduces the water content of the honey, so that the nutrition and quality of the honey are preserved in line with SNI standards, whilst making the production process faster, energy-efficient and environmentally friendly,” Isnina explained.
Along the way, Isnina joined as a mentee of the BRI Bakauheni Rumah BUMN in 2021 after learning about it from fellow MSME actors in Lampung. Since then, she has taken part in various training and business development programmes, including BRIncubator, BRILiaNpreneur and bazaar events.
In addition, she has made use of BRI financing facilities and BRI QRIS to support operations and make transactions with customers easier.
BRI Corporate Secretary Dhanny said that Suhita Lebah Indonesia’s journey shows that a business can grow when run with perseverance, continuous learning and closeness to the potential around it.
“Suhita Lebah Indonesia’s journey shows that a business built with perseverance and a willingness to keep learning can go further. Through Rumah BUMN, BRI wants to accompany many more MSME entrepreneurs so they grow stronger, expand their markets, and bring benefits to their surrounding environment,” he concluded.