Bandarlampung success for Serang migrant

Oyos Saroso H.N. ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Bandarlampung   |  Wed, 05/28/2008 12:56 PM  |  The Archipelago

Maryam has come to be known as Ibu Mery (Mrs Mery) for her snack food store Istana Keripik Ibu Mery, which has been the reason for her rise out of poverty in just six years in Segalmider village, West Tanjungkarang, Bandarlampung.

After migrating from Serang, Banten, in 2000 to find a job, the success of her business has allowed her to open another store in Jl Pagar Alam Gang PU and create jobs for her neighbors.

Her business has become the center of the chip industry in the city, with several other locals now producing banana and cassava chips and setting up chip kiosks.

"I am thankful that I can create job opportunities for others here," Mery said, adding that the emergence of several chip producers has indirectly helped her with her own chip supply.

Even with the seven employees now working for her, Mery said she was unable to meet market demand, but cannot expand her business because of a shortage of capital. Her neighboring producers could fill the gap in supply, she said.

Mery started her business by producing small portions of banana and cassava chips, but has now expanded to larger portions made from ingredients such as taro, breadfruit, and edible tubers.

When she started six years ago, she had to reach Tanggamus, some 100 kilometers from the city, to find enough raw banana and cassava.

"Now, as production increases in the regency, traders come to the city with their trucks to supply me with raw materials almost every week," Mery said.

Innovation appears to be behind Mery's success in the chip business. Instead of just producing plain banana chips, she mixes flavors and experiments with cheese, chocolate, strawberry and salt.

"I need to be innovative because there are many banana chip producers in the province, some of which are renowned nationally. So I have to come up with different products," Mery said.

To produce banana chips alone, she needs between 200 and 300 bunches of kepok bananas a week and some 50 kilograms of cooking oil to fry them.

Before being fried, the bananas need to be peeled and sliced by hand. Freshly fried banana slices are then mixed with different flavor formulas, packaged and put on sale.

Mery sells most of the chips for the same price -- Rp 40,000 per kilogram, as well as smaller packages weighing a quarter of a kilogram for Rp 10,000.

Buyers come from far further than her local Lampung -- people from Jakarta, Palembang and Bandung visit to buy the chips to repackage and sell in their respective regions.

With a turnover of Rp 1 million a day, the 43-year-old widow can now support her family and send two of her five children to university.

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