Interview with Mr Sarwono of Jamu Borobudur, Indonesia

Joint Ventures | Export

Jamu Borobudur | Mr Sarwono

China will be the next market that we target as there is a large demand for Indonesian herbal products that cannot be found in China such as mangosteen Mr Sarwono, President Director
Jamu Borobudur is a leading producer of Indonesian herbal jamu products with over thirty years of history in the industry. What was the vision behind the founding of the company and your current market positioning? My dream behind the founding of the company was to provide Indonesia with high quality locally produced jamu. Most jamu producers use very little local content in their products yet we use 90% local content in our products. The Indonesian government strategy in my opinion has not been conducive to supporting companies that use locally produced goods. At the moment I am focused on the local market in Indonesia and in the future we will look more into the international market. Entering export markets is difficult due to the need to comply with many regulations that do not apply in Indonesia. Pricing is also a challenge as buyers look at the local selling price and want you to sell at the same price internationally but this is not possible. What new products do you plan on introducing for the future? We are introducing products for slimming and for degenerative diseases such as diabetes in addition to products for maintaining your health through herbal medicine and food supplements. The company has already been exporting its products to various international markets including Russia and the Middle East. What will be your next key international market? China will be the next market that we target as there is a large demand for Indonesian herbal products that cannot be found in China such as mangosteen.	There are very good prospects in this market so we are looking to find distributors and agents. We are also open to working with partners who wish to collaborate and manufacture their products at our facilities. Finding a good distributor is very important as I have learnt from my previous experience. They must have a serious approach and work in a similar business line to us. In addition to product distribution, would the company be open to collaborating with international partners for joint ventures? Yes, we are very open to joint ventures with foreign companies in herbal products. We are looking for partners that have know-how regarding technology and regulations as well as capital. Another area of interest is in the processing of raw materials in Indonesia which can then be exported to other countries for use in herbal and cosmetic products. The main challenge is really the buyers and getting our products distributed. We can manage all sizes of orders and have access to all types of raw materials in Indonesia. What should potential investors and partners remember about the company as a final message? Jamu Borobudur is always open to working with new clients and partners. We are a transparent company and welcome potential investors to visit our factory to see our entire production process. We pay a lot of attention to hygiene, which is often not the case in other Indonesian companies engaged in the jamu sector.

China will be the next market that we target as there is a large demand for Indonesian herbal products that cannot be found in China such as mangosteen

Mr Sarwono, President Director

Jamu Borobudur is a leading producer of Indonesian herbal jamu products with over thirty years of history in the industry. What was the vision behind the founding of the company and your current market positioning?

My dream behind the founding of the company was to provide Indonesia with high quality locally produced jamu. Most jamu producers use very little local content in their products yet we use 90% local content in our products. The Indonesian government strategy in my opinion has not been conducive to supporting companies that use locally produced goods.

At the moment I am focused on the local market in Indonesia and in the future we will look more into the international market. Entering export markets is difficult due to the need to comply with many regulations that do not apply in Indonesia. Pricing is also a challenge as buyers look at the local selling price and want you to sell at the same price internationally but this is not possible.

What new products do you plan on introducing for the future?

We are introducing products for slimming and for degenerative diseases such as diabetes in addition to products for maintaining your health through herbal medicine and food supplements.

The company has already been exporting its products to various international markets including Russia and the Middle East. What will be your next key international market?

China will be the next market that we target as there is a large demand for Indonesian herbal products that cannot be found in China such as mangosteen.

There are very good prospects in this market so we are looking to find distributors and agents.

We are also open to working with partners who wish to collaborate and manufacture their products at our facilities.

Finding a good distributor is very important as I have learnt from my previous experience. They must have a serious approach and work in a similar business line to us.

In addition to product distribution, would the company be open to collaborating with international partners for joint ventures?

Yes, we are very open to joint ventures with foreign companies in herbal products. We are looking for partners that have know-how regarding technology and regulations as well as capital.

Another area of interest is in the processing of raw materials in Indonesia which can then be exported to other countries for use in herbal and cosmetic products.

The main challenge is really the buyers and getting our products distributed. We can manage all sizes of orders and have access to all types of raw materials in Indonesia.

What should potential investors and partners remember about the company as a final message?

Jamu Borobudur is always open to working with new clients and partners. We are a transparent company and welcome potential investors to visit our factory to see our entire production process. We pay a lot of attention to hygiene, which is often not the case in other Indonesian companies engaged in the jamu sector.

Global Business Guide Indonesia - 2014