About Brand
JAVARA is one of Indonesia’s leading purveyors of artisanal food products. JAVARA works across agricultural value chains from production to distribution in order to preserve biodiversity and bring community-based organic products to broader markets.
By doing this, they also help farmers move up the value chain and get necessary income to get out of poverty.
The Story
JAVARA was founded by Helianti Hilman in 2008. Originally trained as a lawyer who advised the Indonesian government on international development , Helianti brings her passion for community-based business and expertise in agribusiness to grow her social enterprise to the next level.
JAVARA sells over 600 artisanal food products and works with 50,000 smallholder farmers across Indonesia. The company intervenes along the supply chains to strengthen suppliers’ production capacity and improve workplace safety, as well as marketing products nationally and internationally to secure premium prices for the farmers and processors.
Over 3,000 food artisans are trained by JAVARA to reach and maintain high food safety and quality standards. These processors source from these collectives and add value through processing. When there is strong local capacity, the farmer collectives handle the processing operations. JAVARA then purchases, markets and distributes these products. This model ensures transparent pricing structures and allows all involved stakeholders to benefit from selling value added products.
The Impact
JAVARA strives to encourage, maintain and promote:
stories behind the products;
branding of the product origin using local packaging materials;
equitable trade with all supply chain partners;
safer working conditions and social security insurance for farmers and food artisans; and
youth farmpreneurship and the teaching of entrepreneurial best practices to farmers.
JAVARA works hand-in-hand with local indigenous farmers, food artisans and biodiversity warriors to revive and sustain the existence of the heritage. In accordance with its mission, JAVARA preserves Indonesia’s food biodiversity with strong impacts on smallholder farmers’ livelihood improvement.
"JAVARA works across agricultural value chains from production to distribution in order to preserve Indonesia’s food biodiversity, bringing community-based products to broader market."
- Helianti Hilman, Interview with The Asian Entrepreneur