The Association of Jamu Gendong Kartini, Initiating Innovation for Mutual Progress

The sentra jamu (jamu center) in Karangrejo Village, Kromengan District, Malang Regency, East Java should innovate to expand the range of their jamu products. The urgency of this change is driven by the progress of the times and the conditions of the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, Paguyuban Jamu Gendong Kartini (The Association of Jamu Gendong Kartini) cooperates with the government and experts to innovate with all jamu gendong sellers in Karangrejo Village.

Source: https://www.malangtimes.com/

A jamu gendong is a term for a traditional jamu seller who carries the jamu products in a basket and carries around on her back with a batik cloth (hence, the name gendong which means to carry on the back). Generally, the jamu gendong sellers are women. As the times change, jamu gendong sellers are still referred to as jamu gendong even though they do not sell jamu by carrying it on their back. Some use bicycles, motorbikes, or pushcarts.

Karangrejo Village has long been known as a jamu center in Malang. The landmark showing the status is a statue of the jamu gendong seller at the gate of the Karangrejo Village area.

As a jamu center that has been around for generations, jamu gendong sellers in Karangrejo Village produce jamu in the traditional way and sell them conventionally. This method is actually less effective when compared to the available technological advances. What’s more, the pandemic situations severely limit the mobility of jamu gendong sellers

Source: https://paguyubanjamu.blogspot.com

Khoriyah Trianti and her team saw the challenges of traditional jamu gendong sellers when compiling the article journal Meningkatkan keawetan Jamu Tradisional Sebagai Upaya Optimalisasi Produk Unggulan Desa Karangrejo (Improving the durability of traditional herbs as an effort to optimize the prominent products of Karangrejo Village). In the journal, Khoiriyah collaborated with the Association of Jamu Gendong Kartini to innovate for jamu gendong sellers.

Quoted from the article journal published in July 2021, there are at least 150 sellers of jamu gendong in Karangrejo Village which are managed by the Association of Jamu Gendong Kartini. Almost all of them traditionally produce jamu.

Source: https://id.worldorgs.com/

Problems with jamu gendong sellers

Problems experienced by the jamu gendong sellers in Karangrejo Village include jamu that do not have a long enough shelf life. The produced jamu cair (liquid jamu) usually only lasts 2 to 4 days.

The pandemic condition where mobility was restricted and people were ordered to avoid crowds became another problem for the herbal medicine sellers. They were not used to selling as usual because of many restrictions imposed by the government.

In addition, the absence of good packaging also contributes to the lack of consumer interest in jamu products from Karangrejo Village. There are even jamu gendong sellers who use used plastic bottles to sell their herbs.

The Innovation of the Association of Jamu Gendong Kartini 

After understanding the existing problems, finally the Association of Jamu Gendong Kartini accompanied by Khoiriyah and her team together made several innovations. First, the jamu gendong sellers were informed on more modern packaging. They are also informed on labeling in their respective products.

Afterward, there is training to make jamu from liquid products into powdered herbs. This alternative product variant is expected to increase buyers’ interest because powdered jamu can be stored longer than liquid jamu.

After focusing on the product, the briefing also touched on the marketing aspect. The jamu gendong sellers in Karangrejo Village are trained to make more use of digital media in the sales process. The jamu gendong sellers are taught to maximize WhatsApp, and create e-commerce accounts. These attempts are expected to expand the reach of jamu consumers from Karangrejo Village.