Packaging Design Beautified by MoSA, 'Serua Snack' Products from Depok are Getting More Alluring

JAKARTA (5 September 2023) - Lined up on the table, are several red packages with beautiful designs. The color is quite striking from a distance.

In a room of 1,546 square meters, the red package arranged at the end of the table seems to attract the attention of anyone who looks.

"Which one has been opened? I want to try," said Minister of Social Affairs Tri Rismaharini when approaching the table and observing a row of snack chips in beautiful red packaging some time ago.

Alam -- a graphic designer from the Artempo design studio -- also helped open one of the chip packages for her.

Wait, don't tear it, it will be damaged," said the Minister of Social Affairs trying to hold Alam from continuing to open the packaging that is still tightly closed.

The one who opened it responded casually, "It's okay, ma'am. 'It was indeed brought here to be opened. This can be opened and closed, there is a clip. So, later after it is opened it can be closed again," said Alam.

"Oh, is that so? This is good, the packaging is practical," said the Minister of Social Affairs praising the designer's work.

The Minister of Social Affairs then tasted the snacks. “it’s delicious” he said shortly after trying the chips.

Risma also offered the snacks she held to her staff. “Hmm, this is delicious. What is it made of?” She asked while making sure what she had just tried.

"Cassava, ma'am," replied Susilawati - the owner of the processed chips product that Risma tried.

Yes, the beautiful red packaging contains cassava chips of various variants. The product with the Serua Snack brand on the face is a product of Susilawati's (41) Small and Medium Enterprises (UMKM).

This resident from Serua, Depok, West Java was registered as a recipient of the Family Hope Program (PKH) in 2014. Since that year, she has tried a snack business made from cassava.

Her business began to develop seriously in 2018 with various variants, ranging from onion cheese sticks, original opaque, mangleng cassava, and sambal cassava, to trying banana chips.

In December 2022, Susi received assistance from Pahlawan Ekonomi Nusantara (PENA) program. PENA helped him develop a chips business that has been her family's main source of income for the past five years.

"Alhamdulillah, PENA program really helped me. I am getting more and more confident in developing a chip business and starting to gather determination to dare to break away from PKH," said this mother of three.

Susi also did not expect her readiness to resign from PKH participation through a mass graduation-ready event with beneficiaries of PENA throughout the archipelago at Aneka Bhakti Building (GAB) of Ministry of Social Affairs in early August, was rewarded with assistance in other forms, namely branding and packaging consultations for their products with well-known designers.

"I’m really happy, those who didn't know anything before didn't know they would be helped until this point. I've been assisted by PENA program, material assistance, and others, assisted by packaging design until the bonds are also made. Previously, I used an empty bond, now there is a bond with my business branding," she said.

Susi also compared the product branding before and after getting input from designers. "Previously, there was already a product name, KUBE Serua Jaya. It used to be a Small Enterprises Group, but now it doesn't exist. To make it more interesting and sell again in the market, finally, the name was changed to Serua Snack," she said.

Likewise, with the packaging, it does not escape the touch of a new design. Previously, Susi's chip products were only packaged using clear plastic and paper as branding markers and flavor variants.

"Now it is made even more beautiful. The packaging is replaced using a standing pouch with a zipper, and different colors for each variant of chips. I am already very OK with the design, ready to be marketed again with more beautiful packaging," she said happily.

Present in new packaging, she also hopes that her product will captivate the hearts of many connoisseurs and that her income will increase. "Previously, the turnover of one month, the gross was around Rp5-6 million, but it will be spent again. Yes, hopefully, the packaging will attract more interest and the income will increase," she concluded expectantly.

Since the kick-off of PENA Graduation was carried out on August 2, Ministry of Social Affairs collaborated with the independent graphic design organization Tata Rupa Nusantara to provide coaching for the branding and packaging of 10 MSMEs products owned by beneficiaries.

In the process, Tata Rupa Nusantara hired three design studios, namely Artempo, Jarjas Design, and Suka Studio to help design the brand and process packaging.

Meanwhile, 10 of 1,191 beneficiaries who declared themselves ready to get out of poverty with their respective businesses and products, have consulted periodically with product designers every week for four times.

At the fourth meeting that took place at GAB last week, the final results of branding and product packaging design were determined, which would then be used to be marketed.