Kulaku
Location
Palembang and South Sumatra, Indonesia
Programme
Indonesia Accelerator
in partnership with Instellar
Website
www.kulakuindonesia.com
Kulaku empowers coconut farmers to produce high-value coconut-based products and build a better future for their families
Kulaku increases the income of coconut farmer families by supporting them to turn the raw material into high-value derivative products. Farmer’s children are offered scholarships to have access to a better income.
Although Indonesia is a top coconut producer, it has been importing coconut products from abroad in large quantities. Local coconut farmers lack the skills and resources for innovation in product development and sell the raw material. This limits the income they get from their coconut crops.
Kulaku was founded by a coconut farmer’s son who wanted to give back to his community after finishing business school. Determined to change the precarious living conditions of coconut farmer families, his social enterprise set out to educate the farmers so they can transform their crop into high-quality end products for Indonesian consumers. They are now able to turn raw coconut into coconut oil, milk powder, fibre, and charcoal.
To date, Kulaku has developed more than ten products, that can be ordered through online marketplaces, social media and their website. While buyers pay competitive prices, the derivative products increase the income for the farmers. Their children are granted scholarships to have access to better economic opportunities in the future.
The social enterprise works with hundreds of coconut farmers around South Sumatra’s capital city Palembang. In the three years since it was established, Kulaku has supported the education of dozens of farmer’s children.
Programme support:
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Kulaku will use the investment and capacity development it receives through the accelerator to access new markets with new products. It will especially focus on handicraft products made by women farmers and producers with disabilities. The Kulaku team will also support the coconut farmers to improve their methods so that producing and harvesting will become easier and more efficient.
The social enterprise will work to scale up their business, with plans to build an integrated factory to increase production capacity and quality. In addition, Kulaku has the ambition to start exporting their products.
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This programme is a great opportunity for us to accelerate our social enterprise, growing our business and also our benefits to society. It will give us access to a business ecosystem that can support us in this new stage of our journey!
Mustopa Patapa, Founder and CEO of Kulaku