Casting the Vision

Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarokaatuh.

These are the Arabic words I used to begin a presentation to a group of government officials last Tuesday.  The words convey warmth and spirituality as they express not just a greeting, but also a blessing.

The meeting gave me a chance to present the vision of building a foreign-owned factory that can facilitate the adoption of fruit-drying in the area, potentially creating thousands of jobs.  I was pleasantly surprised that a meeting that often concludes after an hour, continued with a long string of questions for three hours.  As we carry out to bolster economic development, I find that our model generates engaging discussions and bolsters our influence in the area.

If you can speak Indonesian and want to know how I explain our work in that language, check out this video

http://youtu.be/UJ8ynFgt3pY

If you just want to see what I look like in a Batik, you can stop the video after a minute or so!  Leave a comment if you like my look!

Aspirations

As you read these blog posts you get my perspective of our attempt to create sustainable jobs among low-income communities.  But what do others think?

About thirty villagers participate directly in the dried fruit enterprise, which we have developed in stages over the past five years.  Recently, my field manager interviewed several of them to solicit feedback about our efforts.  Here are some of their comments:

Partiyem, age 37, married female - "The wages give me money for my children's school."   "I hope that production continues so that more people can work."

Gunawan, age 26, single male - "I'm glad that I can have daily work."  "I hope that we can process more types of fruit."

Yatini, age 39, married female - "I'm glad to get money that meets our daily needs."  "I'd like to work here every day throughout the year, not just during mango season."

Jemu, age 48, married male - "I'm glad that this program helps the community by creating jobs and by generating favor from the local Agricultural office."  "I hope we can make the production run throughout the year."

These are the testimonies of those who have become beneficiaries of our particular approach to build people to build a nation.  All of these people earn income that is less than $120 per month.  All of them have participated with us for more than three years and have seen their income double during the time that we are in production.  And all of them hope that our fruit drying enterprise results in sustainability, expansion and broadened impact.  

What's in a bag of Java Bite dried mangos? . . . aspirations for a better life!

Sharing Life

I had seen weddings where fathers "gave away" their daughters in marriage.  But in Indonesia, fathers often extract a price for their daughters at the wedding.  I'm not sure which is more honoring for the daughter - to be "given away" or to be sold. ;-)

Not too long ago I was asked to participate in the wedding of Mr. Jem's son, as he presented the bride price to the family of the woman he would marry.  I was surprised to discover, however, that Mr. Jem himself was not planning to attend, expecting me somehow to represent him.  The gesture reflected trust in our relationship and it bestowed a special honor to me.

After the ceremony he and I talked about our growing history of working together to dry mangos, our many discussions about life principles and the great sense that he has that Allah has richly blessed him.  "I need to keep learning from you because the Prophet Sulaiman says it's stupid not to learn."

To get a glimpse of the wedding check out the attached photo and click on this link: http://youtu.be/CJR7xVhTjds

Yes, we dry mangos.  But people are the most important part of the production process.  Sharing life with folks in the village is just one more morsel that is in Java Bite bag!

No Longer an Academic Topic

Nearly six years ago I presented a paper (entitled "Stimulating Exports, Reducing Poverty") at a mango agribusiness seminar, where I publicized for the first time analysis that justified a new rural-based industry of dried mango producers.  (See the attached photo.)  I figured that I could simply put the idea in front of Indonesian businessmen, along with data and analysis, and they would create the technologies and solve the marketing problems.  It didn't happen.

At the time, a number of thoughts poured through my head, including:  "Is there no one who is both willing and able to develop dehydrators for village enterprises?" Someone had to learn how to do it and then teach others to do it sustainably.  Eventually, I accepted the fact that it had to be the man who I saw in the mirror.  As the title of my paper suggested, I believed (and still do believe) that exports can address chronic community-wide poverty.

For years we researched, designed, refined, adapted and deployed technologies that were utilized by people in the village.  When they started producing a high-quality, consistent product, I assumed that exporters could easily include dried mangos from Indonesia into their marketing plans.  It didn't happen.

Not too long ago I mulled over another thought: "Is there no one who is both willing and able to market dried mangos in the US?"  The man in the mirror showed up again.  The time has come for me to champion the high-quality products made in the village.  For their part, village residents I know rarely permit themselves to dream about a future in which their products are purchased in the U.S.  When they do, they regard it as an extraordinary blessing from Allah.

The Boaz Project aims to perpetuate and expand this sense of "rahmat Allah" (blessing from God).  By successfully exporting dried mangos to the US, we can offer hope of a sort that has spiritual implications.  Our first shipment of dried mangos is on the way right now to a warehouse in Iowa, where I will base my marketing operations.  The next step: develop multiple channels for the marketing and distribution of 2800 packages of dried mango!

What began six years ago as an academic topic for a paper has developed into an effort to grow an industry so that hundreds of families can export hundreds of thousands of packages of dried mangos!

Please comment if you have any ideas about marketing!

Mango Agribusiness Seminar, November 2006

Building People

"My life has changed so much since I began working with you!" - Pak Jem to me.

Pak Jem used to be a little regarded farmer in a little regarded neighborhood in a little regarded village. But much has happened in the last five years that has changed his status. He has earned the favor the local ag extension officers who regularly ask him how the government can help him. The governor recognize

d him with an award as an exemplary village leader. He was flown to the capital city to gain additional training in food processing. He was flown to Thailand to gain additional training in mango horticulture. And most recently he was recognized for his bee-keeping and honey production endeavors. (In the attached photo, Mr. Jem is on the left accepting the accolades.)

This is what I'm about . . . Building People to Build a Nation. . . . It's in the bag!

What's in the bag?

What is in a bag of Java Bite dried mangos? . . .

. . . much more than dried mango slices.

Here on this blog you will find stories, perspectives, facts and even a few opinions. ;-)  Each entry will represent another tidbit of information about the Java Bite product.  These morsels of knowledge will give our Java Bite consumers a broader picture of the product so that when they gaze into a bag of Java Bite dried mangos they will see much more than dried mango slices!