Amazing! Pertamina's Rumah BUMN Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Products Available at Department Store

Jakarta, April 14, 2023 - PT Pertamina (Persero), through Rumah BUMN (RB), has made several breakthroughs and innovations in introducing and marketing MSME products through various retail store networks. RB Pertamina Balikpapan's MSME products have entered the leading department store, Matahari Department Store, at Plaza Balikpapan.

Various RB Balikpapan's fostered MSME products, such as Griya Godong and Bleu by Astrid, are displayed at a special counter prepared by Matahari Plaza Balikpapan in synergy with the Balikpapan City Trade Agency. The counter named Pesona Etnik is a new breakthrough for Matahari Department Store Plaza Balikpapan to provide space for MSMEs while meeting the demand for Balikpapan's typical merchandise.

Griya Godong is an environmentally friendly handicraft that considers functional aspects and artistic value in the production using Eco-Print as the base material. Its products include clothing, cardigans, jackets, bags, shoes, and accessories with affordable prices starting from IDR 200,000.

"We use natural materials to apply eco-print motifs on natural fiber fabric, canvas, silk, as well as sheep and cow leather, using natural dyes such as leaves, flowers, and tree bark. To offer more variety, we also develop ready-to-wear fashion products using eco-printed fabric," said Imelda, the owner of Griya Godong.

Meanwhile, Bleu by Astrid provides various knitted products such as bags, tablecloths, wallets, pillowcases, and other items. All the products are hand-knitted, mostly made by elderly women. "We empower grandmothers around the house who have basic knitting skills to create interesting products with typical Kalimantan knitting motifs," Astrid added.

Aligned with Pertamina's commitment to advancing Indonesian MSMEs, VP of Corporate Communication of Pertamina, Fadjar Djoko Santoso, said that Pertamina continues to work as a bridge for MSME actors to develop and have competitiveness through exhibitions, publications, and collaboration with stakeholders.

According to him, through business matching facilitated by Rumah BUMN Pertamina Balikpapan and the local Cooperative Service, Pertamina's superior MSME products have finally passed the curation, as handicraft products sold at Matahari outlets.

"This collaboration by providing opportunities for local products to be marketed in shopping centers or malls is very good because it increases the MSME class and expands the market. What is interesting about this collaboration is the coaching by Rumah BUMN Balikpapan was also appreciated, where the Rumah BUMN Balikpapan logo also received exposure on the Pesona Etnik counter as a partner who strives to improve the image and platform for developing MSMEs to upgrade. It is hoped that cooperation like this can be carried out in other cities," Fadjar said.

The initiatives carried out follow the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) point 8, which prioritizes sustainable economic growth. With this collaboration, it is hoped that local MSMEs can further expand their market and positively impact the community's economy.

Rumah BUMN is a collaboration for SOE to increase the MSMEs' capacity and capability, access to marketing, and ease of access to capital for their assisted MSMEs. Pertamina, through SMEPP, has 30 Rumah BUMN spread throughout Indonesia. RB was formed as an effort to empower the people's economy and to be a home for gathering, studying, and fostering MSME actors.**