Innovation and Market Expansion Through Semi-Mechanical Herbal Drink Production

Abstract

Micro-scale businesses in traditional herbal medicine reflect local wisdom with potential to enhance community health resilience and stimulate rural economic opportunities. In Bareng Village, Jombang, a home-based herbal instant drink enterprise called “Bunda,” managed by a housewife, illustrates both promise and limitation. Production was entirely manual, with only 5 kilograms of raw material processed in about five hours. This created inefficiencies in labor, time, and capacity. Through a community service program by Universitas Dr. Soetomo, a mini mixer machine with a 15-kilogram capacity was introduced. The technology significantly improved productivity: the mixing process was reduced to two hours, while output increased by approximately 80%. The machine also eased physical burdens on the producer and demonstrated the potential for sustainable growth. However, challenges remain. The enterprise is still operated by a single person, creating human resource constraints. Market reach is also limited, relying only on local orders without utilizing broader digital channels such as e-commerce. This program thus marks an important first step by introducing appropriate technology to empower rural micro-businesses. To ensure long-term competitiveness, follow-up initiatives are needed, including building stronger village business networks, digital marketing training, and labor support to expand the herbal drink’s reach.