FAJAR.CO.ID, JAKARTA — Many MSME entrepreneurs have found new enthusiasm to survive and innovate during the pandemic. One of them is Sulis, owner of the Bakulis pastry business, who started his business from his home kitchen. Through support and empowerment from PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk or BRI, Sulis succeeded in developing her business while also opening up job opportunities for mothers around where she lives.
Founded in 2020 in East Jakarta, Bakulis was born from a difficult situation when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. At that time, Sulis, who previously worked at a civil engineering construction services company, had to rack her brains to continue to meet her family’s needs after her workplace closed. From his home kitchen, he started producing various snacks and pastries, such as nastar, kastengel, cheese sago, peanut cake and snow princess, which are in great demand, especially during the fasting month and Eid.
Over time, the business, which was initially home-based, began to show results. “The name Bakulis itself is an abbreviation of Bakulan Ibu Lis, simple but easy to remember,” recalled Sulis.
Sulis also said that his efforts to expand his marketing reach meant that demand for his dry cake products continued to increase. Seeing this opportunity, he started involving housewives around where he lived to help with the production process, as well as opening up additional income opportunities for them.
Now, Bakulis products have been marketed to various cities on the island of Java, starting from Bandung, Purwakarta, Semarang, to Surabaya. With a production capacity of around 500 packages per month.