CCN, Cilegon – Reported from the LSM YouTube channel, this time, we had an inspiring visit from Ilma Azizah, a former Chemistry teacher who has successfully built a healthy beverage brand called SESEGERitu. This low-calorie, refreshing drink is made from natural extracts of flowers, fruits, herbs, and cassava sugar. Not only is it loved by many for its health benefits, but SESEGERitu also managed to become a finalist in Apresiasi Kreasi Indonesia, a program supporting the creative economy by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy/Indonesian Tourism and Creative Economy Agency.
Ilma Azizah shared the story of how she founded SESEGERitu in 2019. “It started in 2019 with my sister,” she said. “Then, in 2020-2021, I registered the business with the government to get the NIB (Business Identification Number). Before that, we used IUMK. The government and officials asked, ‘Does it have a brand? It’s not cool if it doesn’t have a proper name.’ They mentioned how big factories and brands always have their own identity.”
The SESEGERitu brand was born from the advice of the government, which encouraged her to create a stronger brand identity. “At first, we introduced the drink to friends; my sister and I didn’t sell it, we gave it out for free for testimonials. In 2020, it happened to be the COVID-19 pandemic, and herbal-based drinks were highly sought after because they could boost stamina and immunity.”
The drink quickly gained popularity, especially because of its benefits for health during the pandemic. Soon, many people wanted to become resellers. “The first 50 resellers were friends and colleagues. It hadn’t reached the wider public yet, but from there, the brand began to expand.”
SESEGERitu has now become one of the rapidly growing creative economy products, starting from a simple idea with her sister and expanding into a broader market. This business has also inspired many other entrepreneurs to keep innovating, even in the face of major challenges like the pandemic.
(Journalist: Ahdi)
