Page 160 - EBOOK_Jamu: The Ancient Indonesian Art of Herbal Healing

CHAPTER 7

The Industry

BY THE 1980S, A FEW MEDIUM-SIZED JAMU PRODUCERS HAD GROWN

SUFFICIENTLY TO INTRODUCE LARGE-SCALE, MODERN PRODUCTION
METHODS. TEN YEARS LATER, INDONESIA’S JAMU INDUSTRY
COMPRISED AROUND 500 COMPANIES, INCLUDING 20 MAJOR PLAYERS.

Making and selling jamu was very much a one-man (or, more usually, a one-

woman) show until the beginning of the 20th century. A few jamu makers, aware
of the increasing demand for jamu and perhaps aware of potential profits, began
making and selling in larger quantities. As word spread of their jamu’s quality
and effectiveness, they were inundated with orders and Indonesia’s herbal
medicine sprouted a cottage industry.

In the post-war, and indeed post-colonial, years the government backed
plans to put jamu on a better footing. There was a need for standardization and
for government endorsement if the cottage industry was to shrug off its
grassroots tag and move with the times. To this end, five research centres were
set up in Indonesia, institutes that set out the criteria for the industry today. By
the 1980s, a few medium-sized jamu producers had grown sufficiently to
introduce large-scale, modern production methods. In addition, new companies
were developed that followed a similar style. Ten years later, Indonesia’s jamu
industry comprised around 500 companies, including 20 major players.

Without a doubt, the top five companies are Jamu Air Mancur, Jamu Jago,
Martina Berto, Mustika Ratu and Nyonya Meneer. A combination of dynamic
management, modern marketing and the latest technology has made them
leaders in the herbal medicine field. They are all forward-thinking, award-
winning companies. As it is impossible to include them all, Martina Berto has
been chosen to represent the group.

Martina Berto is frequently cited as a model for the jamu industry owing to
its outstanding standards of production, retailing, training and management. Like
other prominent companies, Martina Berto has been instrumental in redefining
jamu in Indonesia by supplying it in a convenient form, not just throughout the