Business Growth and Strategies

Summary

The meeting featured an in-depth discussion with Maicih’s founder covering the brand's growth journey, key turning points, marketing strategies, and challenges faced over the past 15 years.
Highlights include Maicih's peak sales, export achievements in over 15 countries, organizational restructuring, and a focus on systematization for scalability and sustainability.
The founder shared major lessons learned, including the value of patience, the risks of following competitors’ moves, and the importance of spirituality and discipline in business.
Notable setbacks, including a factory fire, HR issues, and failed ventures, were discussed as major learning opportunities.

(No specific due dates or actionable owner tasks surfaced from the transcript. Please provide further instruction or context for assignment of action items if required.)

Maicih reached a peak of 300,000 packs sold per month, equating to approximately IDR 6 billion in monthly revenue at that time.
Current average sales are between IDR 1-2 billion per month.
Maicih exports to over 15 countries, with export sales comprising 35% of total revenue as of the latest reports.
Organizational changes were made: production and distribution/branding were separated into two companies (Maicih for production, Mama Incu for branding and distribution).
Team size was optimized from around 100 employees to 20–30 through improved systems and machinery in production.

The most effective historical marketing spike occurred through Twitter and the use of “levels” (spiciness) as a gamified product feature.
Early sales capitalized on local demand and social media momentum, exploiting existing community networks.
Current strategy focuses on value-building and community/fanbase engagement, not on price competition.
Expansion to modern retail (e.g., Alfamart) and exports was facilitated through distributors and resellers (“generals”).
Brand narrative emphasizes “exploring spicy spices” and Indonesian heritage, reinforced continuously through social media and PR.
Collaboration with partners, especially those with distribution reach, is now core to Maicih’s growth model.

Maicih currently offers 9 SKUs, with focus on data-driven, not intuition-only, product launches.
Attempts to diversify (e.g., launching Maicih-branded restaurants) failed due to being premature and lacking data-driven validation.
Efficiency was achieved via partial automation (frying/packaging), while key manual processes (seasoning) were retained for product quality.

Split business into two companies — Maicih for production, Mama Incu for marketing/branding. Rationale: separate focus, improved accountability, and leveraging individual strengths.
Stopped restaurant expansion — Learnings from failed Warung Maicih and Bakso Maicih restaurants: Premature market entry, intuition-based decisions, and lack of data-driven approach led to closure.
Refocused on core products after setbacks — After experiencing losses and failed ventures, the founder reaffirmed commitment to existing product lines and operational excellence.

Major challenges included supply chain disruptions (e.g., "cassava mafia"), lack of initial backend systems, HR issues (including trust/corruption), and production setbacks (factory fire).
Lessons: Importance of patience, focusing on internal goals over external benchmarking, learning from failure, need for robust organizational systems, and the power of resilience both mentally and operationally.
Spirituality and discipline are cited as key success factors, helping to rebuild the business after adversity.

Exports reached 35% of revenue, with significant markets in Japan, Europe, Australia, and Southeast Asia.
Exporting food requires country-specific compliance (lab tests, BPOM/depc approval), with strict standards in Japan and the US.
Market entry strategies are often demand-driven by the Indonesian diaspora, leveraging existing fans and community connections abroad.

The snack market remains robust with ongoing opportunities for SMEs.
Healthy competition (e.g., Kusuka, Qitella) motivates continual improvement and market relevance.
Expansion opportunities are identified in India and Africa, although challenges include navigating local cultures and dialects.

Stopped restaurant expansion — Founder concluded that venturing into restaurants was premature and costly, with closures and financial losses leading to a renewed focus on core snack products.
Split business into two companies — Production and branding/distribution separated for better focus, specialization, and efficiency.

None recorded from the discussion.
If follow-up is needed on specific brand collaborations, distribution partnerships, or export compliance processes, further clarification should be requested.