To improve community economic welfare, the Indonesian Inspiration Building Foundation (YIIM) together with PT. Insight Investments Management (INSIGHT) established a community empowerment program, namely social entrepreneurship training for underprivileged, pre-prosperous, and disabled communities. This program is also in line with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) number 1, namely eradicating poverty, and SDGs number 10, namely ending inequality.

Arifin Iyus, also known as Iyus (35 years old), is one of the alumni of the coffee barista training held by YIIM and PT. Insight Investments Management in 2017. He currently lives with his wife, two children, and his parents in a house in the Cileungsi area, Bogor.

Before participating in the training, Iyus had been unemployed for a long time and his daily activity was only working as a freelance wedding photographer. When he heard about the coffee barista training, Iyus was very enthusiastic about joining because of his interest in coffee. Iyus felt this opportunity should not be wasted because he had always wanted to attend coffee barista training but was hindered by the rather expensive registration fee.

Various Obstacles When Starting a Business

After attending the training, Iyus was happy because he gained new knowledge and experience. Much of the knowledge that Iyus obtained was previously only the basics; now he could gain more knowledge with many references. According to Iyus, this knowledge could be used to start a business.

A few years later, in 2020 Iyus began preparing to open a coffee business. However, in the midst of his preparations, Iyus was exposed to COVID-19 and had to quarantine at the athlete’s dormitory for quite a long time. Iyus was forced to pause his preparations to open a coffee business. During the hiatus, Iyus also worked as an online motorcycle taxi driver.

Starting to Rise Again to Open a Business

A few years later, in early 2022 Iyus started to focus again on opening a coffee business. In March, his business was neat and ready to open. Iyus’s coffee business is called “Sekopi Seperguruan”. Iyus opened this coffee business using a Pre-Order (PO) system every 2-3 times a week with orders via WhatsApp social media. After Iyus opened his coffee business, he stopped working as an online motorcycle taxi driver and only focused on running the business he had built.

The menu sold by Iyus includes Caramel Latte, Hazelnut Latte, Vanilla Latte, and Kopi Susu Gula Aren. He is currently planning to add a Chocolate series with 3 flavor variants: Chocolate Signature, Chocolate Caramel, and Chocolate Hazelnut. The prices offered by Iyus range from IDR 24,000 to IDR 70,000 for sizes of 250ml, 500ml, and 1 Liter.

During the time Iyus has been running the business, the average net income he earns is IDR 2,900,000 per month. The largest order Iyus has ever received was 12 liters in a single day. Iyus is very grateful that by opening this business he can increase his family’s income.

Iyus markets his coffee business through social media such as Instagram, WhatsApp, and commercial marketplaces such as Tokopedia. For delivery, Iyus delivers the drinks himself if the distance is close. For long distances, Iyus sends his drinks using Paxel.

While running the business, Iyus faces obstacles with equipment that is still manual. Iyus hopes that in the future he wants to expand his business and add coffee equipment to maximize sales in his coffee business. Iyus also wants to learn more deeply about coffee to improve his coffee business.

For those who want to try Iyus’s drinks, you can directly visit the social media of “Sekopi Seperguruan” at @sekopiseperguruan and also contact this WhatsApp number 081290313600.

Salam Inspirasi!