Aruna Fishers’ Products: The Seafood Products Loved by the Americans!
Seafood Expo North America (SENA) is the largest seafood expo in North America. Thousands of buyers and suppliers across the globe attend the annual three-day expo to network and do some business matching. Northern part of America is one of the major countries that actively imports seafood products from all over the world. Aruna Crab, a premium quality blue swimming crab product passionately made adhering to sustainability standards by Aruna, is one of the favorite products of many buyers there.
Aruna has been exploring the North American market since 2017 and still survives up to this very day. Aruna’s commitment to providing responsible seafood products is one of the factors influencing the recurring demand from the North American market. Consumers in foreign countries are very aware of the importance of traceability, sustainable fisheries, and Good Manufacturing Practices for every fishery product they buy and consume. Fulfilling these, Aruna Crab is the superior choice in a number of hotels, restaurants, and modern trades in North America.
The Indonesian Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries intensively encourages the industry players to export fishery product commodities. Meanwhile, the 5 fishery product commodities that the government is targeting to go global are shrimp, lobster, crab, seaweed, and tilapia. Aruna as an integrated fisheries commerce and supply chain aggregator from Indonesia has helped the government enrich the export market. The 3 commodities from the government’s target, such as crabs, shrimp, and fish have been marketed by Aruna to international markets, especially the US.
“Aruna’s products have been in the international market for a long time, of course with different commodity focuses for each country. For example, the Aruna Crab is recognized for its quality by the Americans,” said Utari Octavianty, the Co-Founder and Chief Sustainability Officer of Aruna. Currently, Aruna already has more than 23 superior fishery product commodities with international quality. Aruna products can be seen on Seafood by Aruna e-commerce.
Now, Aruna has grown together with Aruna’s 40,000 fishers and 500 coastal women in producing fishery products that meet the Global Food Safety Standards. With this, Aruna is increasingly optimistic about helping the government make the sea a better livelihood for all.
Aruna Co-Founder Received the Trophy of FORTUNE Indonesia 40 Under 40
on 16 March 2023, Utari Octavianty, the Co-Founder and Chief Sustainability Officer of Aruna, attended the FORTUNE Indonesia Summit as one of the awardees of FORTUNE Indonesia 40 Under 40 at The Tribrata, Darmawangsa. With a life background revolving around fishing, Utari is very familiar with the field. Her parents didn’t even allow her to work in the sector. Even though her parents saw an unpromising scenario for the fisheries sector, Utari managed to turn that stereotype all back—years later, quite unexpectedly.
With her mission to make the sea a better livelihood for all, she then met two of his college mates who also shared the same interests and visions. They are Farid Naufal Aslam and Indraka Fadhlillah. Inefficient supply chains, poor data integration and processing, and bad quality control were the very things that pushed Aruna to move. After nearly 7 years of sailing, Aruna has succeeded in empowering 40,000 Aruna Fishers in 31 provinces in Indonesia.
Utari stated, “Responsible implementation of ESG (Environment, Social and Corporate Governance) has been Aruna’s focus since the very beginning. It is a pleasure when we can passionately do what we do while giving a positive impact on society and the environment at the same time. What Aruna has done is now appreciated by many people, including FORTUNE Indonesia. We’re so pleased and truly honored. It’s a remembrance for us all, not just me, to keep on being genuine in every single thing we do, day after day.”
The awarding night of FORTUNE Indonesia 40 Under 40 was followed by a networking and business-matching with other award recipients, as well as other stakeholders attending the event. Brought about the theme of “Resilience, Initiative, and Sustainable Growth”, FORTUNE Indonesia 40 Under 40 is really a relevant forum for business doers in various sectors, such as economics, business, finance, tech, leadership, and ESG.
Aruna at the Agrinnovation Conference: Capture Fisheries and Aquaculture for Marine Sustainability
On March 15 2023, Aruna was invited by Edu Farm and Tech in Asia as one of the panelists at the Agrinnovation Conference, where topics on agriculture and technology were raised and discussed. This event was to inspire, empower, and connect various stakeholders in the agricultural industry. Also highlighting the development of innovation and technology through digital transformation, Utari Octavianty, Aruna’s Co-Founder and Chief Sustainability Officer, spoke to give more motivation for young entrepreneurs to contribute more to the betterment of the Indonesian fisheries sector.
As an archipelagic country, Indonesia has been widely recognized as a country with rich marine and fishery resources. The fisheries sector in Indonesia basically comes from capture fisheries and aquaculture. Utari said, “Capture fisheries and aquaculture do work in synergy. In fact, aquaculture is a practice that has been positioned as a successful alternative to satisfy the growing consumer demand for fish. It surely reduces the possibility of seas being over exploited. On the other hand, companies like Aruna focusing on the capture fisheries, also work to optimize the marine potential we have. We shorten the supply chain, educate our fishers about the sustainability of marine ecosystems, technology, and so on.”
An improvement in the fisheries sector depends on the outputs as well the equilibrium point of capture fisheries and aquaculture. Capture fisheries, according to Aruna, consist of several main commodities, such as lobster, crab, tuna, cob, and skipjack. On the other hand, aquaculture fisheries focus a lot on several main commodities consisting of shrimp, and freshwater fish. Despite having two different focuses, adequate supply chain management remains a basic need for both.
Aruna has managed 180 Aruna Hubs spread across the coasts of Indonesia. As a gathering point for transactions, Aruna Hub is also the place where the supply chain begins. If we talk about it, well, supply chain is an activity that starts with the producers and ends with the end consumers. “Practically, the fisheries supply chain does require extra handling so that the quality of the fish remains fresh. Apart from working with the government and various partners and stakeholders, Aruna Hub is also a place to renew the treatment of the cold supply chain. Mostly taking place in remote areas, the renewal treatment is a conventional, but surely an applicable and realistic way of doing it,” concluded Utari.
Live Seafood and Fish Auction at Aruna’s Buyer Gathering
On 22 February 2022, Aruna, an integrated fisheries commerce and supply chain aggregator in Indonesia that revolutionizes the Indonesian fisheries supply chain, held a buyer gathering with the theme of “Discover the Finest Indonesian Seafood”.
Aruna partners in the food service, modern trade, e-commerce, and hotel industries attended the event. During the gathering, Aruna introduced its fishery products produced in a quality procedure to meet the Good Manufacturing Product (GMP) standards.
These export-quality products of Aruna are caught by local fishers having joined the ecosystem Aruna has built. The buyer gathering brought about the theme of “Discover the Finest Indonesian Seafood” was expected to provide supplies for the domestic markets.
Through a sustainable business ecosystem and technology that Aruna has evolved, Aruna is committed to making the sea a better livelihood for all, especially fishers and coastal communities. Dated today, Aruna has empowered more than 40,000 fishers.
Rociano Graziani, the Regional Sales Manager of Aruna, said, “What we want to promote is the #RevolusiProtein campaign through regular consumption of seafood. Seafood by Aruna comes directly from local fishers in all parts of Indonesia and is caught using environmentally friendly procedures. From tuna loin, peeled shrimp, mackerel steak, to pasteurized crab. And it will surely have a bigger impact if the company producing the seafood also has great accountability and credibility, both in terms of the environment and community development.”
Selfia, as one of the buyers from Autogrill Indonesia, responded, “As an existing customer from Seafood by Aruna, I should admit that the prices Seafood by Aruna offers are clearly more competitive. After participating in the buyer gathering agenda, I personally understand why. The supply chain is now cut by Aruna in order to make it more effective and efficient–from fishers to consumers, both in bulk consumers and retailers. It can be seen that Aruna is trying to put into practice the current focus of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, namely the downstream strategy in the fishing industry, without eliminating the spearheads of this all: the small-scale fishers. This is what we call economic inclusion.”
Aruna in Bincang Bahari KKP: Challenge and Potential amid the Recession Issue
On 21 February 2023, the Indonesian Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) invited Aruna as one of the speakers at the Bincang Bahari KKP talk show themed “Map of the Maritime and Fisheries Sector in the Middle of Recession Issues”. Aruna was represented by Aruna’s Co-Founder and Chief of Sustainability, Utari Octavianty.
In this Bincang Bahari’s episode, market challenge, competition, and potential in the midst of the global crisis widely reported today were put on the table. However, considering the fact that the marine and fisheries industry in Indonesia has enormous potential, Aruna still notices a lot of good opportunities, especially to embrace and prosper Indonesian fishers.
Dated today, Aruna has succeeded in empowering 40,000 fishers across the country. Utari stated, “To get a comprehensive understanding of this sector, we’ve conducted a mapping to figure out what they really need. From this mapping, we know that the main thing we need to work on for them is driving up their welfare and market guarantees.”
Ir. Ishartini, the Director General of Marine and Fisheries Product Competitiveness (Ditjen PDSPKP), said, “A good planning strategy can certainly minimize the impact of this uncertain condition. Supported by the current focus of the Indonesian government, especially on the downstream strategy, we all expect that the marine and fisheries industry can continue to grow, considering that the fisheries sector is included in the list of the government’s 8 focused sectors.”
Responding to what is needed by the marine and fisheries industry players, everyone needs to also work on downstream operations which surely come with supported adequate logistics infrastructure, especially for end-to-end supply chains and fishery products.
Aruna Co-Founder as the Awardee of FORTUNE Indonesia 40U40: Giving Positive Impacts on the Fishers
Jakarta, Indonesia – Aruna’s Co-Founder and Chief Sustainability Officer, Utari Octavianty has just been awarded the 2023 FORTUNE Indonesia 40 Under 40 for her capability to create opportunities and utilize technology in order to make positive impacts on the Indonesian fisheries and marine industry, including local fishers and coastal communities.
Several other names coming with Utari on the list are Catherine Hindra (GoTo Gojek Tokopedia Head of Food and Indonesia Sales and Ops), Maudy Ayunda (actress and content creator), and Willix Halim (Bukalapak CEO).
Growing up in a coastal village in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan―an area where most small fishermen live, Utari Octavianty has long aspired to improve the lives of coastal communities. Unexpectedly, after 6 years of founding Aruna, she has managed to unlock her potential and contribute to the creation of thousands of new jobs. Until now, Aruna has empowered 40,000 fishers spread across 31 provinces in Indonesia.
Utari said, “It’s truly an honor to be called one of the awardees of FORTUNE Indonesia 40 Under 40, given that FORTUNE has been very popular in the sector. This appreciation is an encouragement for me personally and the other two founders of Aruna to keep contributing positively and actualizing our business vision and mission, which is to make Indonesia the world’s maritime axis.”
Hendra Soeprajitno, Editor-in-Chief of FORTUNE Indonesia, stated, “Of the 40 awardees of the Fortune Indonesia 40 Under 40 award, there are similarities I notice between them: gait, energy, time, hard work, unyielding spirit, consistency, and dedication which culminates in a positive output that eventually helps a lot of people.”
He continued, “Successfully gaining this award from the fishing industry sector, namely Aruna, we see that Utari works really hard to prosper local Indonesian fishers and promote local catches to global markets. Aruna also implements sustainability and it surely comes with product quality standards that have been internationally certified.”
Aruna in “Think Green 7.0” FPIK Padjadjaran University: Mangrove Planting & Coral Transplantation Must Be Monitored Regularly
As the first integrated fisheries commerce and supply chain aggregator in Indonesia, Aruna focuses on contributing not only to growing economic inclusion, but also implementing sustainable business practices. In its realization, Aruna collaborated with a number of partners who are experienced in their fields, one of which is the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences (FPIK) Universitas Padjadjaran. In early December, Aruna planted mangroves and transplanted coral reefs with FPIK Padjadjaran University students in the “Think Green 7.0” event.
Together with more than 100 FPIK Padjadjaran University students, Aruna planted 1,000 mangrove seedlings at PIAMARI Pangandaran Aquarium. This activity is aimed at helping to sequester carbon through the blue carbon project which is expected to help reduce climate change and restore mangroves. FPIK Padjadjaran University will also assist Aruna in executing the addition of seeds, as well as providing annual monitoring.
Still in the “Think Green 7.0” series of events, Aruna also conducted coral reef transplants. There are dozens of coral reef seedlings attached to spider frames and placed on the seabed of Pramuka Island, the Thousand Islands. As is known, climate change phenomena have occurred in the world. Meanwhile, one of the factors that influence this is an increase in carbon dioxide emissions. Therefore, “Think Green 7.0” is holding a project that carries the concept of blue carbon as a medium for absorbing carbon.
To note, blue carbon or blue carbon in coastal vegetation can absorb carbon 100 times far more effectively and permanently than tropical forests on land, you know. For this reason, Aruna together with “Think Green 7.0” is engaged in a rehabilitation work program that aims to restore and improve the function of mangrove and coral reef ecosystems for carbon sequestration.
Developed in collaboration with well-known educational institutions, the “Think Green 7.0” program, which was jointly executed with Aruna, will also become a case study “field” with great potential to produce valid data to be processed and included in a scientific journal on mangroves and coral reefs.
Aruna Introduces “BOON” Premium Crab Meat at SIAL Interfood
The international scale food and beverage exhibition “The Global Food Marketplace” or “Salon International de L’alimentation” (SIAL Interfood) was held again on November 9-12 2022 at the Jakarta International Expo, Kemayoran Indonesia. Aruna as the leading fishing company in Indonesia was also successful in its participation to enliven this exhibition. On this occasion, Aruna introduced one of its best export products, namely “BOON”. BOON has been successful in becoming international consumption and on this occasion, BOON was introduced to domestic consumers, as well as the HOREKA market network in Indonesia.
BOON is premium blue swimming crab meat that has gone through a pasteurization process with the best export quality originating from local Indonesian fishermen. BOON is produced by prioritizing Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) standards so that product quality is maintained properly when consumed. BOON also has its own unique products, such as the soft texture of premium crab meat, ready to eat, and the best nutritional and protein content.
“BOON is a new and unique product in Indonesia. Pasteurized crab meat packaged in cans is still rare in Indonesia. The texture is soft and the taste is not so plain, but a little savory. Yes, at this moment, Aruna also intends to introduce one of its best export seafood products, namely BOON. Of course, BOON will be the target of local consumers because it is practical, ready to eat and easy to process, making it suitable for horeca (hotel, restaurant, cafe) channels,” said Djong Niti Sastro-Head of Commercial Aruna.
Apart from that, there are several other prime commodities that Aruna is exhibiting in Sial Interfood this time, namely whole crab, red snapper, salmon and tuna. Aruna hopes that by participating in this international event, the Aruna brand can become more widely known and can also expand Aruna’s business scope with the enthusiasm to make Indonesian marine commodities go global. If you are interested in tasting it, don’t forget to get BOON at Tokopedia Seafood by Aruna.
Aruna invited by Deal Street Asia to Discusses Impact Investment Trends at the PE-VC Summit 2022
Wallich, Singapore – On Tuesday, 27 September 2022, Aruna was exclusively invited by Deal Street Asia to be one of the speakers at the PE-VC Summit 2022, a noteworthy Deal Street Asia event that invited dozens of global speakers from various industry sectors, which was held in Singapore. Represented by Utari Octavianty, Aruna’s Co-Founder and Chief Sustainability Officer, Aruna shared the stage with Heritas Capital, BlueOrchard Finance, and KKR & Co. Inc. to discuss “Scaling Impact through Private Capital”. The session was hosted by Michelle Teo, Managing Director of Deal Street Asia.
The growing public awareness of the concept and implementation of sustainability has created an impact on businesses initiated by communities, governments, shareholders, financial institutions, and even employees. In the “Scaling Impact through Private Capital” session, Aruna revealed that profit cannot be the only priority. Aruna believes that business people also need to have full responsibility regarding the method or how their business is carried out. In this era, the positive impact on society is one of the important points that must be considered by every business person.
In fact, the impact of investment is not only measured by financial performance, but also how an organization can make a positive contribution to society. The existence of an investment market then provides various opportunities for investors to contribute to social and environmental problems through investment, while still working to get a financial return. Aruna, Heritas Capital, BlueOrchard Finance, and KKR & Co. Inc. agreed that today’s investors, customers, and employees would be happy to contribute to products or services that seek to help other sectors.
At the opening of PE-VC Summit 2022, Joji Philip, Founder & Editor-in-Chief of DealStreetAsia, said, “PE-VC 2022 wants to help investors and actors in unicorn companies, startups and VCs to be able to understand each other’s perspectives, so that together we can mitigate risks that may occur in investing in emerging markets and newer or non-traditional business modelsㅡ both from technical strategies and their implementation, governance and public regulations, as well as maintaining community development. Every element should be seen from an interdisciplinary perspective.”
Utari Octavianty, Co-Founder and Chief Sustainability of Aruna, said in her session, “Our mission is to make the sea a better livelihood for all. To implement it, we also focus on impact-related business practices. Therefore, we also take care of the ‘People’, ‘Profit’ and ‘Planet’ factors. When ‘People’ have a more adequate understanding of the importance of sustainability, for example, and they have got the ideal ‘Profit’, that’s when ‘Planet’ will also have a positive impact. Continue to measure impact by defining performance frameworks and metrics so that we can better understand the attribution of the business we do.”
Supporting the Focus on Sustainability, East Ventures Invites Aruna to the 2022 Tech in Asia Conference in Singapore
Bayfront, Singapore – On 21-22 September 2022, Aruna was invited to attend the Tech in Asia Conference 2022 in Singapore by East Ventures. The Tech in Asia Conference is a platform for technology founders, investors and executives to gain insights, connections and business opportunities in the digital age.
Aruna is one of Asia’s 200 newest technology innovators exclusively invited by East Ventures to showcase their products to thousands of conference attendees. Not only getting the chance to showcase their products at the central conference point, Aruna also has the chance to network with industry leaders, experts and decision makers across Asia!
On this occasion, Aruna shared stories about the principles of sustainability applied in business by making the main focus on coastal communities in Indonesia. Apart from that, Aruna also conveyed our tips for making a number of significant changes to their lives. Until now, having more than 36,000 fishermen who have joined Aruna, Aruna has managed to multiply their income 3-12 times when compared to their total income before Aruna’s arrival.
Willson Cuaca, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of East Ventures, expressed his enthusiasm, “East Ventures is the first venture capital in Indonesia to sign the Principles of Responsible Investment which is also supported by the United Nations (UN). For this reason, East Ventures is committed to achieving sustainable development and having a positive impact on society. We also want to provide a stage for our portfolio which also has a main focus on sustainability. Tech in Asia Conference 2022 can be a good place to build connections and potential for collaboration.”
Utari Octavianty, Aruna’s Co-Founder and Chief Sustainability Officer, said, “Aruna will continue to strengthen its presence by actively participating in activities that allow us to gain insights as well as connections like this. Not only cross-segment exclusive insights, geographical elements which also involve the importance of the concept of sustainability were also discussed in a series of events with Asia’s best investors and business initiators. Moreover, we also thank East Ventures for inviting Aruna to participate in the Tech in Asia Conference 2022.”