General Lecture “Marketing Research Practices to Optimize Performance: The Case of Javanero’s Specialty Coffee”

Hi Biemers!!!

The General Lecture organized by the Management Study Program of Universitas Bunda Mulia was held on Monday, April 22, 2024, from 11:30 AM to 1:10 PM at The UBM Seminar Room, 7th Floor. In this Lecture, the Management Study Program invited a practitioner in the coffee industry, Mr. Teddy Kusumah Somatri, founder and CEO of PT Javenero Indonesia Arta. Mr. Teddy is a professional with extensive experience in various fields, including plantations, oil and gas, coal, consumer goods, F&B, and finance. With an educational background in Chemical Engineering from Institut Teknologi Bandung and a Master’s degree from Universitas Prasetiya Mulya, Mr. Teddy began his career as a consultant in the Business Risk Services division at Ernst & Young Indonesia before joining Ancora Group. His last position was as Director at PT Ancora Indonesia Resources.

Held on Monday, April 22, 2024, the Guest Lecture raised the topic of Marketing Research Practices to Optimize Performance: The Case of Javanero’s Specialty Coffee, and was mandatory for management students taking the Marketing Research and Integrated Marketing Communication courses. This topic was chosen to provide students with insights into the real-world application of marketing analysis theories discussed in class. The material covered was about the marketing research conducted in the specialty coffee sector in Indonesia to enhance its competitiveness in the global market.

After the opening remarks, the Secretary of the Management Study Program, Mrs. Sophia Reni Susilo, briefly presented Mr. Teddy to allow him to introduce himself to the participants. After sharing his educational and career background, Mr. Teddy discussed the history of the company, where Javanero began operations in 2012 but officially became PT Javanero Indonesia Arta in 2013. At that time, Mr. Teddy, as a newcomer in Specialty Coffee, was not yet familiar with the international specifications and product standards in high demand in the market, especially in Europe. As the world’s largest coffee consumer, European countries like Finland, Sweden, and Germany provided a broad market opportunity for coffee commodities.

With basic knowledge of the global coffee market, since 2015, Mr. Teddy travelled to Europe and participated in various world-level coffee events and competitions. This journey was not only aimed at finding buyers but, more importantly, gathering market intelligence on the global coffee market. At the same time, Mr. Teddy worked on improving the productivity and quality of coffee from Indonesian farms. The largest portion of the coffee value chain that would have the greatest impact on coffee quality is in the planting and processing of green beans, or unroasted coffee. Therefore, Javanero collaborated with coffee farmers to build strong production capabilities for various coffee types. The efforts to improve coffee production initially took place in West Java, and this methodology has since been implemented in various locations throughout Indonesia.

The material presented by Mr. Teddy was very interesting although most students were not coffee drinkers. It was clear that the participants received current information from a practitioner who is directly involved in a fascinating commodity industry, providing many insights that had never been considered before. Thus, the application of marketing research practices was easy to see and well-understood. Additionally, Mr. Teddy’s presentation style, which encouraged discussion and interactions, made his lecture lively and not boring. He was even willing to call 1-2 students to come forward and answered his questions.

At around 1:15 PM, Mr. Teddy concluded the discussion by summarizing the benefits of marketing research for the coffee business he manages. This emphasized the implementation of marketing research activities in the increasingly dynamic business world. The public lecture ended with the presentation of a Token of Appreciation from Mrs. Sophia to Mr. Teddy, followed by a group photo session.