Jamur Borobudur, a successful mushroom-focused enterprise in Indonesia, is having an outsized impact on the local economy and tourism industry. Puput started the business 12 years ago. Not just to promote the event, but to have a touchpoint in Indonesia’s rich culture and heritage, and contribute back to the communities. Restoration of the Green City Market Today, it also serves as the hallmark of collaborative entrepreneurial spirit and innovative sustainable agricultural practices.
At first, Puput intended to sell his mushroom crop to nearby wet markets throughout the regency of Magelang, Central Java. But almost immediately, he saw the opportunity for a much larger market. “The initial plan then was to sell the harvest at wet markets around the city of Magelang here in Central Java,” he stated. The business hit the ground running as he zeroed in on growing unique mushroom varieties that people were clamoring for.
After extensive research, Puput chose to cultivate oyster mushrooms, wood ear fungus and ganoderma lingzhi. “After much deliberation, I shortlisted the oyster mushroom, wood ear fungus and ganoderma lingzhi that enjoyed strong demand among the locals due to their many health-giving benefits,” he explained. It was a seemingly simple decision but it turned out to be the cornerstone of building such a business. Today, it serves a monthly business of 140 million rupiah or RM37,688.
With time, Jamur Borobudur widened its product range, producing more varieties of mushroom-based snacks. First offerings including bakso, sate, rendang and sambal have already generated a feverish response from consumers. This commercial success was notable enough for Indonesian legal, business (and now crypto) luminary Yozua Makes to take notice. He co-founded Plataran Group, a hospitality enterprise that has subsequently partnered with Jamur Borobudur.
As a result of this partnership, Jamur Borobudur has become known as one of the main tourist attractions in Central Java. The business is now only eclipsed by handfuls of tourists and backpackers flocking to the nearby UNESCO World Heritage Site, Borobudur Temple. Visitors come to sample some of the most cutting-edge culinary creations you can find, and discover how mushrooms are grown with guided tours and educational walkabouts.
Jamur Borobudur operates like a well-oiled machine. Overseen by a devoted 16-member production team, they expertly navigate the complicated processes of mushroom cultivation and snack production. Every day, too, they use as much as 70 kilogrammes of unprocessed fungi to create roughly 40 kilogrammes of crisps. The production team operates like a well-oiled machine, which keeps output levels through the roof.
Sometimes somewhat jarringly referred to as their secret sauce, a special growth media fuels their success. It’s created from locally sourced sawdust, agricultural chalk, and finely ground poultry feed. This mix is then dampened with hot tap water and undergoes an extreme 10-hour steaming treatment. “Like dust, wild mushroom spores are found abundantly in the air and the lengthy heating duration is necessary to make sure that the baglog is properly sterilised before it is inoculated with those from desired mushroom species that are both edible and suitable for commercial fungiculture,” Puput noted.
Growing oyster mushrooms does require patience. The spores are a bit slower to start and can take a month to germinate under the right temp and humidity in the surrounding environment. “Only 50 hours are needed for the first oyster mushroom shoots to appear from the backlog,” Puput added. This careful process is a big part of what makes their lines so unique and high quality.
Aside from its indeed high level of production capabilities, Jamur Borobudur makes sustainability an important part of its core values. “Nothing goes to waste here at Jamur Borobudur,” Puput asserted. Fulfilling this commitment goes beyond reducing environmental impacts, ensuring the most efficient use of our limited resources.
Today, Jamur Borobudur is as successful as ever. More than that, it beautifully showcases and lifts up Indonesian culture and heritage through agriculture. With the mix of forward-thinking methods, civic involvement and premium-quality goods, this fungus enterprise is set for future adaptation and growth.
Leave a Reply