Dry, barren, and unproductive land in rural areas has now turned into a source of livelihood, empowering more than 2,000 villagers across Indonesia.
This remarkable transformation has been driven by Syailendra Bumi Investama (Syailendra BI), a social enterprise producing essential oils and vegetable oils under the brand DDistillers.
Founded in 2014 by Eliest Listiani, Syailendra BI was born out of concern for the socio-economic conditions of communities in remote areas of Brebes Regency, Central Java.
Vast stretches of degraded land left farmers trapped in poverty, with no access to sustainable income.
“At first, we only wanted to find a simple solution: what kind of plant could survive on dry land without water during the dry season,” recalled Eliest in a press release received by Kompas.com, Thursday (August 14, 2025).
Field research in 2015 provided the answer: citronella grass, an aromatic essential plant resilient in all seasons and capable of revitalizing degraded land.
Community education soon followed, teaching eco-friendly essential oil cultivation and encouraging waste management into value-added products through a zero-waste system.
A major leap occurred at the end of 2020, when Syailendra BI became a partner of PT Pertamina (Persero) through its Micro and Small Business Funding Program, receiving IDR 100 million in capital support. The funds were used to strengthen production, operations, and marketing.
The results were extraordinary — within a year, revenue surged to IDR 1.2 billion, reaching IDR 3.5 billion in 2021, and climbing to IDR 4.5 billion in 2022, officially qualifying as a taxable entrepreneur.
Today, Syailendra BI regularly supplies essential oils to national exporters and domestic aromatic industries.
The enterprise has also begun direct exports to France and Singapore, while expanding its market reach to 12 countries, including Switzerland, Canada, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, India, South Korea, and Brazil.
Currently, Syailendra BI operates 200 distillation sites across provinces (except Papua), employing 12 permanent staff and an academic expert, while empowering around 400 distillers and more than 2,000 farmers across Indonesia through the “Paguyuban Emas Hijau” initiative.
As part of its commitment to continuous growth, in 2025 DDistillers participated in Pertamina UMK Academy 2025 and Pertamina SMEXPO Merah Putih, two strategic programs by Pertamina focused on capacity building, marketing, and expanding business networks for its partners.
According to Fadjar Djoko Santoso, VP of Corporate Communication at PT Pertamina (Persero):
“Pertamina supports MSMEs like DDistillers, which are able to transform challenges into opportunities, while delivering real benefits to thousands of farming families in Indonesia. This is proof that strategic partnerships between state-owned enterprises and MSMEs can drive economic growth while preserving the environment.”
The success of DDistillers aligns with the Prabowo–Gibran administration’s Asta Cita agenda, point number 3, which emphasizes creating quality jobs, fostering entrepreneurship, developing creative industries, and continuing infrastructure development.
This initiative has successfully generated thousands of productive jobs in rural areas, empowered local entrepreneurs, and developed value-added products rooted in Indonesia’s natural wealth.
“For us, business is not just about profit — it’s about building hope. From land once considered useless, we have proven that a green and prosperous future is possible,” said Eliest.
As a leading company in the energy transition, Pertamina remains committed to supporting Indonesia’s Net Zero Emission (NZE) 2060 target by promoting programs that directly contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
All of these efforts are in line with the application of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles across Pertamina’s businesses and operations.
Nh, D. (2025, August 14). Pertamina Supports MSME DDistillers, Transforming Degraded Land into Jobs for Over 2,000 Villagers. KOMPAS.com. https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2025/08/14/16320011/pertamina-bina-umkm-ddistillers-ubah-lahan-kritis-jadi-lapangan-kerja-untuk?page=1
Leave Your Comment