Universitas Brawijaya (UB), through the 2023 Doctoral Service Programme (DSP), organized an inspiring initiative to empower Micro, Small Medium Enterprise (MSME) in Ranuyoso Village, Lumajang, East Java. This community empowerment activity was led by Dr. Joni Kusnadi, M.Si from the Faculty of Agricultural Technology (FAT), who also involved other DSP members, including Hamamah, Ph.D., M. Andhy Nurmansyah, M.Hum., Fredy Nugroho Setiawan, M.Hum., from the Faculty of Cultural Studies (FCS), and Jadfan Sidqi Fidari, S.T., M.T. from the Faculty of Engineering.
The event, which took place on two occasions (2/9/2023 and 7/10/2023), featured creative training sessions on transforming Moringa leaves into beverage and ice cream products. Joni Kusnadi, an academic from the FAT UB, shared his expertise on Moringa leaves, a plant with significant potential as an ingredient for producing various processed foods. In his presentation, Joni discussed the benefits and nutritional content of Moringa leaves. He also introduced innovative ideas for Moringa leaf-based products, such as Moringa leaf tea, Moringa leaf ice cream, Moringa leaf wedang uwuh, and Moringa leaf traditional dung-dung ice.
Joni strongly encouraged people to take the initiative and try producing these products themselves as a first step towards developing business in Ranuyoso Village. He emphasized that collaborating with neighbors and receiving feedback are essential for the improvement and advancement of the industry.
“In the business world, we must be determined to produce the goods we want to sell. Starting from our surroundings, such as neighbors, is a wise initial step towards achieving success. We also must be prepared to accept any kind of criticism and input in order to continually develop,” stated Joni.
Throughout this activity, Ranuyoso Village residents received practical guidance on producing ice cream and tea from Moringa leaves. It is hoped that the knowledge shared by Joni will inspire them to implement these innovative ideas, either by creating new businesses or enhancing existing ones.
In conclusion, Joni added some remarks on the importance of providing employment opportunities so that our excellent human resources could further develop. The dedication and enthusiasm displayed by the participants in this event reflected a solid drive to create a profitable business opportunity from the Moringa leaves for Ranuyoso Village. [dts]
