Bengok Craft as a local business that has a dream to go international certainly has steps in making it happen.

For example, Bengok Craft’s participation in Fair events organized by government and non-government institutions. In addition, Bengok Craft is also committed to always participating in training and curating craft products in order to prepare supplies for export.

Bengok Craft also actively participates in competition events, not only looking for titles or champions, but broader benefits, seeking experience and establishing networking with people around them. This is important because it may create branding in the form of awareness for many audiences.

Another thing that is usually done by Bengok Craft and which is the focus of the topic of this article is through product innovation. It is undeniable that before marketing a product, you must have the product that the buyer would purchase. Especially if the market is getting wider to foreign countries, then what must be done further is the ability of a business to innovate.

Water hyacinth creations do have many competitors, for example in Vietnam, China and Turkey. In fact, they are able to offer lower prices than the Indonesian market.

If trying to sell at a higher price and have the same product variants with these countries, then it is definitely difficult to compete. If the price offered is cheaper with the same product variant, it would affect the market price.

Therefore, what Bengok Craft can do is update water hyacinth products by making creations that don’t yet exist/have not been widely marketed.

Firman Setyaji as the Founder of Bengok Craft said (04/07) in preparation for future exports, he no longer prioritizes home-decor creations.

“Home-decor in global markets such as the United States is no longer potential because many have made it,” said Firman.

According to him, what has more potential to be used as exports in the future is Handcraft Fashion, which incorporates natural elements into fashion. Handcraft fashion by blending water hyacinth elements into fashion products, according to him, is still rarely adapted.

According to Firman, there are at least two water hyacinth creations that have potential for export markets; they are Bengok Hampers Bag and Bengok Slipper.

Hampers Bag by Bengok Craft is very unique and different since it makes hampers bags from water hyacinth which can later be used as handbags, supporting the user’s appearance to keep it stylish yet aesthetic.

He added other materials such as jute cloth with the same color as the dried water hyacinth, so that it remains harmonious.

Meanwhile, the Bengok Slipper is no less unique and different because nowadays it is still rare to make slippers from water hyacinth.

These slippers still make the user comfortable since the base is equipped with a rubber layer to keep it soft.

In his breakthrough, Firman and his team made various models, such as Japit, Wiro, Selop, Double Selop, and Selop X. Of course, these models would continue to grow over time.

“Of course we always want to innovate which is certainly suitable for our target market, so that our creations are not boring,” added Firman.

He is sure that emphasizing his creations in the field of fashion would open up more opportunities to go export in the future.

“We have already curated with several parties such as Bank Indonesia, of course what they emphasize is definitely the novelty of the product,” said Firman.

Firman actually does not only produce fashion crafts, but also various types of other crafts such as home decor and accessories. If you add up the variants, it may reach more than a hundred.

There are so many product variants because he and his team always try to release at least one new product variant every month.

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