Producer’s Profile :

Akarya Mandiri  group,

From : Yogyakarta

Akarya Mandiri group was founded in the late 1995 by  Darwati (60). Akarya Mandiri group make products from natural materials such as, vetiver, water hyacinth, palm leaf rib, banana leaf, mendhong etc. as the main material in her handcraft products. Places of production which also used as showroom, store many collections of Akarya Mandiri??. There are about 50 types of products consists of various sizes. There sunshade, bag, placemat clothes, pillow cases, mats, prayer mats, etc. While product decoration like : rickshaw, glass frames, dolls , artificial bird and others. All neatly packed in her showroom that in Bothokan Village, Argosari, Sedayu, Bantul, Yogyakarta.

Being a business woman since the 70s with producing belts of natural materials, Darwati then tried to produce another craft product. “Initially, I tried to produce it, if you not try, you will never know your capabilities.” Darwati said when was asked how to start a business of this craft. In 1995, Darwati started her business by marketing her own craft around Yogyakarta. Then there are traders from Jakarta who are interested in the product, eventually purchased for wholesale. Middling direction to success has begun to appear, it happened in 1998. Then in 1999 there was a man from Semarang (central Java) who ordered bags of vetiver as many as 500 pieces, he would use the bags as a souvenir on his birthday.

Darwati, gave brand, Akarya Mandiri and the address to all her handicraft worked, her brilliant idea worked well, people started to notice about her products. She admitted that her efforts were really from zero, however the result of her hard works, she was able to buy traditional weaving machine, one by one, until now reaching tens of its which operated by approximately 20 – 30 group members. “From the beginning I started this business by myself, I tried to make what the buyer requested, I do not depend on anyone, less capital. Therefore I named my business Karya Mandiri.”  The results of her hard effort, as the mother of two daughters, she was able to send her two daughters to the university.

In 1998 Akarya Mandiri started to have partnership with Pekerti. At the first stage of partnership, Pekerti help this group to increase their skill by providing training of quality control and production management.