Tag: Indonesia

  • Multi Bintang Cancels Factory Expansion

    Multi Bintang Cancels Factory Expansion

    PT Multi Bintang Indonesia (MLBI) has decided to postpone plans to expand its factory in Mojokerto. The decision was made as the company faced difficulties with Trade Minister Regulation on the distribution of alcoholic beverages and the Draft Bill on alcoholic beverages, which is still being discussed by the House of Representatives.

    Bambang Britono, Director of Corporate Relationship of the company said that the Trade Minister Regulation No. 6/M-DAG/PER/1/2015 on the Control and Supervision on Procurement, Distribution and License for Alcoholic Beverages have forced the company to reschedule its plant to expand production facilities.

    “It is actually depends on time and supply. Previously [our sales] had dropped because of the Trade Minister Regulation. So we have decided to do a reschedule,” Bambang said on Friday, September 23, 2016.

    In addition, the government’s plan to pass the Draft Bill on Alcoholic Beverages, which bans the production, distribution and consumption of alcoholic beverages with an alcohol level of one up to 55 percent have disrupted the company’s distribution activities. Nevertheless, Bambang is certain that the government will be able to come up with a just policy for alcoholic beverages company.

    “Because the [alcoholic beverages] industry has quite large [contribution], not only in terms of levy and taxes revenue, but also multiplier effect on other industries, such as tourism. So the government will consider its own discretion,” Bambang said.

  • Aceh wins three prizes in halal tourism category

    Aceh wins three prizes in halal tourism category

    Aceh Province has won three prizes in the National Halal Tourism Competition (KPHN) 2016, an official said.

    The three awards were in the categories of Muslim Friendly Airport–given to Sultan Iskandar Muda International Airport in Banda Aceh, as well as best Muslim friendly cultural destination, and best tourist attraction for Baiturrahman Grand Mosque, said Reza Fahlevi, head of the Aceh cultural and tourism office, on Thursday.

    He expressed his gratitude to the people of Aceh for helping develop halal tourism in the province, and to the Central Government for supporting Aceh in its participating in the World Halal Travel Awards 2016 in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates.

    “Alhamdulillah (Thank God), Aceh won prizes for three categories in competition with 117 nominees in 15 categories,” he remarked.

    The results of the competition were announced in Jakarta on Wednesday.

    The Aceh provincial administration seeks to improve its tourism industry to meet its 3As – Amenity, Accessibility, and Attraction– in order to transform the province into a world-class tourism destination.

  • DBS to offer digibank service in Indonesia

    DBS to offer digibank service in Indonesia

    DBS Bank plans to launch a mobile-only banking service in Indonesia by the end of the year.

    DBS Group chief executive Piyush Gupta told the Sweden-Southeast Asia Business Summit on Wednesday that the bank is targeting Indonesia to capitalise on the young, tech-savvy consumers among its 260 million population.

    “Indonesia is an important market with its size and scale, and the economic reforms taking place in the country,” he said. “There is great potential for business as we see a pickup in the country’s economy under the leadership of President Joko Widodo.”

    DBS’s digibank offering, which includes an e-wallet and a savings account, will be available to customers in addition to its consumer and corporate banking services at its 34 branches in 13 Indonesian cities. DBS opened its first branch in Indonesia – an outlet in Jakarta – in 1989.

    DBS hopes to replicate the success it is seeing in India since it started its digibank service there in April – the first mobile-only banking facility in the sub-continent, said a DBS spokesman.

    The service has attracted more than 250,000 new clients in the first four months of its operation.

    A digibank account can be opened in India with just a 12-digit Aadhaar number, which provides a unique biometric identification for all resident Indian citizens.

    More than a billion Indians have been issued with Aadhaar cards by the government. With over 200 million smartphone users in the country, the market for digibank is huge.

    The service’s e-wallet can be used for making payments, including telephone and electricity bills. Customers can also use a Visa virtual debit card to shop at over 100,000 online merchants.

    “While we continue to invest in growing our existing network in India, we also believe that with the digital revolution, the future of banking will be very different,” said the spokesman.

    “Increasingly, many customers want to be able to do their banking digitally and on the go. A successful digital banking strategy will meet changing customer needs, while enabling us to accelerate our reach in large geographies without the need for a large brick-and-mortar footprint.”

    Indonesian clients will be able to use their biometric national identity card to open digibank accounts.

    DBS said it intends to launch digibank in other markets after its introduction in Indonesia.

  • Garuda targeting Rp386 billion transactions during travel fair

    Garuda targeting Rp386 billion transactions during travel fair

    PT Garuda Indonesia is targeting transactions of up to Rp386 billion in ticket sales during the Garuda Travel Fair (GATF) Phase II in 2016, to be held in 18 cities in Indonesia.

    Commercial Director of Garuda Indonesia A. Toni Soetirto said at a press conference here on Thursday that for Jakarta alone, the company targets sales transactions amounting to Rp225 billion and 80 thousand visitors.

    “The implementation of GATFs second phase provides an opportunity for service users to receive attractive offers,” he stated.

    In addition, he targeted a 3 to 4 percent increase in occupancy rate (load factor) compared with the off-season or low season.

    “In the third quarter, the interest of the public is higher,” he remarked.

    The overall target for transactions, he added, was higher than that of GATF Phase I, which raised Rp350 billion, and in Jakarta alone raised Rp179 billion, with 69 thousand visitors.

    Soetirto said GATF Phase II will be held in 18 major cities: Jakarta, Bandung, Medan, Lampung, Palembang, Semarang, Solo, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar, Lombok, Kupang, Balikpapan, Makassar, Manado, Ambon, Timika, and Jayapura.

    “Through this travel fair, the customers get the best prices and attractive packages,” he stated.

    Soetirto said Garuda Indonesia is also working with its subsidiary, Citilink Indonesia, as well as a number of travel agents to participate in the exhibition being held at the Jakarta Convention Center for three days from October 7 to 9.

    For the seventh time, Garuda will collaborate with Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) as its bank partner in organizing the exhibition.

    On the same occasion, Director of Consumer Banking BNI Anggoro Eko Cahyo said BNI would offer a variety of promotions and convenient services for customers at the exhibition.

    Among them, BNI credit card holders will receive 600 cashback tickets per day with a value up to Rp1 million, while the banks debit card holders will have a similar offer.

    “We appreciate Garuda Indonesias invitation to partner with them again and share profits, values, and so on,” Cahyo noted.

  • DHL Express has opened its Jakarta Gateway 530 facility

    DHL Express has opened its Jakarta Gateway 530 facility

    DHL Express has opened its Jakarta Gateway 530 facility at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport to support Indonesian trade.

    According to DHL, the new 1,353-square-metre facility is an addition to the existing Gateway 510, which is at full capacity. Gateway 530 is capable of handling up to 2 million shipments per year and is equipped with dual-view X-ray screening, an explosive trace detector system and 103 CCTV cameras.

    “Our new Jakarta Gateway 530 will enable local businesses to trade seamlessly with customers around the world,” said Ken Lee, CEO of DHL Express Asia Pacific. “SMEs play a vital role in the Indonesian economy, contributing close to 58% of Indonesia’s GDP and Indonesia remains a key pillar in supporting South East Asia’s economic growth. This new facility allows DHL to continue supporting the growing export and import needs in Indonesia by providing greater access to international markets.”

    The facility offers direct airside access and in-house customs. Major trading partners that will benefit from Gateway 530 include mainland China, Germany, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and the US, according to DHL.

  • Pre-owned category booms, notes Asia Luxury Index

    Pre-owned category booms, notes Asia Luxury Index

    Pre-owned luxury items are becoming more popular, according to the 2016 Asia Luxury Index, compiled by Singapore-based online luxury retailer Reebonz.

    Drawing on industry reports and its sales data, the index reveals 30 per cent sales growth in the pre-owned category over the last year, with bags and shoes the most popular items.

    While 62 per cent of online transactions on Reebonz involve bags, the index says timepieces and shoes are primed to be the next growth-drivers for luxury in Asia in both the new and pre-owned categories. Spending on timepieces increased by 39 per cent, whereas shoe shopping ballooned by 87 per cent.

    Meanwhile, Chanel emerges as the top performer in Asia, with Burberry, Givenchy and Prada trailing close behind in the new luxury products category.

    “The group of luxury consumers is evolving and expanding – luxury is no longer just for the select few,” says Reebonz co-founder/CEO Samuel Lin. “With growing affluence and accessibility, more consumers can readily buy luxury goods.”

    A key finding from the index is that while there is still a growing demand for luxury goods, consumers are splurging more on higher-value new products. Expenditure growth has increased by 50 per cent while there have been only 37 per cent more transactions.

    “People are overlooking popularity for quality and exclusivity these days,” says Reebonz regional GM Benjamin Han.

    Blue-chip brands also command the pre-owned luxury category, with Chanel, Hermes and Prada posting strong performances across all product categories.

    Online luxury shopping continues to grow in Asia, with Hong Kong and Indonesia charting the biggest growth when it comes to high-end goods. Singapore is still firmly in first place for online shopping.

  • Garuda Indonesia opens new flight route in E. Nusa Tenggara

    Garuda Indonesia opens new flight route in E. Nusa Tenggara

    The national airline Garuda Indonesia launched a new flight route here to expand connectivity in East Indonesia, said Director of Garuda Indonesia Cargo Sigit Murhartono on Thursday.

    “The two new routes are Maumere-Denpasar, round trip, and direct flights on Kupang-Jakarta, round trip,” he said in a press statement in Kupang.

    The inauguration of the new flight path for Garuda Indonesia was conducted at the Frans Seda Airport in Maumere, Sikka District, and was attended by Sikka Regent Yoseph Ansar Rera.

    Murhartono said the new flight service to and from the NTT is part of the expansion of the flight network, which continues to be conducted by Garuda Indonesia.

    In addition, the opening of the new route is part of the continued commitment of the state-owned airline to support the programs of the Presiden Joko Widodo (Jokowi) administration.

    “We have a commitment to always support government programs to improve connectivity between the island and the city, especially in developing the tourism industry to realize the target of 272 million tourists visiting Indonesia and to make NTT Province a new tourist destination,” he noted.

    He also expected the opening of the new routes would allow Garuda to increase the flow of tourists and businesspeople between Kupang City, as the capital of the province, and Maumere, which has many tourist spots.

    Murhartono explained that the Maumere-Denpasar route will be served by Garuda Indonesia four times a week — Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday — with scheduled flights from Maumere departing at 10.55 a.m. and arriving in Denpasar at 00.55 p.m.

    Meanwhile, the Denpasar-Maumere trip will depart at 7 a.m. and will arrive in Maumere at 9 a.m. The Maumere-Denpasar round trip flight route will be served by an ATR 71-600 aircraft with a passenger capacity of 70 economy seats.

    The Kupang-Jakarta round trip flight will be served by a Bombardier CRJ 1000 NextGen aircraft, which is touted as being reliable and environmentally friendly with cost-efficient operations.

    “For the daily Kupang-Jakarta, round trip, service departure from Jakarta will be at 5 a.m., arriving in Kupang at 8.55 a.m. and then returning from Kupang at 6.55 p.m. and arriving in Jakarta at 8.10 p.m.,” he stated.

    With the opening of the new routes, Garuda Indonesia will serve up to 39 flights to and from NTT Province every week.

  • Ooredoo plans stake sale in Indonesian unit Indosat

    Ooredoo plans stake sale in Indonesian unit Indosat

    Ooredoo plans stake sale in Indonesian unit Indosat. Ooredoo is exploring options including a sale of its controlling stake in Indonesia’s phone carrier PT Indosat as the Qatari phone company seeks to raise cash and focus on its more profitable Middle Eastern markets, according to people familiar with the matter.

    The carrier could sell its 65 per cent stake in Indosat to another phone company willing to expand in the region, the people said, asking not to be identified because the deliberations are private. The holding has a market value of about $1.4 billion. No final decision has been made and deliberations are still at a preliminary stage, the people said.

    Ooredoo said it has no intention of selling its interest in Indosat, according to a statement dated September 20 on its website. Indosat shares rose as much as 2.9 per cent, the most in a week, in Jakarta trading on Wednesday.

    Ooredoo, which has operations spanning Algeria to Myanmar, is also considering a sale of its indirect stake in Singapore’s StarHub, people with knowledge of the matter said in July. Ooredoo is majority owned by the Qatar Investment Authority sovereign wealth fund and other government related entities. Investment funds in many Middle Eastern countries are raising cash through asset sales to combat declining oil prices.

  • South Korea to explore halal food market in Indonesia

    South Korea to explore halal food market in Indonesia

    The South Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, through the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation, will explore the possibility of entering the halal food market in Indonesia.

    Lee Kyu Baek from the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation made the statement in Jakarta, Tuesday, during a press conference about the upcoming Korean Festival, scheduled to begin on Sep 30.

    As a part of the month-long festival, the Trade Corporation will hold a Korean food fair themed Safe and Healthy Lifestyle with Premium K-Food from 6 to 9 October.

    “This effort is being made to increase the demand for Korean foods, as well as heightening its recognition in Indonesia,” he said.

    Lee further explained that the halal food industry in Korea is still small, which is why the Korean government has launched a Moslem friendly policy to ensure the convenience of Moslem tourists who come to visit.

    It has been reported that some 740,000 Moslem tourists have visited South Korea, as of last year, and the Indonesia K-Food Fair 2016 event is seeking to further promote both Korean cuisine and tourism to the Indonesian public.

    The cuisine-based fair will be divided into two segments, one being an export conference, scheduled to be held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Oct 6 and 7.

    “We will be holding a seminar in which representatives from Korea will explain halal policies, as well as the steps to obtain halal certification in detail,” he said.

    The business-to-business conference will see 20 Korean exhibitors and 40 Indonesian buyers participating, he remarked.

    In addition, a consumer experience event (B2C) will be held in Kota Kasablanka from October 8 to 9, where visitors can taste traditional Korean foods being promoted in separate halal, easy products and healthy food zones.

  • Cargill enters partnership with Japfa for poultry products in Indonesia

    Cargill enters partnership with Japfa for poultry products in Indonesia

    Cargill and So Good Food, a wholly-owned Indonesian subsidiary of leading agri-food company Japfa, have entered into a 60-40 joint venture to produce and supply fully-cooked poultry products in Indonesia. The strategic partnership will leverage Cargill’s broad industry expertise to boost So Good Food’s capabilities in consumer food processing technologies, product innovation and quality assurance. Cargill and Japfa will also work together to produce a new range of value-added consumer food products.

    Besides toll manufacturing for So Good Food, the joint venture company, Cahaya Gunung Foods (Shining Mountain Foods), will supply high quality products to well-established and reputable quick service restaurants (“QSR”); hotels, restaurants, and the food service sector (“HORECA”); as well as convenience stores and petrol kiosks (“CVS”) in Indonesia. Cahaya Gunung Foods will also have the capability to export products to the region.

    Cementing Partnership, Strengthening Capabilities

    Derek Schoonbaert of Cargill was appointed Managing Director of Cahaya Gunung Foods and he stated: “Indonesia is an important growth market for Cargill. This is our first venture in the poultry business in Indonesia and we are excited to be partnering with Japfa. We will implement our world-class systems and processes to ensure high quality chicken products through our broad industry expertise and quality standards.

    On Japfa’s latest partnership, Mr Tan Yong Nang, Chief Executive Officer of Japfa, explained, “We are pleased to further cement our relationship with Cargill, whom we have had a long standing business relationship with. To be selected as Cargill’s JV partner is testament of Japfa’s high quality, food safety and welfare standards. We look forward to strengthening our capabilities and know-how with Cargill’s broad industry expertise, and deliver even better quality chicken products.”

    Cahaya Gunung Foods will initially operate out of So Good Food’s existing value-added meat plant at Boyolali, Indonesia and take over the employment of the employees at the processing facility. Both companies will look to invest and expand the operations together, focusing on new premium products.

    Meanwhile, So Good Food will continue to operate its four meat processing plants in Indonesia, focused on producing downstream branded ready-to-eat consumer food products such as chicken nuggets, meat balls and shelf-stable sausages.

    Growing Appetite in Indonesia

    According to Euromonitor, Indonesia is the largest foodservice market in ASEAN. The value sales for Indonesia’s foodservice market grew at a compound annual growth rate (“CAGR”) of 8.7% from 2010 to 2014, reaching US$36.8 billion in 2014, which was about US$14 billion higher than the next largest ASEAN market, Thailand.

    Full-service restaurants, fast food and street stalls/kiosks are the top three growth drivers for Indonesia’s foodservice market. The sales value of the foodservice market is estimated to increase at a CAGR of 9.0% from 2015 to 2019 to hit US$56.3 million by end 2018.

    “As the world’s fourth most populous nation, Indonesia’s foodservice market offers immense opportunities. Today, our So Good, So Good Sozzis and So Nice brands are already award-winning household brands in Indonesia for processed meats such as chicken nuggets, meat balls and shelf-stable sausages. Our JV with Cargill will take us a step further into new growth segments such as HORECA and CVS with a wider range of consumer food products,” concluded Mr Tan.

  • Google may face over $400 million Indonesia tax bill for 2015

    Google may face over $400 million Indonesia tax bill for 2015

    Indonesia has really slammed Google this time around. If you can’t pay the fine don’t do the crime. The latest with the two is that Indonesia is arranging to seek after Google for a long time of back charges, and the colossal exploratory giant could be condemned with a bill of more than $400 million for 2015 single-handedly, in the occurrence that it is found to have maintained a strategic distance from installments.

    Muhammad Hanif, leader of the assessment office’s exceptional cases branch, went to Google’s neighborhood office in Indonesia on Monday. The duty office claims Google Indonesia paid under 0.1 percent of the aggregate wage and esteem included expenses it owed a year ago.

    Google Indonesia emphasized an announcement made a week ago in which it said it keeps on participating with neighborhood powers and has paid all pertinent charges.

    On the off chance that discovered blameworthy, Google will need to pay fines of up to four times the sum it owed, conveying the greatest expense bill to 5.5 trillion rupiah ($418 million) for 2015. OUCH!

    The greater part of the income produced in the nation is reserved at Google’s Asia Pacific base camp in Singapore. Google Asia Pacific declined to be reviewed in June, provoking the expense office to heighten the case into a criminal one,

    Google’s contention is that they simply did tax planning. Tax arranging is lawful, however forceful expense arranging – to the degree that the nation where the income is made does not get anything – is not lawful. That’s right, the law will bite you, so make sure you do your homework beforehand.

    Tax avoidance, not at all like tax evasion, is legitimate. Be that as it may, numerous expansive organizations push into legitimate hazy areas with forceful methodologies intended to expand “charge effectiveness”. A typical approach to move benefits seaward is through exchange evaluating, when auxiliaries in various nations charge each other for merchandise or administrations “sold” inside the gathering. This is especially prevalent among innovation and medication organizations that have bunches of licensed innovation, the estimation of which is particularly subjective. These intra-organization eminence exchanges should be arm’s-length, however are regularly evaluated to minimize benefits in high-charge nations and amplify them in low-impose ones.

    The assessment office will summon chiefs from Google Indonesia who additionally hold positions at Google Asia Pacific, including that it is working with the Indonesian police.

    All around, it is uncommon for a state examination of corporate assessment structures to be swelled into a criminal case. It ordinarily takes no less than three years for an Indonesian court to settle on a choice on an assessment criminal case.

    The duty office wants to pursue back assessments from different organizations that convey content through the web (over-the-top administration suppliers) in Indonesia.

    The Indonesian correspondence and data service is chipping away at another direction for OTT suppliers, and the duty office has suggested that an organization with system nearness in Indonesia ought to likewise be liable to tax assessment.

    Lawsuits are a pretty common manner with society and especially businesses. The Law dictionary outlines it significantly. According to the most recently acclaimed statistics, approximately 95 percent of awaiting lawsuits end in a pre-trial settlement. This means that just one in 20 cases are determined in a court of law by a judge or jury. It also means that planning for a pre-trial settlement is a vital factor of any lawful policy. Evidently, many seasoned plaintiffs use the immensity of the pre-trial preparation period to assemble a case that persuades their opponents into resolving for a favorable sum.

    We have to consider that Google is a very, very, very successful business. So despite them possibly being hit with this bill, chances are they can afford to pay for it. But of course who wants to waste money like that? How much does Google make exactly? I’m sure you’re all wondering. Moz indicates that in 2013, Google made $58.8 Billion in revenues. In Q1 of 2014, Google reported making $15.4 billion – on track to beat $60B for the year. For the financial year 2010, Google reported revenues of $29.3 Billion.

  • Indonesia-US economic ties to strongly develop in next five years

    Indonesia-US economic ties to strongly develop in next five years

    The US-Indonesia trade may increase by 46 percent in the next five years, according to the latest report from the US Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia, source from Vietnam News in Jakarta.

    The report appreciates efforts by President Jokowi’s government in carrying out economic reforms and improving the business environment, saying that the reform needs to be stepped up.

    It also urges the Indonesian government to boost the law enforcement and create a more solid and fair legal foundation, especially in respecting commercial contracts, which is very important in creating confidence for businesses who intend to do business in Indonesia.

    The report recommended the Indonesian government continue reforming administrative procedures and investment policy and cut investment licensing time.

    In 2014, two-way trade between the US and Indonesia surpassed 90 billion USD.-

  • PT Telkom launches pay TV content and ad platform

    PT Telkom launches pay TV content and ad platform

    Indonesia’s PT Telkom, through satellite business unit Metrasat, has launched a new content and advertising solution designed to support the pay TV industry in Indonesia.

    Metrasat, itself a subsidiary of Telkom’s PT Multimedia Nusantara division, has announced the launch of Mediahub.

    The Mediahub project was initiated due to the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission’s regulations restricting foreign commercial advertisement on the foreign channels aired on local pay TV channels in Indonesia.

    MediaHub is the first solution specifically designed to help content providers, advertising agencies, the Ministry of Communication and Informatics of Indonesia, the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission and pay TV operators develop safe and convenient local content, as well as increasing revenue and optimizing cost efficiency.

    It aims to address practical solutions as a content aggregation and distribution service, helping the industry face ever-increasing distribution and monetization challenges. With its playout and ad-insertion system, MediaHub allows selected content to comply with national broadcasting regulations while distributing it in any format required by pay TV operators.

    MediaHub’s proprietary plug-and-play system means it is the only pay TV ad network to support local content developers.

    “Telkom is pleased to launch an integrated solution that not only caters to the telco industry, but is designed to create significant new value for the content and advertising industry in Indonesia,” said Telkom director of enterprise and business services Muhammad Awaluddin. He said the launch is in line with Telkom’s mission of transforming from a telco to a “digico” (digital telecommunications).

    “TelkomMetra focuses on adjacent business supporting the Telco Business and believes that the content industry will grow significantly in the years to come,” added TelkomMetra CEO Teguh Wahyono.

    “However, it will require support from efficient aggregation and distribution services. TelkomMetra will support the content industry by delivering contents effectively and efficiently while complying with Indonesian regulations. We expect local content to grow even more while global content will continue to honor and support Indonesian culture.”

  • Indonesia to set retail beef prices

    Indonesia to set retail beef prices

    The Trade Ministry says it will set reference prices for a number of basic food items at the consumer level, including beef.

    Writing in today’s Agri Commodities Daily Alert, Comm Bank’s Tobin Gorey said the policy announced yesterday was effectively a government mandated price ceiling, aimed at maintaining domestic price stability.

    “The retail price range for fresh beef will reportedly be between 50,000‑105,000 rupiah (A$5‑A$10.60/kg),” Mr Gorey said.

    “Fresh beef is currently trading at around 114,000 rupiah (A$11.55/kg) in Jakarta wet markets.”

    The announcement follows earlier news that Indonesia will officially begin importing lower cost buffalo meat from India. The buffalo meat is being sourced from 10 meatworks located in foot and mouth disease (FMD)-free zones.

    Indonesia is Australia’s largest export market for cattle and fifth biggest market for boxed week. Last year Australia exported 618,323 live cattle worth A$548.8 million and 39,134 tonnes of boxed beef valued at A$244m.

  • SaladStop! raises $5m from new partners

    SaladStop! raises $5m from new partners

    Singapore salad bar chain SaladStop! has raised S$5 million (US$3.6 million) from private equity firmsDSG Consumer Partners and Hera Capital who took a minority stake in the company.

    SaladStop! has 15 outlets in Singapore and eight in the Philippines, with stores in Hong Kong, Indonesia and Japan scheduled to open by the end of the year. Its first round of funding will be focused on further growing its footprint in Singapore, investing into new ventures and continuing to develop its technological platforms.

    A family business, SaladStop! was founded by hotelier Daniel and Adrien Desbaillets in 2009 and is co-headed by daughter Katherine and son-in-law Frantz Braha.

    Hera Capital’s Thierry de Panafieu says the company benefits from the growing middle class in Asia and increasing awareness toward healthy and sustainable eating.

    SaladStop!’s motto, Eat Wide Awake, encourages consumers to be more knowledgeable about their food. It is pioneering a food movement that believes in the basic human right to truly eat well.

    Hera Capital is a private equity firm investing in fast-growing SMEs in the consumer retail, media and digital sectors with a focus on Southeast Asia. Hera Capital has invested into such firms as ActSocial, Bel Perfumes, CashCashPinoy, Creme Simon and Sophie Paris.

    DSG Consumer Partners is a venture capital fund focussed on early-stage consumer businesses in India and Southeast Asia. Brands funded and backed by the founders since 2004 include Bakers Circle, Burger King India, Chai Point, Eazydiner, Raw Pressery, Saffronart, Saraf Foods, Smoke House Deli, Sula Wines and Veeba Food.