Serving The Needs Of Moms

Local thermal bag maker GabaG takes on foreign rivals to carve a niche in the market.

- Ulisari Eslita

Breastfeeding remains prevalent in Indonesia thanks to the government regulation that requires all companies to provide maternity rooms as well as the ban on milk formula promotion. According to the 2012 Demographic and Health Survey, breastfeeding before the age of six months has risen from 32% (in 2007) to 42% (in 2012). Those numbers are a good sign not only for the government but also for husband and wife entrepreneurs Fandy Sundoro and Gabriella Rayana Lengkong, founders and owners or PT GabaG Indonesia, the country’s first thermal bag manufacturer.

GabaG’s first thermal bag was launched back in 2009, when imported products such as Pigeon (Japan) and Medela (US) dominated the local market. “As a working and a breastfeeding mother, I did not have many options for thermal bags at that time. So, I decided to make one for myself,” says Gabriella, adding that thermal bags at the time were pricey, small and not stylish, especially for working moms like her.

Surprisingly, Gabriella’s self-made thermal-bag drew the attention of her friends, who asked her to produce them in large numbers. During the early days of production, Gabriella designed the thermal bags herself but later found bag makers to help her produce the goods. But as demand grew, in 2012, Gabriella and her husband decided to set up their own thermal bag manufacturer in Banten with a production capacity of 8,000 bags per month. Prices ranged from Rp200,000 to Rp500,000 each.