Difandi Wahyu Hibatur Rahman, a 2018 Mathematics student from the Faculty of Science and Technology at Universitas Airlangga, is one of the faculty’s distinguished students for successfully representing Universitas Airlangga in the Indonesian Student Entrepreneurship Activity (KBMI) organized by the Ministry of Education and Culture. The program, conducted online, attracted up to 1,000 participants in teams. Difandi’s group, guided by Dr. Tri Siwi Agustina SE., M.Si., a lecturer from the Faculty of Economics and Business at Universitas Airlangga, successfully secured KBMI funding in 2021 with their business, MASPOKAT.
MASPOKAT is a contemporary beverage business in the Food and Beverage sector, using avocado as the main ingredient. The drinks offered by MASPOKAT are mixed with milk and creamer, creating an authentic and distinctive taste that keeps people coming back for more. Unlike typical avocado juice, the avocado in MASPOKAT’s drinks is coarsely processed, allowing consumers to feel the avocado pulp.
The motivation instilled by Difandi and his team is to become independent students who can ease their parents’ burdens. According to Difandi, the desire to start a business was ingrained in him and his team members, giving him a strong determination to participate in KBMI with the hope that their business could grow, introduce new innovations, and empower the local community, especially high school and vocational students. Raising capital was also a significant motivation for Difandi to join the competition. The funds they gathered could be used to further develop MASPOKAT, from improving internal operations to opening new branches.
Previously, Difandi and his team had participated in KBMI during their first year of university. Unfortunately, their business proposal did not pass the selection stage. However, this setback did not discourage him. Difandi participated again in KBMI during their second year, facing the same outcome. Yet, this did not hinder their pursuit of success. They learned from their past mistakes in proposal writing, using their two years of experience as a foundation for their third-year attempt. Thanks to their hard work and effort, Difandi’s proposal finally passed. Quoting Difandi, he said, “Not everything goes smoothly. Everything takes a process, and from the process, we will know our mistakes, and from the mistakes, we can learn.”
The business, which has been running for a year, already has three branches in Sidoarjo, offering various innovative avocado juice drinks such as original, milo, gooday, ginger, and coco crunchy, priced at Rp5000. The avocados used are sourced directly from farmers, ensuring quality and affordability. The business is run by five Universitas Airlangga students, each from different study programs with their respective roles. Selecting KBMI members was challenging as they needed to align their passion for business. This clearly shows Difandi’s seriousness in taking his business to the next level, not merely trying it out. Difandi’s future plan for MASPOKAT is to open up to 30 branches across Sidoarjo and Surabaya.
Author: Annisa Rahma Putri
