PT. Kimchi Jaya Bersaudara: Gorontalo’s Global-Standard Entrepreneurial Inspiration
Amidst the vast stretches of brackish water ponds in Gorontalo lies an extraordinary fisheries potential. Yet, for years, the region’s main commodity—milkfish—was destined only to be used as fishing bait or shipped raw out of the area, incurring high risks of loss.
This challenging scenario became the backdrop for the establishment of PT Kimchi Jaya Bersaudara. Founded on June 25, 2022, PT Kimchi is more than just a fish processing plant; it is a manifestation of a holistic vision committed to managing the entire value chain, from seed stock upstream to marketing downstream. The company proves that with quality discipline and strategic investment in technology, Gorontalo's local commodities can be prepared to compete on the international stage.
Discovering Milkfish Potential in a 17,000-Hectare Area
The inspiration for this venture was revealed in an exclusive interview on the BIG Bicara Investasi Gorontalo Podcast, organized by the Gorontalo Provincial Investment and One-Stop Integrated Services Agency (DPMPTSP) in collaboration with Arcomedia Gorontalo. In the Podcast, Nico Sanjaya, the owner of PT Kimchi Jaya Bersaudara, disclosed:
"I saw that there are many milkfish ponds here, which we typically use as fish bait in Ambon. So, I studied the situation here and found that the potential is great, the capacity is huge, but the local receivers are severely lacking. I saw this as an opportunity."
Gorontalo boasts a staggering 17,000 hectares of brackish water pond potential, with Pohuwato serving as the epicenter. PT Kimchi's initial observation found that amidst abundant harvests, farmers were plagued by anxiety. The lack of local reception and processing facilities made the fish vulnerable to spoilage, forcing farmers to sell at suboptimal prices or bear the risks of long-distance shipping to Makassar or Palu.
PT Kimchi's entrepreneurial vision was thus formulated: to build a processing factory that serves dual functions—as a profit-seeking entity and as a vital solution for stabilizing and receiving farmers' harvests. The presence of PT Kimchi provides a stable market guarantee for over 100 partner farmers spread across key areas like Pohuwato, Randangan, and Marisa, through a network of collectors that has now reached 30 members.
The economic impact of PT Kimchi was evident in a short period. Production volume drastically increased. From only 88.5 tons in the first year, this figure skyrocketed to 1,666.8 tons in 2024. By October 2025, production had already reached 1,681 tons, targeting 2,000 tons by the end of the year. This figure is not just business growth statistics; it is a narrative of success in absorbing local raw material potential massively and efficiently.
The Anatomy of Industrial Readiness: Investment and Human Resources
PT Kimchi's success in managing a production volume of up to 15 tons per day is inseparable from planned capital and human resource investment. Located on a 1.5-hectare plot, the company is fully equipped with industrial-grade cold storage facilities.
The core facilities of PT Kimchi are the heart of their cold chain:
Air Blast Freezer (ABF): Two units with a total capacity of 9 tons, used for the rapid freezing of domestic products.
Contact Freezer: Three specialized units for export products, capable of processing a total of 6 tons per day using a direct-contact mechanism, ensuring the high-quality freezing required by the international market.
The total freezing capacity, reaching 15 tons per day, is the company's commitment not only to doing business but also to mitigating the quality risk of frozen products.
In terms of human resources, the company transformed from only five employees at the start into a labor-intensive entity employing 70 people, including permanent, daily, and contract workers. This transformation shows how investment in the processing sector can be a significant driver for local job creation.
The processed products also adapt to modern market demands: not just whole frozen milkfish, but also high-value-added products such as Milkfish Fillet, Deboned Milkfish, and Milkfish Cuts, targeting the domestic market with strong ambitions to expand into exports.
Quality Discipline: The Gateway to Exports
Muhiddin Djailani, as a representative speaker from PT Kimchi, revealed that the main key distinguishing PT Kimchi and making it an entrepreneurial inspiration is the adoption of uncompromising quality standards—a necessity for penetrating the global market. This quality is implemented in layers, from the cultivation level up to shipping.
1. Quality Control Upstream (Partner Farmers)
PT Kimchi recognizes that factory quality heavily depends on handling at the pond. Their strategy involves comprehensive training:
Natural Cultivation: Encouraging the use of fertilizers (Urea, TSP) to grow natural feed (algae/moss), minimizing the use of expensive manufactured feed.
Cold Chain Application: The company provides free ice to farmers. The mandatory procedure emphasized is ensuring the fish are killed and immediately placed in ice after harvest. This guarantees the fish temperature remains below $+4^\circ\text{C}$, maintaining the organoleptic freshness, which is the basic standard before acceptance at the factory.
2. Global Standards Downstream (Factory)
Inside the factory, every process follows a strict Quality Manual and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). However, export ambition demands PT Kimchi go further by implementing the international HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) standard.
This standard involves highly detailed testing and assurance:
Food Safety and Hygiene Assurance: Sterilization processes and workflow in the factory are designed to prevent cross-contamination.
Contaminant and Residue Free: Mandatory periodic laboratory testing (every 6 months) is performed to ensure products are free from chemical residues and heavy metal contamination (arsenic, mercury, lead). Given the mercury issues related to mining in some parts of Gorontalo, this control is extra cautious.
Traceability: Every package is equipped with a production code, expiration date, and product code, allowing the company to track the source of the fish (which farmer) in case of a quality complaint—an essential accountability system in the global market.
The result of this discipline is reflected in market recognition. PT Kimchi consistently receives a Ranking A for its product quality and, most proudly, has never received a complaint from large-scale domestic consumers.
3. Technology Innovation Strategy
High quality is also supported by investment in machinery and equipment that increases efficiency and hygiene. PT Kimchi has invested in technology, including:
Sizing Machine: A fish size sorting machine, ensuring product uniformity.
Descaling Machine: Eliminates slow and contamination-prone manual labor, ensuring the fish emerge clean and ready for processing.
Metal Detector Machine: The final line of defense to ensure product safety from foreign object contamination.
Market Expansion and Logistics Entrepreneurial Challenges
With a solid foundation in quality, PT Kimchi focuses its energy on export expansion plans, with China currently being the main target. This export plan has gone through the visit and inspection stage by Chinese representatives, requiring the company to adjust its Government-to-Government (G2G) process according to the regulations of the destination country.
However, amidst the factory and product readiness, PT Kimchi faces a classic entrepreneurial challenge in archipelagic regions: Logistics and Infrastructure.
Regional Cold Chain Limitations
The recurring main problem is the shortage of available Reefer Containers (refrigerated containers). Often, a request for four container shipments can only be fulfilled with one or two, hindering the shipping schedule and damaging customer trust. This limitation is worsened by the limited availability of vessel seats at the local port, which is not yet international and has restricted routes.
This constraint teaches an important entrepreneurial lesson: in areas with limited infrastructure, investment opportunities are not only in the production sector but are even more vital in the logistics support sector.
Investment Opportunities for the Fisheries Ecosystem
The story of PT Kimchi indirectly maps out wide-open investment opportunities for other entrepreneurs who want to collaborate in building Gorontalo's overall fisheries ecosystem:
Intensive Pond Investment: Transforming the existing semi-intensive system into intensive ponds to maximize the volume and quality of milkfish.
Milkfish Hatchery Development: A local breeding project to break the dependency chain on seed stock from outside Bali, ensuring a supply of uniform and high-quality seeds.
Communal Cold Storage Development: Building a larger cold storage facility to accommodate surplus harvests and products, serving the needs of many business actors, not just one factory.
Cold Chain Logistics Solutions (Reefer and Tracking): This is the most critical and potential opportunity. Investing in a reliable Reefer Container fleet and refrigerated transport system (trucks) will solve the shipping bottleneck problem and strengthen Gorontalo's position as an exporter.
Ultimately, the hope of business actors like PT Kimchi Jaya Bersaudara is for government support, not only in terms of licensing but also in improving access road infrastructure to the ponds, and most significantly, fighting for the allocation of subsidized fertilizer for pond farmers. Granting the same rights as rice farmers will alleviate the farmers' operational burden, increase profitability upstream, and ensure a stable and high-quality supply downstream.
Discipline and Intention as Entrepreneurial Keys
For those inspired and looking to start an investment, either in ponds or their supporting sectors, the message from PT Kimchi is clear: Be Confident to Proceed because Gorontalo’s potential is huge, but success can only be achieved through Discipline and strong Intention.
Discipline means consistently adhering to quality standards, adapting to global market demands, and ensuring "no deception among partners." Intention means focusing on quality, not just quantity. By integrating a global vision, modern technology, and strict quality discipline, Gorontalo proves that milkfish, once merely bait, is now ready to become an export commodity star.
The story of PT Kimchi Jaya Bersaudara is a practical guide for entrepreneurs: find the untapped potential, invest in the highest quality standards, and be brave enough to face infrastructural challenges with innovative solutions.
Arief Arcomedia.