A Story About Hard Work and Love from a Local Snack Business, Mas Hendro's Love Chips - Weekend Inspiration

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." – Confucius

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Many people say, life is the best movie of all time if we can create moments and not give in to failure. The general public always feels happy when they hear the success story of an ordinary human being (like the American Dream), who rose from every failure and stepped forward, doing better in the future.

Almost all success stories from big franchises or businesses that have survived to this day always tell about hard work. Call it Mc Donalds, KFC, Starbucks, Apple, or Coca Cola always talk about failure at the beginning, belittled and humiliated but can rise and win. Some can enjoy its glory, but many also have to die before feeling the glory but leave a legacy that lasts to this day.

I live in Indonesia, which is very far from America and Europe, sometimes these success stories from American and European entrepreneurs are like a myth to me. Because, I feel that our nation is far behind in terms of education and technology, so I can't relate to their story. Therefore, I often look for examples of successful entrepreneurs close to my life so that I can feel them more closely. Like my story this time.

Some time ago, I went to Pangkalan Brandan District – Langkat Regency to attend a friend's wedding. The distance from Medan City to Pangkalan Brandan District – Langkat Regency is about 2.5 hours by car. In the middle of the trip, usually the drivers of the causeway often stop and rest at one of the food outlets, Keripik Cinta Mas Hendro in Gebang Village.

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Keripik Cinta Mas Hendro (Mas Hendro's Love Chips)
Keripik Cinta Mas Hendro is a local snacks and tavern shop located on the side of the Medan-Aceh highway. Starting from a small shop, which only sells cassava chips cooked by Mr. Hendro and his wife, now this snack outlet is a favorite for road users to buy local snacks and also a resting place for drivers and passengers. In fact, this snacks outlet has become a snack trademark of Langkat Regency.

I have a little story about the story and journey business from Mr Hendro. In 2013-2018, I worked as a Breeding Farm Supervisor at a Modern Animal Husbandry Company located in Serapuh Village – Langkat Regency which is only about 5 minutes from Gebang Village where he currently operates. Keripik Cinta Mas Hendro's started his business in early 2013, and I arrived there in the middle of 2013.

One of my co-workers, at Breeder Farm named Ikhsan, is a neighbor and close to his younger brother from Mr Hendro. Mr Hendro Before successfully starting a snack and food business, Hendro was an Assistant Manager at a company in Medan. In 2010, the company collapsed and all employees were forced to be laid off and Mr. Hendro received a sizeable severance pay. Mr. Hendro felt that he could no longer get a job, because he was already a senior and decided to start a business. His first business, selling fish from the traditional port in Gebang City and failed miserably, after that he tried to buy and sell bananas, but only lasted a few months and also failed.

Little money left, no more income, and debts that are starting to be delayed in payment. Mr. Hendro was not discouraged, his five children and his wife continued to support and encourage him until one day, they tried to sell their cassava chips by sending them to stalls and schools around Gebang Village.

Like God's destiny, starting in 2013 from only frying sweet potatoes as much as 3 kilograms per day, now in 2022 the production reaches 3 tons per day. I still remember when I first came with my friend to their shop in 2013, just a small shop with two workers helping the frying pan, very simple.

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Currently, Keripik Cinta Mas Hendro has been able to employ nearly 100 people. The majority of his workers are women, villagers around the place of business. The most interesting thing about his business, we can see first hand all the process of making these chips. Mr. Hendro seems to have no secrets to his customers.

All the processes for making these chips, such as selecting raw materials, washing sweet potatoes and bananas, cutting and slicing sweet potatoes and bananas, frying food ingredients, adding salt and seasoning to the packing process can be seen here. Watching it is like getting experience and also inspiration, how a villager can change the fate of the village with the adoption and innovation of cassava and bananas.

To ensure that ingredients such as cassava, sweet potatoes and bananas remain available throughout the year. Keripik Cinta Mas Hendro also invites villagers around or around Langkat Regency who have vacant land to plant sweet potatoes or bananas according to their snack criteria. Mr. Hendro will buy their crops at a reasonable and profitable price. In fact, from the information I got, this family has invested money to buy land to plant bananas and sweet potatoes.

Previously, there was only one snack outlet around this village, the success of Keripik Cinta Mas Hendro inspired many people to make a food business, sweet potato chips or banana chips with the same model with almost similar names, knowing that the trademark of this business has not been registered. as intellectual property.

Closing from me, the business name of this food and snacks business is a bit tacky. "Keripik Cinta Mas Hendro" is in English "Mr. Hendro Love Chips”. Why did the owner choose that name? there is a reason that the support from his beloved wife and five children when they failed and fell, made Mr. Hendro was inspired to name his business Keripik Cinta Mas Hendro. A business name, which may sound tacky and cringe to many people, but has a very inspiring story and story about hard work, passion and love from family.

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