In Indonesia, the Sekar Group is well known for its food products. It’s “Finna” Brand is a household name and is well respected for the quality of its Shrimp Crackers, locally known as “Krupuk”.

Besides Shrimp Crackers, “Finna” is known for it’s Agricultural Snacks and Condiments, such as Cashew Nuts and Sauces. Owing to their outstanding quality, “Finna” Shrimp Crackers have been known to be state gifts presented by the Indonesian Government for overseas dignitaries when they visit Indonesia.

Out of necessity for his family, Mr Susilo started to purchase fish for a living to provide food for his parents and siblings. Gradually, Mr Susilo expanded his purchase of raw materials from fishermen that include shrimp and other marine products. From his pioneering spirit, he develop advanced Shrimp Cracker manufacturing that started to procure agricultural commodities from farmers and trade the produce by creating value-added products.

From this very humble beginning created by a very basic need, Mr Susilo has gone on to improve the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of fishermen and farmers. Mr Susilo readily admits that at the time his father had his stroke he had no idea that he would go on to make such a tremendous contribution to his country and countrymen.

Mr Susilo greatly emphasises the importance of practicing corporate social responsibility. A driving principle behind Sekar’s success is Harry’s unwavering belief that business must provide a mutually beneficial relationship of win-win solution for everyone involved. The success of Sekar Group must also be reflected in the success of its suppliers, subcontractors, associates, and partners. There must be a benefit for all. Sekar has not only provided job opportunities for around 20,000 employees, it has made significant improvement in the livelihoods of an estimated 400,000 people.

Sekar Group’s immense contribution to Indonesia’s economy and its world standing in food production as well as export. The company has made significant contributions in improving the livelihoods of its stakeholders through its cooperative networks that has help hundreds of thousands of Indonesian citizens improve their standard of living. The desire to improve the lives of others stems from Founder Harry Susilo’s own underprivileged roots.

The sharing of wealth and success has helped Sekar Group grow steadily from strength to strength. Currently, Sekar has about 20,000 employees through a combination of cooperatives, direct employment and social programs. In remote locations where the company has operations, these locations previously did not have access to Electricity or Clean Water Supply. However, with the Group’s investment into these locations, there has been an increase of investment by other businesses and government that provide these basic necessities, such as in West Nusa Tenggara Barat, Indonesia.

Founder Mr Harry Susilo emphasises that “We Must be Concerned about the needs of Local Resident. We need to be ascertain about what we can do for them. If an enterprise is only concerned about profit and does not improve the livelihood of its local community, then this enterprise would not be able to win the hearts of the people and will not have their full support”. Mr Susilo strongly believes that “An enterprise’s commitment to social responsibility is one of the main factors determining its long-term survival and relevance”.

In recognition of Sekar Group’s outstanding contribution to the local economy and in promoting Indonesia globally through its high quality food exports, the Regional Government of Sidoarjo in East Java, Indonesia, Sekar Group’s home town has decided in 2014 to commission the building of a large commemorative monument in the city centre. This monument known as the Jayandaru, is a testament to the impact Mr Harry Susilo’s company has had on the local economy and in making Shrimp Crackers from a small scale home industry into a globally known food product.