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| Yakult Indonesia Persada Factory in Cicurug, Sukabumi |
On Thursday 7th August 2014, we had the chance
to visit Yakult Indonesia Persada Factory located in Cicurug, Sukabumi. We left
Inti at 8.20 and reached the factory at 12.30. I have looked up the information
about the factory the other day, and I expected the trip was going to be as
exhausting, long and boring as my other prior visits to other factories, along
with the time-consuming journey. My expectations, however, were mostly wrong.
It was indeed very brief, concise and to the point. The hosts were also
welcoming and very interactive. On this opportunity I’m going to write a
detailed breakdown about my visit to Yakult factory.
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| Glass display cabinet that showcases Yakult's product line from all over the world |
As soon as we entered the building, the one of the first
thing I noticed was two big glass display cabinets on the left side of the
lobby that showcase Yakult’s product line that are distributed around the
world. Then we were directed to the assembly hall on the opposite of the
display cabinets, and one of the hosts handed us a flyer about Yakult along
with one bottle of Yakult as the complimentary drink.
Love your gut, drink Yakult everyday
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| Dr Minoru Shirota |
When we were comfortably seated, with a bottle of free Yakult for each of us, the host went on to give presentation on the background of the company and products. He started by introducing the founder of Yakult, Dr Minoru Shirota, a Japanese microbiologist. Apparently, Yakult marketed in Indonesia only comes in one variety and size, the original one, which sells for Rp1,500 each. The host implied that one, two or three bottles in a day don’t really matter – but one Yakult per day is enough to make our guts happy.
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| Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota bacteria |
About Yakult
First of all, Yakult is not
artificially colored and has no preservatives. It only lasted for 40 days
before going bad. The standard Yakult has sugar (sucrose) whose purpose is to
balance sourness with sweetness. It also contains skimmed milk powder, glucose,
water, natural Yakult flavor and lastly, the live Lactobacillus casei Shirota strain. Speaking of lactobacilli or known
as lactic acid, it is what makes Yakult taste sour.
Yakult can be drunk in any
time, but preferably after meals when the acid level is lower, so the good bacteria can reach the intestines alive. On the other hand, children may lose appetite
if they drink excessive Yakult before meals. Additionally, Yakult doesn’t cause
diarrhea. Yakult instead can
help with diarrhea since it contains live microorganisms called Probiotics,
which maintains the balance of the flora after diarrhea, whether caused by dyspepsia,
food poisoning, stress, or excessive antibiotics consumption. There’s no worry
drinking Yakult if you are healthy. Yakult has also received ISO 22000 in 2005 and
ISO 90001 in 2008.
Long story short, we ended the
introduction about Yakult with the movie and continued the tour to the factory
to see the whole process of Yakult making. We viewed the entire high-tech
production process through the glass-walled viewing gallery. The glass walls were specially constructed to provide clear
viewing and prevent contamination, accidents and interferences on the factory
floor so that we can view what goes into Yakult without having to watch our steps.
Yakult production process
We were not allowed to take pictures during our tour in
the factory, but we did see the whole process of Yakult making. It starts with the
room where they cultivate Lactobacillus casei Shirota strain, then bottle molding,
the filling of Yakult into the bottles and finally how the Yakult is being
packed using different machines. The following is the detailed steps of the
production process.
1. Mixing of raw ingredients
Live Lactobacillus casei Shirota
strain is cultured in a 'seed tank' in the laboratory. Skim milk powder is
mixed with sugar, glucose and filtered, sterilized water to make a sweet milky
solution.
2. Sterilization
The sweet, milky solution is going
through the UHT (Ultra High Temperature) and HTST (High Temperature Short Time)
process, destroying any bacteria that may be present. The solution is then
transferred to a 6,500-litre culture tank via a closed system of pipes and
valves.
3. Culture tank
The temperature of the tank is reduced to 37°C (similar to normal human body temperature) and live Lactobacillus casei Shirota strain is added. The solution is allowed to ferment for about one week until the number of Lactobacillus casei bacteria reaches an ideal concentration.
The temperature of the tank is reduced to 37°C (similar to normal human body temperature) and live Lactobacillus casei Shirota strain is added. The solution is allowed to ferment for about one week until the number of Lactobacillus casei bacteria reaches an ideal concentration.
4. Mixing and storage tank
The concentrate is transferred to a
12,000-litre mixing and storage tank. The tank is chilled to around 2° C. Sterilized
flavors, syrup solution, vitamins and calcium are added to the concentrate.
Prior to bottling, the concentrate is diluted with filtered, sterile water.
5. Injection blow molding machine
The plastic bottles used for Yakult packaging are produced on site. The bottles are made from polystyrene pellets.
6. Bottling and packaging
5. Injection blow molding machine
The plastic bottles used for Yakult packaging are produced on site. The bottles are made from polystyrene pellets.
6. Bottling and packaging
The bottles are wrapped with individual
bottle labels. Then, they are filled with Yakult, capped with a foil lid,
sealed and transferred along the conveyor belt to the packaging facility.
Single bottles of Yakult are sorted into groups of five and shrink-wrapped in
polypropylene film. Ten "5-packs" are grouped together and wrapped
again in polyethylene film and then heat shrunk, forming a 'carton' of 50
Yakult bottles.
7. Refrigeration room
Finished products are kept refrigerated
(0-10 degree Celsius) before distributed to stores.
Yakult adheres to a comprehensive
hygiene and sanitation program. First of all, the machines, pipes, and valves
are being cleaned manually using disinfectant. This step is followed by steam,
an environmentally friendly cleaner, which is used to sterilize the pipes and
tanks.
Speaking of the waste caused by the production process of Yakult, the liquid waste goes into a holding tank in the water treatment facility. The tank is filled with empty Yakult bottles, which still have the bacteria sticking to them. They adjusted the acidity (pH) of the liquid waste, before being collected in the ceramics ponds just outside the lobby of the building.
As soon as we finished looking at the production process, we were directed back to the assembly hall for Q&A session. We were handed two bottle of Yakult and some snacks this time.
Yakult’s marketing and promotional mix
Yakult was initially introduced in
Indonesia in 1991 and have continued to expand its business. The latest
statistics shows that daily sales across the country have reached 2.74 million
bottles in 2012, increasing up to 121.8% per year. The number of Yakult Ladies
increased by 760 from 2011 and reaching 4,600 at the end of 2012, and the
number of retail stores selling Yakult totaled 95,000 in 2012, attesting to the
continued strengthening of Yakult’s sales structure. Yakult factory in Sukabumi
employs approximately 400 workers and another 300 in the factory in Mojokerto,
Surabaya. While the marketing department consists of circa 3,700 staffs. These
numbers doesn’t include the 4,600 Yakult Ladies spread across the country.
Yakult developed four different
distribution channels: home delivery by independent sellers or so called Yakult
Lady, supermarket chains, canteens, and small shops/minimarket. In this
distribution structure, Yakult offers the same product in different
presentations and at different wholesale prices between their distributions
channels, but maintains the same minimum retail price. Most favorable
conditions were granted to independent sellers, which accounted for a huge
proportion of Yakult’s total sales income.
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| Direct Selling |
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| Yakult Lady |
The introduction of Yakult Lady system
for the home delivery channel also has helped Yakult a lot on building a strong
foundation in Indonesia. The ladies, who are ordinary housewives, have a
multi-directional network covering people of every age and income across the
areas they serve. They have established a unique sales channel through local housewives for delivery of Yakult while recommending continuous
consumption of one bottle of Yakult a
day. Each Yakult lady is given extensive training and then allocated a specific
area for propagation and delivery. Usually she delivers up to 200 bottles
everyday and earns a commission on every bottle sold, thus becoming financially
independent.
Yakult has also
penetrated deeply into the local distribution channel by doing direct selling.
In addition to sales through the most powerful local retail store chain, Yakult
is strengthening marketing by providing standardised refrigerated showcases marked with the
Yakult logo in an effort to boost recognition of the Yakult brand. Despite the tougher
competition, Yakult has established itself in Indonesia through numerous
efforts, such as consistent implementation of Shirota-ism (preventive medicine,
the link between a healthy intestinal tract and a long life and offering
products at a price affordable to everyone), expansion of the Yakult Lady system
and further penetration through the retail store channel.
One of the Yakult ads that is aired on Indonesian television.
Courtesy: Bro Films on Youtube
Other non-sales promotional effort done
by Yakult is to held scientific documentary showing to schools, Family Welfare
Guidance (Ibu PKK), and Islamic recitations. Yakult also provides toll-free customer
service (0 800 1 925858). This toll free numbers allow the customers to easily reach
for information and other matters without being charged for the call.
Drinking living bacteria?
Not everyone is comfortable in drinking
living bacteria. Besides doctors, most consumers do not know much about
probiotics. Making them pay for a 65ml bottle filled with live Lactobacillus
casei Shirota strain is quite a challenge. We tend to fear bacterial
infections at the thought of being exposed to the ‘bad, dirty and unbeneficial
stuff’. But in the reality, the good bacteria in the gut will outnumber the bad
bacteria by 10 to 1. When being fermented, the Lactobacilli can multiply to a billion per gram of tissue when the
food is submerged in liquid in a without oxygen state. The bacteria will feed
on sugar present in the food and will multiply in such great numbers that they
will outnumber the bad bacteria quickly.
Additionally, mainstream consumers now
have become more health conscious in the last decade, and more consumers
continue to grow more health savvy and want more options that contribute
positively to their bodies.. People realize that body ecology takes healthy
living; one of the ways is to consume probiotic drinks and other products
containing beneficial bacteria. These probiotics drinks are becoming one of the
most effective methods for increasing a healthy lifestyle.
As mentioned earlier, probiotic drinks
and beneficial bacteria have countless benefits. Management of lactose
intolerance, colon cancer prevention, lowered blood pressure and an improved
immune system are just some of the healthy assets we can gain through the use
of probiotics.
"The idea is to give the body a fresh supply of friendly bacteria, because they affect both our digestive and immune systems. A lot of health problems go away – albeit slowly – when you add fermented foods daily, even in tiny quantities."
– Mike Moskos, founder of Local Food South Florida
Overall, I would say the trip was surprisingly
way beyond my expectations and it was a very pleasant experience to see the
Yakult production process closely. I have been consuming Yakult for as long as I can remember, but I used to be the kind of ignorant who is half
aware about the countless benefits of probiotics – despite the fact that my
mother is a loyal buyer of Yakult lady and there will always be Yakult in our
refrigerator. Now that I have read so many articles about Lactobacillus casei Shirota strain and probiotics in general, and
my love of my own guts, with no doubt I am going to drink a bottle of Yakult
every day.
And the last but not least, I want to thank
Yakult hosts for their hospitality, and also for INTI College Indonesia for
making this trip possible.
