Thunini: Beyond Tuna Floss and the Spirit of Bringing Lasting Impact to the Society in Eastern Indonesia
Our very own BINUS University students Alicia Laurence (Visual Communication Design – AL), Selvitini (BINUS University, Business Creation – SL), and Stevannie Blessbriena – BINUS University, Business Creation – SB) were the team behind the Thunini – high quality and locally sourced tuna floss brand who won national first prize at the Youtap UMKM Academy last August 2022.
Starting in March 2022, the Academy seeks to find out-of-the-box small and medium enterprises (SMEs) for the young generation to impact society positively.
We sat down with Thunini to get up close on their motivation and learning from participating in this activity.
Firstly, what is your motivation for participating in the competition?
SL: We firmly believe that our idea will positively impact the community in East Nusa Tenggara by producing tuna floss. Not to mention that the experience will enrich our time while studying at BINUS.
What is the philosophy behind Thunini?
SB: A tuna is a saltwater fish belonging to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae family. We have a dream to bring a lasting impact on the community.
Do tell us about your fantastic business idea of yours!
SL: I cannot tell you where to start when I need to explain the abundance of ocean resources. From our discussion, we want to make fish our star product. Our thorough research shows East Nusa Tenggara is the best place to source tuna, which will be our unique selling point.
I traveled from Larantuka to Labuan Bajo for two months for my research. I realized our product could have potential if we can also support that through marketing through social media – such as TikTok.
Our floss is very easy to distribute and will last long. After many trials and errors, we found that handmade is the way to go. This will maintain its unique flavor.
Did we also mention that Thunini also employs some housewives in Maumere? We want to empower them while helping with the production process.
We are so eager to know about your experience during the Academy. Can you share this with our readers?
SL: There are three phases: Knowledge Provision Stage, the Preliminary Round Stage, dan the Final Round Stage. I remember at the beginning when we were not sure whether our idea would get through.
We waited for some time until the committee provided us with the feedback.
The determination brought us here, and we are excited to see what we can do from beyond the Academy.
Challenges that you encountered?
AL: We spent hours brainstorming and researching the best packaging for Thunini.
SL: Some think that (tuna) fish is expensive. We are working tirelessly to maintain its affordability to ensure that many can enjoy our products through continuous innovation.
How about the prizes that the group won? What are you planning to do?
SB: We can purchase up to IDR 7.5 million stocks and vouchers through the Youtap application.
We also sat down with Satrio Matin Utomo, S.T., M.B.A. as their mentor and lecturer on creative and innovation subjects.
“The noble objective to develop the community is the main reason why Thunini and their commitment to sustainability.”
Diah Wihardini, Ph.D. BINUS Global Director also shared her view on the Academy.
“Youtap contributed significantly to the industry, which will help expand and enrich our students’ experience. Thank you for the consistency of Youtap in initiating many competitive ideas. We hope that the technical support from Youtap can help to highlight their competitiveness.”
Youtap collaborated with BINUS University, Atma Jaya University, and Nationwide University (NUNI) as part of this Academy.
