Dwiyanti, who had also been actively engaged in BOStempeh’s production during our initial years, plays an essential role in enhancing our brand image through her artistic creations of social media content, printing materials, posters, brochures, and various other creative outlets. If you examine our sleeve design closely, the banana visuals were meticulously and purposefully chosen to remind us of the often-used wraps in Indonesia. The open transparent window is designed to showcase the exquisite white mycelium of fresh, unpasteurized, genuine tempeh.
And last, I came from an academic/higher education background, I had taught at a four-year private university in Indonesia while working as a college administrator. This background of educating the market while dispelling misconceptions comes naturally to me. Reintroducing the true definition of tempeh has become my personal passion.
As the founder, I manage all the other business aspects, including customer and vendor relations (both B2B and B2C), website maintenance, bookkeeping, taxes, insurance, payroll, shipping & handling, freight, community and network involvement, charity participation, business strategic planning and direction, among others. Recently, as part of our strategic initiatives to advance our business with the upcoming launch of our ready-to-eat tempeh product in a few months, I have now become a certified food protection manager.
Q: One the packaging design, why did you choose a predominantly blue color tone? Is there any philosophy or meaning behind the crown/king symbol in your logo?
A: I would like to think it was not because blue is my favorite color. Jokes aside and in all seriousness, we had a few iterations before finally nailing down to this design. A major deciding part was from a color palette that complements the green banana leaves which are our core background signatures.
The logo crown/king drew from our BOStempeh’s double meanings, and we want those to vividly illustrate our existence and future growth. The crown/king image symbolizes authority and being the top or highest part of a category, whereas BOSton skyscraper at the bottom signifies our humble beginning starting from our small home kitchen.
The combo “BOS” letters and crown/king combined exemplify our leadership visions.
Q: “Plant-Based Protein” and “Taste of Indonesian Heritage” are two key highlights of your brand. Could you explain why these messages are important to Bostempeh?
While tempeh has started to gain its popularity globally, the market’s hesitation in consuming them was triggered by at least two factors: its weird aftertaste and bitterness coming from a modified version of tempeh in the US market and the soy misconceptions.
People do not realize that the tempeh fermentation process actually elevates soybeans into a nutritional powerhouse by neutralizing anti-nutrients and breaking down hard-to-digest compounds that can otherwise cause gastric distress or hinder nutrient absorption. Tempeh’s fermentation process maximizes nutrient absorption, promotes superior gut comfort, and enhances antioxidant power.
By penetrating the markets through the launch of BOStempeh, we are RE-introducing the real, authentic integrity of tempeh. One that checks off all tempeh’s CODEX’s organoleptic attributes, without bitterness or weird aftertaste. Without flying miles away, BOStempeh brings the taste of Indonesian intangible heritage to the US market: the exact taste, aroma, and real tempeh found in Indonesia, both tempeh and BOStempeh team’s country of origin.
For that reason, earlier this year, we rebranded our tagline to “BOStempeh brings Indonesia to the United States”.
Q: How far does your online ordering reach in terms of U.S. states? Who are your largest customer segments?
