The pandemic has modified a number of collective behaviours, one of them being our shopping habits. With online purchases practically a snap of a finger away, the majority of businesses have embraced the readily-available digital platforms to keep up and running.
If like us, you’ve been supporting small businesses, the current economic struggle has opened our eyes to how grateful we are for what we have taken for granted: our local community.
It’s been made easier than ever to show love for our local farmers without having to brave through the elbow-to-elbow crowd of the pasar (market).
Here we’ve compiled a list of shopping alternatives, from meat to shampoo, that deliver to your doorstep, don’t cost the earth, and most importantly keep the community afloat!
Vegetables: Teman Sayur
To consume, collaborate, and educate, Teman Sayur (Friends of Vegetables) sprung from a variety of seeds but each one grows in favour of nature.
“Karena sayur bisa bertemu dan menambah teman (through vegetables, you meet new friends),” reads their manifesto. But above all, the two friends, Kristina and Anggara are committed to supporting their farmer friends and family, whilst sharing their green thumb grasps.
In 2018, Kristina’s uncle harvested potatoes. She then took to Facebook to advertise for fun without a set objective in mind. To their own surprise, the post garnered up to 100 kg of orders, and the rest as they say is history.
They officially opened orders for Pak De Mare’s garden and became immersed in the island’s agriculture; gradually understanding the farmer grumblings about commodity price. They said the problem lies in the management, distribution, and the mindset of the farmers. Teman Sayur strives to bridge a system of fair-trade that brings mutual joy for farmers and consumers.
“We want to educate our customers so they are more conscious when buying vegetables or commodities, and also to understand the journey it goes on.”
The harvest types are variant, depending on what is growing in the garden at which time of the year — meaning they supply only seasonal fruit and vegetables. Currently in line to harvest are sweet potatoes (ubi madu, ubi ungu, ubi kuning) tomatoes, green beans, and bananas.
They also get help for farmer friends who supply organic vegetables in Denpasar and strawberries from Pancasari.
“Obviously, we are not a supermarket, we don’t sell anything and everything. But that is the point,” Anggara says, highlighting the educational side of the business.
“We want the public to understand agriculture. Soil for farming cannot be forced to produce multiple types of plants. For example, after harvesting broccoli, we have to plant tubers prior to other vegetables because the acidity of the soil won’t support the growth.”
They deliver to doorsteps (households), Denpasar, Canggu, Seminyak, Kuta, Jimbaran, Gianyar, some parts of Tabanan, Ubud. To check their full catalogue, visit their Instagram: instagram.com/teman.sayur
Pork: Bali Highlands Organik
With the pork quality in Bali falling drastically over the past 20 years, Bali Highlands Organik stepped up to raise the standards; working with better ways to supply perhaps the most consumed meat among the Balinese.
Since 2013, BHO proves that high-standard, organic, free-range pig farming is not only possible but sustainable; simultaneously paving the way for a better income for pig farmers and better conditions for the pigs.
Farming pigs in Bali once involved vast backyards and healthy food. But the current industrial model of antibiotic fed, confined pens, and destructive environmental practises are the normal procedure today. BHO products show that you can local meat that meet the standards of taste and ethics.
They produce everything from deli meats, such as Dry Cured Streaky Bacon and Honey Ham; to sausages made with organic herbs, like their Beef Bratwurst to traditional Balinese urutan. They’ve also innovated to create gourmet products, such as their traditional British black pudding, made with rolled oats, nutmeg, herbs and fresh sweet onion in a natural pork casing.
Whilst available in supermarkets, they also sell direct-to-consumer: balihighlandsorganik.com
Rosalie Cheese
Rosalie Cheese is a food tech company whose expertise lie in making natural Indonesian cheese (mainly soft) from farm-fresh ingredients (cow and goat milk), free of preservatives and colourings. They make their own twists and versions of ‘blue cheese’, peppered cheese, chèvre, feta, halloumi and mozzarella, just to name a few.
Founder Ayu Linggih defied the odds of cheese-making in Indonesia, presumably having to work with not enough equipment and experience from partner farms. But Rosali Cheese now supplies to hospitality giants, Ismaya Group and Potato Head. Their latest creation is ‘Lucie in Bali’, a Camembert style cheese covered in locally-grown Moringa, the superfood.
If you have a cheese craving, why not support a local and artisanal producer: rosaliecheese.co.id
Package Free Soap
With the average person in Bali producing 0,5 kg of waste each day, Package Free Soap pledges to help reduce the number of single-use plastic starting from your home.
The mother behind the business has been living an ‘imperfect’ zero waste lifestyle for three years; learning the ways to free oneself from single-use plastic consumption from the kitchen to the bathroom as a wife and parent.
Her home uses locally-sourced bulk natural soap, with suppliers who regularly collect used plastic bottles to be reused. Then the aha moment came. She’s eager to introduce the zero-waste lifestyle of refilling cleaning products to her fellow Bali residents, to prove that sustainable living can be easy, convenient, and affordable.
Even with refillable bottles, mainstream supermarkets typically supplies refills in single-use plastic packaging. Package Free Soap focuses on no waste, refillable cleaning products for your home and villas, offering bio-degradable laundry soap, softener, floor cleaning, dishwashing liquid, body soap, shampoo, and hand wash.
How do they offer a completely zero-waste service? They refill and deliver the HDPE bottles themselves; you will only need to pay for the bottle purchased on your first order. For Denpasar and Sanur-based customers, the products are delivered by a solar-generated electric bike (fossil fuel free) every Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
The soaps are sourced from trusted brands such Unilever, and they receive them unpackaged! They also stock Bali Soap for customers who prefer natural and organic products.
Contact +62 812 1997 3779 or visit their Instagram to order: instagram.com/packagefreesoap
iniTempe
(Credit: Benny Santoso) 
(Credit: Benny Santoso)
iniTempe is a small tempe business based in the Badung Regency, founded by tempe lover Benny Santoso — and you’d be astonished at how passionate they are about what they do.
They make handmade tempe sourced directly from farmers who provide the best quality, non-GMO soybeans. They also incorporate food science to make sure their tempe is not only natural and organic but healthy and nutritious.
By using a double fermentation method, more amino acids are produced in the tempe, which forms protein in our bodies. Each tempe is naturally wrapped with organic banana leaf, meaning the tempe is 7 times more rich in Vitamin B12 than the regular plastic-wrapped tempe.
Flourishing together with local communities is important to them. Through the business, they have been empowering local women and non-GMO soy farmers across central Java and Bali for collaboration, sharing the positive impact to these corners of Indonesia, one plant-based diet at a time.
iniTempe delivers fresh tempe, from the original plain tempe, to tempe individually mixed with spirulina, pumpkin seed, and black sesame: initempebali.co.id
Hungry Bird Coffee Roaster
Now led by a team of champion brewers and roasters, Hungry Bird Coffee Roaster was once a humble neighbourhood cafe serving breakfast to hungry surfers with a secondhand espresso machine and one cook.
Since brewing in 2013, the cafe quickly became a household name in Canggu for specialty coffee.
Before this milestone, they have been a part of the journey on the rise of Kintamani coffee. Hungry Bird owner and roaster Edo, alongside his roaster friends helped raise the standards of aspiring farmer Arca and his village well into recognition. Arca’s specialty coffee is now known island-wide, and beyond, as Arca Ulian Coffee — USDA-standard natural or honey. And life has improved since coffee came to life in Ulian.
Hungry Bird only sells carefully-selected beans, precisely roasted, and thoroughly checked for their customers. The coffee is freshly roasted within to 14 days after the roasting dates.
Their best-seller the Bali Kintamani Arca Ulian, boasting a citrus and caramel aroma, tea-like body, and a chocolate aftertaste. For espresso (or a strong filter), try the Berawa Blend.
Visit their online store to order: tokopedia.com/hungrybirdcoffee
Local Parts by Locavore
“Nose to tail, farm to butcher, us to you.”
Chef Ray and Eelke of Locavore have been locally-sourcing meat from Indonesian farms for years. And their passion project, the Ubud-based butchery, supplies high-quality, healthy, organic whole animals directly from farms they personally know and trust.
Using their experience with Indonesian farms and ‘nose-to-tail’ whole animal butchery philosophy, they offer a selection of fine cuts of high quality meats from different animals.
The shop sells a selection of meat from local organic beef, pork, chicken, ducks and lamb; but to stay true to their one philosophy, expect unusual items such as blood sausage, lamb carpaccio, and more.
Visit their online store where you can order anything from the shop to be delivered to your home in Bali: localpartsbali.comb
