Alor’s Walnut, New Hope for My Business

Knowing walnuts as one of the mainstay commodities of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), which only exists in Alor Regency made Olvira Ballo (Ira) interested in processing them into one of the souvenirs typical of NTT. She got the knowledge after joined as one of the assisted businesses of Moringa Project Wahana Visi Indonesia (WVI).

Since 2013 Ira has been doing Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) under CV Bimoupu Elba Jaya with the brand MAMA ANA. She has successfully sold various processed foods such as palm sugar granules, roasted peanuts, sago, honey as well as walnuts with unique flavors and raw materials typical of NTT.

From the many products that Ira sells, walnuts, which are pretty popular in the market. Walnuts have also become one of the popular items of MAMA ANA.

“I started with a variant of the original walnut flavor that I introduced to buyers, both in NTT and outside NTT, especially on the islands of Java and Bali. Gradually, Alor walnuts can be accepted and compete with walnuts from other regions,” explained Ira.

It doesn't stop there, in 2020, Ira brings a new variant of sea salt and garlic walnut flavor where all the raw materials come from the NTT area, especially Kupang. She also plans to present other flavor variants so that buyers can choose according to the taste they want.

Ira is grateful because through the Moringa Project WVI that she participates in, she can gain knowledge that can be further developed into ideas that bring change to herself and the people around her.

“For me, the most crucial change is that walnuts are now not only known in NTT, especially in Alor but it has begun to be widely known by many people as one of the original commodities of NTT. This finally can lift the economy of the Alor people, especially walnut farmers, because the selling price of walnuts from farmers is getting better. My income also continues to increase from the sale of walnuts, so that I am more motivated to find other original commodities in NTT to be developed,” she concluded.

Ira hopes that in the future, processed walnuts can be developed by the people of Alor so that they can sell them in Alor or other places. For that, Ira also offers to accommodate anyone, including collectors interested in developing processed walnut products.

Written by: Ferdinand Bano, DF of Moringa Project NTT Wahana Visi Indonesia
Translated by: Klaudia Mawuntu, Intern Wahana Visi Indonesia