The initial initiative carried out by NRG together with BWI in implementing the Lestari Tea Standard was assistance to tea farmers in Mojotengah Village, Reban District, Batang Regency. The assistance that was carried out succeeded in facilitating KSU Mekar Jaya in obtaining a Lestari Tea Certificate and becoming the first Cooperative to obtain a Lestari certificate in Indonesia.
By achieving the status of producer of certified tea shoots, the KSU Mekar Jaya Cooperative in collaboration with PT.Pagilaran through a partnership pattern produced a Lestari certified smallholders’ tea product. This product was then named “Kepodang” which has 3 variants, i.e. Black Tea, Green Tea and Fragrant Tea.
In an effort to promote the first Lestari Tea-certified smallholders’ tea product in Indonesia, NRG and BWI held a Launching of Lestari-Certified Smallholders’ Tea Products and at the same time handed over Lestari Tea Certificates to KSU Mekar Jaya, Batang Regency and PT. Pagilaran Section of Sidoharjo which was held on 30 – 31 March 2011 in Sidoharjo – Batang Regency. The event involved several agencies including the Central Java provincial government, Batang district government, NRG on tea, the Indonesian Tea Council, the Central Java Social Service, the Central Java Cooperative Service, the Central Java Plantation Service, PT. Pagilaran, PT Dharma Tea, PT. Sariwangi AEA, BWI, and farmer representatives
The process of handing over the Lestari Tea Certificate and the Inauguration of the Launching of Kepodang Smallholders’ Tea Products, was carried out by H.Bibit Waluyo as the Governor of Central Java. In the series of events, Pak Bibit Waluyo also picked the first certified tea shoot as a symbol that the Lestari Tea certified tea shoots had been produced by smallholder tea farmers in Mojotengah Village, Batang Regency.
