KARIMUN -- Atomic crackers are savory foods that are suitable as snacks or side dishes for the main menu. One of the Atom crackers that have a distinctive taste is the H.S. Atomic Cracker.
H.S atomic crackers are made from processed quality fish from Karimun sea products. The right processing and the right seasoning make the taste of H.S atom crackers increasingly in demand by the public.
Produced in 2016, Hartono, the owner of the H.S cracker business, still maintains the quality of his products. This is what makes this product not only marketed in Karimun but able to penetrate the Singapore market.
Hartono said that developing the H.S atom cracker business was not as easy as turning one's hand. The ups and downs of building a business have become a normal thing for him to feel.
Armed with passion and maintaining quality, Hartono believes that his atomic cracker products are still in demand by the public because apart from being delicious, crunchy, savory fit the tongue, and has a distinctive taste.
Apart from selected quality ingredients and fresh mackerel fish, seasoning recipes from families that have been passed down from generation to generation make the taste of the crackers different from the others.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, Hartono's Atom H.S crackers were able to compete and penetrate consumer demand in Singapore. However, during the pandemic, people's purchasing power for their products began to decrease.
"People's purchasing power is decreasing due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic which continues to rise. Including my business has an impact and forced me to stop production," Hartono said recently.
However, in early 2020 Hartono intends to return to producing H.S atomic crackers which had been stopped. But then, he needed a lot of capital to start his business again. After looking for information he heard about the Funding program for MSMEs from PT Timah Tbk.
"At that time I heard about the small business empowerment program from PT Timah. I tried to apply for a business capital loan to return to producing Atom H.S crackers, which actually already have a market in the community," he said.
This business does require a lot of capital, due to buying quality raw materials to maintain the taste of Atom H.S. crackers.
After receiving funding for the Micro Small Business Funding Program (PUMK) from PT Timah Tbk, Hartono began to reproduce his Atomic Cracker business with various flavors, such as shrimp and squid flavors.
According to Hartono, the partnership program is very good and easy for business actors. Through this program, Hartono can help develop his business. In the future, he hopes that it will not only provide capital assistance but also promote its products.
Hartono said H.S atomic crackers could be one of the souvenirs for tourists visiting Karimun. (**)
