Sip on something locally-brewed, crafted by local Jakartans to share their love for Indonesian ingredients, support local producers, and simply bring something completely fresh and innovative to the market.
From fruit wines to infused sodas, these two local drinks producers have found their way into bars, cafés and kitchens across the city, and are as rich in story as they are in flavour.
Article by Edward and Robert Speirs
BORA Soda
When we think of sodas, a few global name brands come to mind. But how about local Indonesian soft drinks? There’s the legendary North Sumatran Badak Sarsaparilla (or Cap Badak), Central Java’s Limun Oriental Cap Nyonya. One soda company, or laboratory even, is highlighting the diverse flavours of the archipelago, one spice at a time.
BORA Soda is a local soda company driven by one question: “How can we bring Indonesian flavours to the current day?” The four founders, Dimas Adhitya Zulkarnain, F X Dave Gosal, Emmanuel Wardhana, and Ahmad Fadhil Marta, were originally university friends, trying to create a unique capstone graduation project for business school. They answered this question with fermentation, experimenting with local ingredients to create pantry essentials that brought island spices to the everyday kitchen. But as each experiment took months to complete and a looming university deadline, they looked to another medium to share local spices: soft drinks.
So, shifting gears, the group went back to the kitchen ‘lab’ and trialled new experimental soda infusions using Indonesian botanical ingredients. This was the birth of their first two flavours: a locally-crafted Tonic Water and a Wedang Jahe-inspired (traditional Ginger drink) beverage, which became their Ginger Ale.
With the success of these two early products, the group found ideas in the strangest of places. The lalapan salad at their local Pecel Lele Warung, served with fresh lemon basil (kemangi) became the inspiration for their Lemon Kemangi flavour; a local family event serving Es Timun Serut (grated cucumber, mixed with syrup, and served with ice cubes, basil seeds, and a twist of lime), became their fourth flavour, Timun Sari. Everyday Indonesian flavours canned into a refreshing soda drink.
After graduating, their efforts snowballed: BORA began attending local events, music shows, and then larger-scale markets like Brightspot. Now, they’re in over 65 restaurants, bars, and cafes and have recently launched new flavours like their Klasik Kola and Soda Krim Marin (local take on Cream Soda), both using over 5 different ingredients to create the flavour profiles.
BORA Soda’s drinks are now a source of local pride, not only for their ingredients but as a beverage brewed here in the city. Enjoyed straight from the can, or mixed into mocktails and cocktails, they’re a refreshing halal substitute packed with familiar flavours.
BORA is available for online orders or at one of the 65 venues that stock them.
Instagram: @borasoda
Huckleberry Friend
The affable and approachable name says it all. A fruit wine for the unpretentious, Huckleberry Friend welcomes all to enjoy a not-so-serious glass of wine, made from locally-grown fruits across Indonesia.
Architect by day, homebrewer by night, William Mahaputra has always wanted to find a way to give back to Indonesia, especially in agriculture where he sees a lot of potential for growth and development. His first foray into the agribusiness was a farm-sourced coffee roastery, then he developed an artisanal cheese brand with Banyuwangi dairy farmers, Moon River Dairy Co. which was a great success (rumours have it that it may make a return). However, the pandemic hit, but in the lull, new opportunities bubbled to the surface.
A friend who owned a berry orchard in Ciwedey, West Java, shared his difficulties during the pandemic, with supermarkets reducing purchases. He asked for ideas to on-sell his overstocked blackberries and mulberries, and so with a group of friends a new project began. “It was just an outlet for our creativity at the time. Starting in 2022, we did two years of research and development, made a lot of crappy wines, which we made our guinea pig friends drink of course,” Will reflects. “But, we finally perfected the recipe.”
And perfect it they did. Huckleberry Friend’s three varieties are wildly popular at events, with its lower alcohol (11-13% ABV) and sweeter flavours, it’s an easy-going glass of juicy, fruity goodness. The wines are all made from locally-grown produce, with Hail Berry made from blackberries and mulberries from Ciwedey; Ava Rose, using fermented guava (Sukabumi) infused with rosella (east and central Java); plus the latest creation, Coco Starr, made from coconut then infused with starfruit.
“The process is the same as regular winemaking,” explains Will, who envisions varieties from across Indonesia, showcasing fruits representing the regions where they’re grown, like snake fruit (salak) from Bali, or mangoes from Probolinggo. Currently, his choices are based on what’s available and what’s overstocked, with a focus on using the wine production to reduce food waste. “There are plenty of overripe fruits which are unsellable but perfect for fermentation. We’re happy to take these,” he adds.
From upscale markets and bazaars, like Kokken in Jakarta, to weddings and private parties, Huckleberry Friend has found its niche as the approachable drink. But Will believes fruit wines shouldn’t be underestimated, they can be a more serious contender on the market, which he looks to explore further. For now, Huckleberry Friend (did you make the connection with Moon River yet?) is happy being the go-to fruit wine that promises a good time.
Also available for direct purchase.
Instagram: @huckleberryfriend.co
