Dina Rimandra Handayani

Bearing fruit

SUCCESS FOR DINA Rimandra Handayani is when she can be useful to others. “I’m planning to focus on social activities, especially in the education and entrepreneurship sectors,” says the 29-year-old co-founder of Albens Cider and founder and Executive Creative Director of Ambah Batik. “My long-term dream is to build a school or creative space for young generations and to encourage them to become entrepreneurs as well.”

Dina first encountered cider, a beverage made from fermented apple juice, when she was studying in London in 2010. “I was inspired to bring cider to Indonesia because we have a good source of apples in Malang, East Java and I wanted to support the farmers there,” she says.

Established in 2012, the brand is named after Dina’s business partners, Ben Wakefield and Alessio Cristofoletto. “Born from the love of cider, we follow the classic time-honoured traditions of cider making and add our own little twists,” says Wakefield, whom Dina met in Britain. Wakefield is the company’s Curator and cider-making expert.

Of her time in London, Dina says: “At that time, I faced two options: continue my studies or build my own company. Instead of a degree, I brought home a business plan.” Now, Dina is Senior Director of Indosarnia, the company that produces Albens Cider in Bali. Ambah Batik is a social enterprise with a vision to create a new generation of Indonesian batik artisans.

“My grandfather is my mentor,” says Dina. “He taught me how to be a strong woman, and to survive in the hardest situations. As an entrepreneur, you must have focus, believe in hard work and have faith in everything that you do. The most important thing is never to be afraid of failure. Setbacks exist to make us stronger.”