Polije Empowers Suco Village Coffee Farmers with Digital Branding and Marketing Strategies

Jember State Polytechnic (Polije) continues to strengthen its role in applying the “Tri Dharma Perguruan Tinggi” (Three Pillars of Higher Education) through its Community Service Program (Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat – PkM). This time, a team of Polije lecturers is mentoring a coffee farmer group in Suco Village, Mumbulsari District, Jember, with a focus on implementing smart branding strategies and digital marketing.

The head of the program, Choirul Huda, S.Kom., M.Kom., emphasized that leveraging digital technology is crucial for farmers to expand their market reach.

“Digitalization is not just a trend, but a necessity for local coffee to penetrate broader markets and increase the product’s selling value,” he asserted.

This initiative, themed “Digital Transformation for MSMEs,” also received full support from the community and village government. The Head of Suco Village, H. Taufik Hidayat, NLP., CPM., appreciated Polije’s efforts.

“This program opens up new horizons for our farmers, so that coffee no longer has to be sold to middlemen at low prices,” he said.

In addition to branding mentorship, the Polije PkM team also provided education on post-harvest processing and digital marketing strategies. This step is expected to help farmers transition from merely selling raw coffee beans to producing competitive, value-added products.

One of the resource persons, Annisa Lutfi Alwi, M.Sc., a lecturer and expert in coffee processing, explained the importance of understanding the quality of Robusta coffee, which is a world export favorite.

“With a modern branding strategy, local Robusta coffee can be marketed more widely and provide greater added value,” she explained.

The PkM team also handed over assistance in the form of a coffee pulping machine to the “Rukun Tani” Farmer Group. This aid is a tangible step to support the improvement of quality and production capacity for the farmers in Suco Village.

Bambang Heru Sukarwan, Chairman of the Rukun Tani Farmer Group, expressed optimism about the program.

“This mentorship gives us great hope that our coffee business can develop further, not only in the local market but also nationally and even internationally,” he said enthusiastically.

Through this collaborative approach, Polije proves itself as a vocational campus capable of bridging theory with field practice. This PkM program is not merely a transfer of knowledge but also a means of community empowerment, enabling them to be more independent and competitive in the digital era.