IRWAN HIDAYAT is the third generation to run the family-owned Sido Muncul, which means “dreams come true.”  His grandmother Rakhmat Sulistio started the business in 1940 in Yogyakarta, later moved to Semarang.  Irwan took over in 1972 when the firm had evolved from his grandmother cooking up jamu in her home to a 600-square meters factory.  It was still a relatively small operation, competing against hundreds of other jamu makers.  To remake the business, Irwan took plenty of bold moves, such as paying down some large debts, modernising the equipment, and moving to a bigger location.  Even then, it was barely profitable and grew slowly for many years.  The significant change came in 1997, amid the Asian financial crisis, after he got certification from the Ministry of Health for good manufacturing practices (GMP), the same qualification as a pharmaceutical company, effectively qualifying his products as medicine rather than a mere food supplement.  At the same time, he invested Rp 30 billion for expansion, a risky move given that the entire region was in crisis, but it certainly paid off.  ~ HERBAL HERITAGE Text By Ulisari Eslita of Forbes Indonesia