Nurhasanah and Marlina: Two sisters in the fish cake business

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta cake
Khairul Saleh, The Jakarta Post, Palembang
Ask any Jakarta resident and the chances are they will know what pempek Palembang is. It is a special delicacy from Palembang, South Sumatra, made from fish and sago.
Considered an essential dish for Palembang people, pempek is known for its unique dark vinegary sauce and contrasting flavors.
Like any other traditional dish across the country, pempek has become a commodity. Most likely tourists who visit Palembang will bring home pempek as a gift for their friends and family.
One of the most famous pempek outlets is Pempek Pak Raden, which was established by sisters Nurhasanah, 53, and Marlina, 47.
They started selling pempek in 1984. In the beginning they faced a lot of difficulties but after 23 years, the business has now expanded to many cities across the country and even Singapore. Soon, the dish will also be available in Malaysia.
Those who do not know much about the Pempek Pak Raden label might associate the product with a wise moustached man, a character from children's TV show Si Unyil.
The fact is the name was taken from the traditional Palembangese royal family, who have titles like Raden, Kemas, Mas Agus and Ki Agus.
""We called our business Pak Raden in the hope of receiving more blessings. We want our business to grow continuously. It has nothing to do with the Pak Raden in that children's show,"" Nurhasanah said recently at the main office of Pempek Pak Raden on Jl. Radial, 26 Ilir, Palembang.
Together with her younger sister Marlina, who manages Pempek Pak Raden in Jambi, Nurhasanah started her business from scratch by selling pempek in a stall near her parents' house in Kertapati complex in Palembang.
The business capital was gained from selling six suku (pieces) of gold they inherited from their father, Muhammad Thoyib Zen. (A suku is equal to 6.7 grams).
The two sisters then spent the money on one kilogram of ikan gabus (freshwater fish) and two kilograms of sago powder at the price of Rp 75,000.
They built on the business savvy they had inherited from their parents, who had been kerosene distributors for floating kiosks in Musi River as well as rice distributors in their village.
""We acquired business skills when we were small. My sister (Marlina) and I were given a drum of kerosene to sell and divided the profit between us. Our father told us that was how we had to work to earn money. You must build on your skills for your future,"" said the mother of five children, echoing her father's advice.
After their father died in 1974, everything became harder. The business went down. Nurhasanah and her siblings were forced to sell candy from village to village in order to earn money.
Nurhasanah continued to sharpen her business skills after marrying Alimuddin Halim, two years after the death of her father. Her husband has a good position in the human resources department of a rubber processing factory. But Nurhasanah is not interested in being a housewife.
Thanks to their hard work and advice and motivation from their late brother, Nuruddin AS, and uncle, K H Yusuf Zen, the business has grown rapidly.
Nurhasanah said she used to feel upset by the advice of her late brother about being prepared to lead a life as a widow, even though her husband was strong and healthy.
""Of course I was distressed listening to such talk. It seemed he wished my husband would die sooner rather than later. It was only after I gave it proper thought that I got the point. It taught me to start learning to live independently by opening a business. My uncle's love and motivation had an impact on both of us,"" said Nurhasanah, who comes from Tebing Gerinting village in Ogan Ilir regency.
In 1984 Nurhasanah opened her own business. At that time, no stall selling pempek had good service and good management.
Pempek Pak Raden soon got a name for itself and within two years branches had opened up in Jambi, Jakarta, Depok, Lampung, Bekasi, Batam, Pekanbaru and Bandung.
In Palembang alone there are five branches.
""Our dream of opening a branch in Kuala Lumpur might come true after we learn about its market potential. We need to look at the project from every angle as the basic ingredients cannot be obtained in Kuala Lumpur. If we send it from Palembang, it will cost a lot. Probably we can send it from our branch in Batam. But we still need to be careful,"" said Nurhasanah, adding that she was hoping for the support of the Palembang administration.
There are many obstacles in running the business, for example the reduced demand in the rainy season and fruit season.
The business also suffers when fish and sago prices increase. When that happens, it is not easy to just raise the price and Nurhasanah insists on using her original recipe because people buy her pempek for its high quality ingredients.
""We only change the size, not the recipe. It is essential not to change the recipe because the customers will know it and they will favor other sellers over us. It is this recipe that makes our regular customers keep coming back,"" Nurhasanah said.
There have been many offers to expand her business by franchising, but Nurhasanah has always turned them down, fearing the quality of her products and service would go down.