Seaweed is work.
We organise it.
Kospermindo — Koperasi Serikat Pekerja Merdeka Indonesia — is a workers’ cooperative. Since 2002 we have organised seaweed farmers in South and Central Sulawesi into groups that farm, store and sell together.
Inside a Kospermindo warehouse: dried seaweed arrives, is weighed, receipted and stacked.
Organise the farmers.
One farmer alone has little bargaining power. Our Farmer Group Centres give seaweed farmers mentoring, technical assistance and a cooperative savings and loan service.
Store the harvest.
A farmer forced to sell at harvest sells at the lowest price. Our warehouses and the Warehouse Receipt System let a harvest wait for the right price — and serve as collateral while it waits.
Secure the buyer.
Long-term partnerships with processing factories and exporters mean every farmer group knows where its seaweed will be sold.
Grow the market at home.
Since the GEMARI SEHAT movement in 2010 we have promoted seaweed as an everyday, high-fibre food — new demand, and new work, for coastal communities.
2002
The year we began organising seaweed farmers in South and Central Sulawesi — first as BDS Kospermindo with the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs, then through our own farmer group centres.
From the Chairman
“In a competitive global market, success comes from dedication to our customers, continuous improvement, integrity, and consistently high product quality at a competitive price. We have built a dedicated team of capable, loyal professionals with deep industry knowledge and a proven track record across the entire seaweed supply chain.”
Arman Arfah, Chairman
News & documents
- Seaweed Biostimulants: From the Sea to the FieldSeaweed extracts are widely used as plant biostimulants. What they are, which seaweeds are used, what the evidence supports and where claims go too far.
- Lot Codes and Labels: Simple Traceability Tools for CooperativesTraceability does not have to start with software. How lot codes, sack labels and a logbook let a seaweed cooperative trace every sack back to its source.
- Gelling Without Gelatin: Seaweed in Plant-Based FoodAgar and carrageenan are the main seaweed alternatives to gelatin. How they differ, where each works in plant-based food, and what that means for sourcing.