Feasibility Analysis of Mangrove Syrup Enterprises and Institutional Patterns of the Daun Harum and Talitah Groups in Tanjung Laut Indah, Bontang City, Indonesia

Abstract

Bontang City, located in East Kalimantan Province, has an extensive coastal area with well-preserved mangrove ecosystems. These mangrove resources have not yet been fully optimized to enhance the economic well-being of local communities. One of the utilization efforts currently undertaken is the processing of Sonneratia ovata mangrove fruit into high-value mangrove syrup. The Daun Harum Group, based in Tanjung Laut Indah Sub-district, has developed a mangrove syrup production enterprise as a flagship local product, in collaboration with the Talitah Group, which acts as the supplier of raw materials.  This study aims to analyze the financial feasibility of the mangrove syrup business and to describe the institutional partnership established between the two groups. The research was conducted over nine months, from August 2024 to May 2025. Both primary and secondary data were utilized. Primary data were collected through direct observation and interviews with respondents, while secondary data were obtained through literature review. Respondents in this study consisted of the management and members of both Daun Harum and Talitah Groups. Respondents were selected using purposive sampling, with the following criteria: (1) actively involved in managing the group, (2) knowledgeable about the group’s organizational management, and (3) willing to collaborate with the researcher in providing the required data and information. Based on these criteria, the total number of respondents was eight (8) individuals (2 administrators and 2 members from each group).  Data were analyzed using business feasibility analysis and institutional descriptive analysis. The results of the study indicate that the mangrove syrup business is financially viable, with a Net Profit IDR 14,433,358 a Revenue Cost Ratio (RCR) of 1.41, a Payback Period (PP) of 0.06 years, and a Return on Investment (ROI) of 128.5%. The institutional structure that emerged represents a marketing and credit-based institution, which functions effectively in terms of jurisdictional boundaries, ownership rights, and rules of representation. This study demonstrates that the collaboration between two local institutions focused on mangrove resource management can serve as a strategic approach to sustainable economic empowerment for coastal communities