What Matters To Me: Eugenie Patricia Agus, Co-Founder Of Puyo

The dessert entrepreneur taking Indonesia's culinary scene by storm

In the What Matters To Me series, a Generation T honouree describes what they do, why they do it, and why it matters.

Budding dessert magnate Eugenie Patricia Agus started a family empire at just 19. She is the co-founder of Puyo, a local dessert company that has taken Indonesia by storm with a recipe based on an irresistible family history and a dash of courage.

Here, Agus introduces her work in her own words.

Puyo was launched in July 2013 by my brother Adrian and me. My dad, who’s an avid cook, used to make silk puddings for dessert at home. So one day my brother and I thought: ‘Why don’t we try selling it?’ We did just that, experimenting for two to three months with different flavours and packaging, and then we started selling it at bazaars, online and to our friends and family.

Our main goal is to go international, starting in Asia. There are so many imported brands that are heavily favoured by Indonesians, but very few Indonesian brands that go international

- Eugenie Patricia Agus -

I focus more on the creative side of the business. There are so many occasions and celebrations in a year, such as New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day and even April Fool’s Day. My job is to fill those dates with campaigns to attract more customers, whether by making new flavours or forging collaborations.

We teamed up with [NGO] Taman Bacaan Pelangi and [actress] Chelsea Islan to build libraries in remote areas in Indonesia, which happened to be in Labuan Bajo [on the island of Flores] this year. Going there and seeing the libraries and the children gave us a plethora of emotions: joy, sadness, pride—you name it.

Our main goal is to go international, starting in Asia. There are so many imported brands that are heavily favoured by Indonesians, but very few Indonesian brands that go international. We believe that Puyo is the perfect fit for many Asian countries because of the snacking and dessert culture. Japan is definitely our end goal because once we enter that market, Puyo will be widely recognised.

See honourees from the Food & Beverage section of the Gen.T List 2019.

Topics

Indonesia entrepreneur food youth NGO

Tatler Asia

What Matters To Me: Eugenie Patricia Agus, Co-Founder Of Puyo