For fans of durian, the name Ucok Durian may be familiar. The durian shop on Jalan Haji Wahid Hasyim, Medan City, is well known by durian lovers, even abroad.
The owner, Zainal Abidin Chaniago, as quoted by kompas.com, said that the success of Ucok Durian’s business was certainly not achieved instantly. The business that he had started in 1985 began when he sold durian on the side of a road in Medan. However, thanks to his persistence, the man who is often called Ucok has succeeded in developing his business, to the point of being able to generate a fantastic turnover. Every month, on average, Zainal can earn a turnover of IDR 1 billion. What makes Ucok Durian so successful?
Zainal Abidin’s Leadership Style
Even though his durian business has become famous and an icon of Medan tourism, Zainal is reluctant to open branches, both inside and outside Medan City. Understandably, even though he has employees, Ucok always comes to his shop and sorts the durians himself for the customers who come to the outlet. He does this because he wants to ensure that the durians that Ucok Durian serves to customers are truly of the highest quality.
Visitors can request a replacement if they feel that the durian served is not tasty without incurring additional costs. The durians that are not of good quality will be sold again to be made into durian dodol and ice cream. The durians sold by Ucok Durian are famous for their sweet, legit, and bitter taste. In addition, the fruit flesh is also very thick with a soft texture.
Ucok said he had collaborated with several farmers in Sumatra to ensure the availability of durian stock. This is because durians from Sumatra are famous for their sweet, creamy and bitter taste. Zainal can sell at least 1,000 durians per day. For the price, the durians that Ucok Durian offers come at various prices. Starting from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of rupiah per fruit, depending on the size.
Getting to Know Ucok, the Owner of Ucok Durian
Quoting merdeka.com, Ucok was born into a family of modest means. His father only worked as a pedicab puller, while his mother was a washerwoman. He lived with his five younger siblings. Due to economic limitations, he had to drop out of school at the age of 14. He only graduated from junior high school (SMP).
Since then, Ucok has been forced to find money himself to meet the needs of himself and his family. As a teenager, he worked as a durian porter. That was in 1980. He helped durian sellers along Jalan Iskandar Muda, Medan.
That was when he learned the ins and outs of durian. He was often invited by traders to visit durian centers to get a supply of durian. Thanks to this, he wanted to open his own durian business. Moreover, he saw the big profits from trading durian.
Finally, with a capital of 1.75 million Rupiah, Ucok started his own durian business. In order to learn about durian, Ucok visited almost the entire island of Sumatra.
Many farmers sell their durian to Ucok’s shop. As a result, durian stocks at Ucok’s shop are always available throughout the year, and the quality is very good. Eventually, his durian shop grew bigger and bigger and became more and more well-known until it is as it is today.
Lessons from Ucok’s Leadership
There are many interesting lessons from the story of Ucok Durian. If a business wants to grow, upholding quality, being serious, and truly understanding the market is a must.
1. Having a vision and being willing to take risks
The economic condition of Ucok and his family was far from ideal. He had to drop out of school when he was in junior high. It didn’t stop there, he had to find his own income when he was less than 16 years old. However, these conditions did not hinder his determination to move forward.
On the contrary, his enthusiasm was spurred on. The decision to start his own durian business shows that Ucok has vision and is willing to take risks. These are two things that entrepreneurs must have if they want to succeed.
2. Understand the business and the products being sold
Ucok’s courage was not just about being reckless. Before starting his own business, he had a good understanding of the ins and outs of durian. For example, the taste, texture, and durability of the fruit. Ucok took full advantage of his job of helping other people sell durian to learn. Armed with this knowledge and experience, he was able to sell quality durian. From Ucok, we learn about the importance of product understanding.
3. Focus on product quality
Ucok was not tempted to expand massively. He remained focused on one area, namely Medan City. For Ucok, quality standards should never be sacrificed. He sorted the durians that were sold directly. What is the important lesson from this decision?
Business development is not always synonymous with the number and range of branches. Concern for quality and customer needs is more important. Many businesses, despite having many branches, have uneven quality in each branch. As a result, the overall image of the product is not good.
4. Maintaining customer trust
In addition to high-quality durians, Ucok Durian also offers buyers a taste guarantee. Buyers can exchange durians without having to spend extra money if the durians served do not meet expectations. This policy fosters trust in Ucok Durian.
5. Efficiency
Another interesting thing is that durian fruit that does not meet the standard is not just thrown away, but is used to make durian ice cream and dodol. This teaches how a business must be managed efficiently. If there are unused goods, opportunities can be sought to be utilized for other purposes that add value to the company.
6. Building good relationships
Ucok diligently visits and establishes close relationships with durian farmers in Sumatra. At the very least, there are two benefits to doing this. First, it maintains the continuity of his durian stock throughout the year. Second, it empowers local farmers while improving their standard of living. This business model creates a supply chain that does not falter easily.
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