STRENGTHENING INTERNAL PRODUCTION CAPACITY OF COFFEE BUSINESS AMONG SMES IN PURBALINGGA REGENCY

Abstract

Coffee-based Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play a strategic role in promoting rural economic development and increasing value addition in Indonesia's coffee industry. However, many coffee SMEs continue to encounter operational challenges that constrain business growth, including limited production planning, inconsistent quality control, inadequate standard operating procedures, inefficient production workflows, and suboptimal utilization of processing equipment. These constraints weaken production efficiency, reduce product consistency, and limit the ability of SMEs to respond to increasing market demand. This community service program aimed to strengthen the internal production scale of coffee businesses among SMEs in Purbalingga Regency through an integrated capacity-building approach. The program adopted a participatory community empowerment method consisting of four stages: (1) preliminary assessment to identify productionrelated constraints, (2) technical training and mentoring, (3) implementation of production system improvements, and (4) monitoring and evaluation of production performance. The intervention focused on five strategic components: production process standardization, quality control enhancement, human resource capacity building, and production performance monitoring. Data were collected through field observations, interviews, documentation, and participatory evaluation involving SME owners and workers. The implementation of the program resulted in significant improvements in the organization of production activities and strengthened the operational capacity of participating SMEs. Business owners demonstrated enhanced understanding and application of standardized production procedures, more efficient production workflows, improved quality control practices, and better production planning and monitoring. The mentoring activities also fostered greater awareness of continuous improvement and evidence-based production management, thereby supporting more consistent product quality and more efficient resource utilization.