Untag Surabaya Students Help Local Coffee Business Level Up with New Packaging and Aromatherapy Candle Innovation

NGAWEN, SIDAYU, GRESIK — A small local coffee business in Ngawen Village, Sidayu District, Gresik Regency, has a new look. Kopi Deplok Mak Ama, a home-based enterprise long known for its locally produced ground coffee, recently received assistance from a cross-disciplinary team of students from Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 (Untag) Surabaya, as part of a community service program titled “Packaging Redesign and Coffee-Powder-Based Aromatherapy Candle Innovation.”

It Started with Packaging That Wasn’t Selling the Product

According to the team, the main problem they found on the ground was packaging that remained very basic. Based on field observation and direct interviews with the owner, the old packaging used by Kopi Deplok Mak Ama was simply a plain, transparent plastic bag with no official logo, minimal product information, and no visual identity to set it apart from competitors.

The team considered this a real obstacle to competitiveness, since packaging is never just a wrapper, it also functions as a communication and promotional tool aimed at consumers. To address this, the team carried out a full redesign: creating a proper logo, reorganizing product information such as ingredients and net weight, adding business contact details, and switching from an ordinary plastic bag to a more modern, resealable standing pouch with a zipper.

The result is packaging that displays the product name more clearly, uses a more refined color scheme, and carries a halal label along with more complete product information. The team documented these changes in a before-and-after comparison table, which shows improvement across nearly every category: from having no logo at all to a fully designed one, from limited product information to complete information, and from low to noticeably higher shelf appeal.

Introducing an Idea: Aromatherapy Candles Made from Coffee Grounds

Beyond fixing the packaging, the student team also introduced the business owner to a new idea, using ground coffee as a raw material for aromatherapy candles. The idea grew out of the observation that the business had, until now, sold only ground coffee, leaving the added-value potential of the coffee largely untapped.

The production concept itself is fairly simple. The materials involved include one kilogram of paraffin wax, 205 grams of coffee grounds, 30 milliliters of citronella oil as an additional fragrance, twenty candle wicks, and twenty small glass jars to serve as containers. The process begins by melting the paraffin wax using the double-boiler method, mixing in the coffee grounds and citronella oil until well blended, and then pouring the mixture into jars fitted with wicks. The candles are then left to set for 12 to 24 hours before being packaged and labeled.

The team explained that this concept was introduced through a socialization session with the partner, covering the required materials, the production process, and a rough estimate of production costs and potential selling price. According to the team, the business owner responded positively, seeing it as a natural extension of the existing coffee business and an opening into a new market for room fragrance and home decor products built around a distinctly local coffee scent.

Four Stages of Mentoring

The community service activity was carried out in four stages: socialization on the importance of product and packaging innovation, hands-on training in making the aromatherapy candles, mentoring during the production and packaging process, and a final evaluation to measure how well the program’s goals were met. Data was gathered using a qualitative descriptive approach, through observation, interviews, and documentation, comparing conditions before and after the program.

Success was measured across three main areas: the partner’s improved understanding of product and packaging innovation, increased motivation and participation in developing the business, and economic potential, reflected in the growing range of products the business could bring to market.

New Packaging Judged a Success; Product Innovation Still Needs Further Mentoring

On the packaging side, the team reports that the program successfully built a stronger brand identity and a more convincing appearance for consumers. On the candle innovation, however, the team is candid that the program only reached the stage of introducing the concept and running the initial socialization. Hands-on production training, along with further mentoring on production techniques, quality testing, packaging design, and marketing strategy, is still needed before the idea can be fully realized as a new flagship product.

The team hopes that, with more professional packaging combined with the opportunity to diversify into coffee-ground-based products, Kopi Deplok Mak Ama will be able to reach a wider market, both offline through MSME exhibitions and online through digital channels, opening up new and sustainable sources of income for the business owner and the wider Ngawen Village community.