The Research Group of the Center for Cooperative and SMEs (PSP-KUMKM) at the Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM) of Sebelas Maret University (UNS) in Surakarta has organized a community service project for Sendang Lawu Coffee SMEs.

This community service activity is part of the 2023 Community Partnership Program (PKM-UNS) with the title "Empowerment for Quality Improvement and Marketing of Sendang Desa Sepanjang Coffee SMEs, Tawangmangu Subdistrict, Karanganyar Regency." The community service project took place on Wednesday, May 24, 2023, under the leadership of Dr. Ir. Heru Irianto, M.M, with team members Raden Kunto Adi, S.P., M.P., Dr. If Bambang Sulistyono, S.K., M.T., and Nidyah Widyamurti, S.Sn., M.IKom.

Furthermore, the community service activity was carried out at Coffee Sendang Lawu, located at Sendang RT 03/RW 11, Desa Sepanjang, Tawangmangu Subdistrict, Karanganyar Regency, with Warno as the responsible party.

"The goal of the community service activity for Sendang Lawu Coffee SMEs is to address the issues faced by our partner SMEs, which include: 1) Inconsistent product quality in roasted coffee beans. Consistent quality in roasting is reflected in uniform color and aroma that showcases the uniqueness of Arabica or Robusta coffee. Inconsistent roasting quality and weak aroma from coffee beans result in lower selling prices, leading to a significant price difference and reduced income for SMEs; 2) The packaging of both roasted and powdered coffee products is not marketable, making it less attractive to consumers; 3) Lack of product legalization for processed coffee, specifically P-IRT," explained Dr. Heru Irianto, the Head of the Community Service Team.

To address these issues, the PSP-KUMKM Research Group at LPPM UNS conducted several activities and introduced technology to the partner SMEs, including first, the introduction of an automatic coffee roasting machine; second, the introduction of packaging designs for roasted and powdered coffee products; and third, facilitating the legalization of processed coffee products, specifically obtaining P-IRT certification.

"The outcomes of this community service activity include the addition of 1 unit of automatic coffee grinder to Sendang Lawu Coffee SMEs; the creation of packaging designs for roasted and powdered coffee; obtaining P-IRT certification from the Karanganyar Health Office; expanding the market to souvenir centers in Solo Raya; a 20 percent increase in income compared to before the program; publication of 1 article in a SINTA-indexed journal; publication of 1 article in an online media platform; publication of a video of the activity on YouTube; and obtaining copyright for a book," Dr. Heru Irianto elaborated.