Jakarta (Antara) – Sosro bottled tea is one of the fast food drinks that has become part of the lifestyle of the Indonesian people.
However, behind his success, there is a visionary figure who contributed to building and introducing tea drinks ready to drink.
He was Soegiharto Sosrodjojo, a man who brought major changes in the beverage industry in the country.
Soegiharto Sosrodjojo was born on November 23, 1929 in Slawi, Central Java, an area known as the center of tea production.
He is the sixth child of ten siblings in the Sosrodjojo family, who has long been in the tea industry since the 1940s.
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The Sosrodjojo family initially established a stamp bottled tea business, which produced high quality brewing tea and marketed it traditionally around Slawi.
They use conventional sales methods, where tea is packaged in the form of dry leaves and sold to consumers to be brewed at home.
However, this family has a bigger vision. They want to introduce the culture of drinking tea to a wider area, especially to Jakarta, which at that time was still not familiar with the tradition of drinking tea like in Central Java.
In 1965, Soegiharto and his brothers decided to expand their markets to the capital. However, big challenges emerged.
In Jakarta, the habit of drinking tea is not too popular, and people are not accustomed to brewing their own tea.
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To overcome this obstacle, they implemented a unique marketing strategy called “Try to taste.”
They went to the markets and shopping centers, then brewed tea directly and distributed them for free to the visitors, with the hope that the public would be interested and start buying their products.
However, there are other obstacles. This tea brewing demonstration takes a long time, and often visitors have left before they can try the taste.
In addition, the condition of the hot and dusty field makes the brewing of tea in the open become less hygienic.
From this challenge a revolutionary idea emerged, namely packing tea that had been brewed into a bottle to make it more practical and ready to drink.
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In 1969, Soegiharto and his family finally found the best solution, selling tea that had been brewed in glass bottles.
This product was later given the name “Sosro Bottle Tea”, referring to the brand “Teh Cap Bottle” and their family name, “Sosrodjojo”.
This decision was proven as a big breakthrough, “Sosro Bottle Tea” became a product of tea ready to drink in the first package in the world, long before this concept was adopted by other global beverage companies.
However, the journey has not been completed. In the beginning, many shops and traders were reluctant to sell this product because they considered the tea in bottles not something commonly consumed.
To overcome this challenge, Soegiharto applied a new strategy known as “ESL” (Enter, Selling, and Leaving), which is to enter the store, put the product on the shelf, then leave.
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This strategy is very effective. Consumers are starting to be curious and buy Sosro bottled tea. Demand continues to increase, until finally this product becomes an inseparable part of the lives of Indonesian people.
On July 17, 1974, Soegiharto officially established PT Sinar Sosro as a company that produced and distributed Sosro bottles more broadly. Their first factory was built in Bekasi, West Java, which later developed into one of the largest beverage companies in Indonesia.
Under Soegiharto’s leadership, PT Sinar Sosro continues to innovate and develop various product variants, such as Sosro, Fruit Tea, S-Tee, and Joy Tea tea.
Not only that, the company also began expanding abroad, making Sosro bottled tea as an Indonesian beverage product known in foreign countries.
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After years of building his business, Soegiharto died on January 24, 2025 at the age of 95 years.
However, the inheritance he left was not only limited to business, but also innovation and inspiration for the business world in Indonesia. Sosro bottled tea is now not just a drink, but also part of Indonesian culture and culinary identity.
With the motto “Whatever the food, drinking Sosro Bottle Tea”, the inheritance he left will continue to be remembered and enjoyed by future generations.
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Reporter: Putri Hanifa
Editor: Zita Meirina
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