PURWOKERTO — From a fruit that often faces price challenges during the peak harvest season, salak pondoh Banjarnegara has a new way to move up the value chain. Three Universitas Terbuka (UT) Purwokerto students from the Kelompok Belajar (Pokjar) Dr. Sukirman Banjarnegara turned the fruit into a premium jam called PURE SALACCA JAM.

The innovation earned Team SALACCA third place in the 2026 Entrepreneur Competition organized by SEEO of the Faculty of Engineering at Universitas Jenderal Soedirman (UNSOED). The team consists of Rahmalia Dewi, Okki Falikah Ramadhani, and Rahma Nurchairani.

For them, PURE SALACCA JAM is more than just a processed fruit product. Behind every jar of jam lies an issue faced by salak farmers that they hope to address, particularly during the peak harvest season when an abundant supply can cause prices to fall.

“At first, we saw the problems faced by salak farmers. During the peak harvest season, prices can drop to as low as Rp3,000 per kilogram, and some of the fruit cannot be absorbed by the market and is therefore at risk of going rotten. From there, we started thinking about how salak could be processed into a product with higher market value,” said Rahmalia Dewi, who is known as Rara.

The idea began to be developed in June 2026. The salak pondoh Banjarnegara used in the product did not go directly into the production process. The fruit was first selected through a sorting process to ensure that the ingredients met the product’s standards.

The salak was then cooked for approximately 60 minutes. The process continued with sterile packaging and labeling. In a single production cycle, Team SALACCA can produce around 18 jars of jam, with the entire process taking approximately four hours.

To create its distinctive flavor, PURE SALACCA JAM is made from salak pondoh, sugar, water, lime, and cinnamon. The team also strives to minimize the use of artificial preservatives and coloring.

Before being taken to the competition, the product was first tested with 20 respondents from organizations, institutions, and the general public. Feedback from the respondents was then used as evaluation material to improve the product’s taste and quality.

The journey for PURE SALACCA JAM continued to the 2026 Entrepreneur Competition. The competition was open to active students from public and private universities across Central Java and the Special Region of Yogyakarta.

Of around 50 registered teams, only five advanced to the final round. The final presentations were held online via Zoom on August 23, 2026, while the winners were announced on August 25, 2026.

Team SALACCA ultimately finished in third place. First place was won by Nine Hundred from UNSOED, while Soedirman Innovators, also from UNSOED, took second place.

The achievement was even more meaningful because the innovation was not driven solely by the ambition to win a competition. Rahmalia and Okki are also active in SERDADU (Sinergi Ekonomi Rakyat dan Kedaulatan Usaha), a community focused on empowering the local economy.

Team SALACCA’s initiative demonstrates how simple innovation can create new value for local commodities. When salak is not only sold as fresh fruit, opportunities to extend the use of the harvest while increasing its economic value become more widely available.

Efforts to develop salak into a value-added product also have the potential to create business opportunities and strengthen the local economy, in line with the spirit of SDG 8 on Decent Work and Economic Growth. At the same time, utilizing salak as a processed product supports SDG 12 on Responsible Consumption and Production, as the harvest can be utilized more optimally and generate greater economic value.

Ultimately, the third-place trophy may be only one part of the journey. More than that, PURE SALACCA JAM carries a message that when a problem is viewed as an opportunity, a local fruit that was once vulnerable to losing its value can be developed into a product with a story, competitiveness, and new economic opportunities.