Creating economic value through multi-stakeholder partnership (case study on the black soybean farmers development programme of Unilever Indonesia)

This study examines the black soybean farmers development programme created by Unilever Indonesia (UI). These programmes was developed in collaboration with several stakeholders made up of scientists/university staff, non-government organisations (NGOs), financial institution, farmers, wives of farmers and cooperative. The programme basically aims to set up local black soybean production centres to assure a continuous supply of the main ingredients of Bango soy sauce, a flagship product of UI with a quantity, quality and price in accordance to the company's standards. This interpretive research study follows a post-positivist paradigm. Data were collected by conducting in-depth interviews of all the partners involved in the programme. Result of the study shows that the multi-stakeholder partnership created by Unilever was capable of creating positive economic value to all the partners and, at the same time, improving the quality of life of the farmers.