Going for a quick grocery run? Alfamart is a name that many Indonesians trust. Whether you need a quick snack or even household items, Alfamart has you covered.

Today, Alfamart has over 19,000 stores across Indonesia and the Philippines!

But the journey to get here wasn’t always smooth. It started as a small family business with big dreams and even bigger challenges.

Let’s dive into the story of how Alfamart grew to become one of the most popular convenience stores in the country.

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💡 Humble beginnings

The story of Alfamart began in 1989 with a man named Djoko Susanto. His family struggled to make ends meet. But his parents were determined to give their ten children a better life.

They ran a small food stall in Jakarta, selling snacks and everyday goods to the local community. Djoko helped out at the stall, learning the basics of running a business at a young age.

It wasn’t an easy life. The family struggled to survive. Costs were rising because they were competing with larger stores.

But Djoko’s parents never gave up. They worked long hours, knowing that every customer who came to their stall was putting food on their table.

Djoko inherited that same determination. He wanted to do more than just survive. He wanted to grow the family business into something bigger.

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🌱 Just getting started

Djoko started selling cigarettes, because he knew lots of people would buy them.

He became so successful that a businessman named Putera Sampoerna wanted to work with him. Putera was the heir of a cigarette company, which he ran for over 20 years.

Djoko and Putera ran 15 cigarette stalls all over Jakarta. Because it was so successful, they opened a discount supermarket, Alfa Toko Gudang Rabat.

In 1994, Djoko and Putera shortened the grocery’s name and opened the first Alfamart!

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💪 Powering through

The early days were tough. It was hard to compete with bigger supermarkets and local stores!

Djoko knew that he needed to offer something different. He focused on making Alfamart a friendly, convenient place. There, people could find their daily needs easily and at affordable prices.

Slowly, more and more customers began to trust Alfamart, and the business started to grow.

In 2005, Putera sold his tobacco business to Philip Morris International for a little over $5B. With it, he sold his 70% of shares in Alfamart.

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🎯 Target audience reached

Philip Morris then sold the business to Northstar. Djoko saw his chance and bought 65% of the company shares from them.  

Djoko found a new market for his supermarket chain: smaller communities in rural areas.

Many people had to travel far to buy groceries and basic necessities. He wanted to bring Alfamart closer to them.

He started opening new branches in towns and neighborhoods that didn’t have access to bigger supermarkets.

Most of them would just buy items from roadside shops. But Alfamart proved that they could buy high-quality items for a decent price.

But expanding wasn’t always easy. Managing new branches meant more staff, more inventory, and more logistics to handle.  

But the Alfamart team kept learning from each challenge.

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👪 Building a family brand

Alfamart isn’t just about products—it’s about people. Djoko wanted to create a place where all families could feel comfortable getting their needs met.

When Alfamart expanded to the Philippines in 2014, they offered a new type of service: the Super Minimart!

It was smaller than the original supermarket but bigger than a convenience store. This way, Filipino families could get all their needs met right away.

During COVID-19, lots of families didn’t have access to food. Instead of slowing down, Alfamart kept opening new branches.

They wanted to make sure Filipino families had enough to eat, even if they lived far away! By the end of 2022, there were 1,400 Alfamart branches in the country.

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🌟 Here and now

Alfamart has come a long way from that small family stall in Jakarta. Now, they have over 70,000 employees! They also serve over 3M customers every day.

For millions of people, Alfamart is more than just a convenience store: it’s a part of their daily lives.