I had a lifechanging experience during the visit of my father in Qatar. I was impressed by the delicious specialties, originally from Turkey, which were loved by the locals and tourists. From there, I was enlightened to learn about original kebab recipes and how to make kebab myself.
In September 2003, I started my first Kebab business with capital investment of 4 million rupiahs which I borrowed from my younger sister. I began to experiment with kebab recipes so that the taste and format would be suitable for the Indonesian market. Therefore, I changed the size of the taboon bread to make it easier to eat, and created my own sauce, with the Indonesian preferences in mind. With great determination in this idea, I left my college after the second year to develop my own business. Even though I received a lot of criticism from my parents, I was committed to make my vision a reality.
In 2008, Kebab Turki Baba Rafi became one of the well-known food brands in Indonesia, and I finally moved to Jakarta to establish another head office. I was the winner of the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards 2008 in Malaysia. A year later, in 2009, I decided to introduce Kebab Turki in Malaysia and the sales skyrocketed.
Success, achievements and awards kept piling up as a result of the tireless hardwork in building this business. The culmination was in 2009, when I was honoured The Entrepreneurial Spirit Special Award 2009 - Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young and was covered by Singapore television channel, CNA. Until today, I have received many awards and will keep developing Kebab Turki Baba Rafi in order to achieve greater success.
Two years later, in 2005, my kebab business grew rapidly so I was able to establish PT Baba Rafi Indonesia and began to permit franchises for Kebab Turki Baba Rafi. At first, I did not understand what, where and how to start. Later, I took courses to specifically study franchise system from a business consultant. Once I was ready, I developed a management system and performed training with friends who were partnered with the new and better system. After Kebab Turki Baba Rafi took off, I opened several branches in other cities. In 2006 it all came into fruition; I was honoured Asia's Best Entrepreneur Under 25 Years by Business Week Magazine, and the winner of The Indonesian Small and Medium Business Entrepreneur Award (ISMBEA) 2006 held by the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs. In the following year, I also won Mandiri Young Entrepreneur competition in the Post-Graduate & Alumni category by Mandiri Bank
I am also active as a speaker at seminars, both national and at international schools or universities. I was trusted to be a panelist at the International forum at St. Gallen Symposium 2010 in Switzerland, and several other international forums in Singapore, America, Russia, Dubai, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Philippines, Turkey and Taiwan.
In September 2003, I started my first Kebab business with capital investment of 4 million rupiahs which I borrowed from my younger sister. I began to experiment with kebab recipes so that the taste and format would be suitable for the Indonesian market. Therefore, I changed the size of the taboon bread to make it easier to eat, and created my own sauce, with the Indonesian preferences in mind. With great determination in this idea, I left my college after the second year to develop my own business. Even though I received a lot of criticism from my parents, I was committed to make my vision a reality.
Two years later, in 2005, my kebab business grew rapidly so I was able to establish PT Baba Rafi Indonesia and began to permit franchises for Kebab Turki Baba Rafi. At first, I did not understand what, where and how to start. Later, I took courses to specifically study franchise system from a business consultant. Once I was ready, I developed a management system and performed training with friends who were partnered with the new and better system. After Kebab Turki Baba Rafi took off, I opened several branches in other cities. In 2006 it all came into fruition; I was honoured Asia's Best Entrepreneur Under 25 Years by Business Week Magazine, and the winner of The Indonesian Small and Medium Business Entrepreneur Award (ISMBEA) 2006 held by the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs. In the following year, I also won Mandiri Young Entrepreneur competition in the Post-Graduate & Alumni category by Mandiri Bank.
In 2008, Kebab Turki Baba Rafi became one of the well-known food brands in Indonesia, and I finally moved to Jakarta to establish another head office. I was the winner of the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards 2008 in Malaysia. A year later, in 2009, I decided to introduce Kebab Turki in Malaysia and the sales skyrocketed.
Success, achievements and awards kept piling up as a result of the tireless hardwork in building this business. The culmination was in 2009, when I was honoured The Entrepreneurial Spirit Special Award 2009 - Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young and was covered by Singapore television channel, CNA. Until today, I have received many awards and will keep developing Kebab Turki Baba Rafi in order to achieve greater success.
I am also active as a speaker at seminars, both national and at international schools or universities. I was trusted to be a panelist at the International forum at St. Gallen Symposium 2010 in Switzerland, and several other international forums in Singapore, America, Russia, Dubai, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Philippines, Turkey and Taiwan.
Kebab Turki Baba Rafi was started from a small cart with a single employee. Nowadays, it has more than 1300 branches in 10 countries in the world. Kebab Turki Baba Rafi strives to expanded in more international markets.
As my business grew, I established Baba Rafi Enterprise as my business group. This enterprise is in charge of more than 5 different businesses. The Baba Rafi Enterprise is now operating in various fields such as food, beauty, investments and lifestyle. Some examples are; Kebab Turki Baba Rafi, Container Kebab by Baba Rafi, Foresthree Coffee, Fish Streat, Cakekinian, Ngikan, Aura Dermatology and Tambak Udang Vaname.
I was fortunate to continue my study in the Department of Entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School and joined the Scaling Entrepreneurial Ventures program. I received a scholarship from Endeavor Global to study alongside several other world entrepreneurs in one of the best universities of the world.
I was fortunate to continue my study in the Department of Entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School and joined the Scaling Entrepreneurial Ventures program. I received a scholarship from Endeavor Global to study alongside several other world entrepreneurs in one of the best universities of the world.
Doing social activities to help others is an activity I deeply enjoy. I have been doing this for years through the CSR run by the Kebab Turki Baba Rafi Brand. To create a greater impact, I established The Hendy Setiono Foundation as a place to share without limits. Hendy Setiono Foundation was launched in the month of Ramadhan in 2019, along with a donation to a mosque and Rumah Zakat.
Saya suka melakukan kegiatan sosial untuk bisa membantu sesama, hal ini telah lama saya lakukan melalui CSR yang dijalankan oleh Brand Kebab Turki Baba Rafi. Untuk menciptakan dampak kebaikan yang lebih besar lagi, saya mendirikan Hendy Setiono Foundation sebagai wadah untuk berbagi tanpa mengenal batasan. Hendy Setiono Foundation launching di bulan Ramadhan 2019 bersamaan dengan penyerahan wakaf tanah masjid kepada rumah zakat.