Truck Loads of Steel
You have come to the right place to be entertained by the guts and ingenuity of Indonesian workers at our soon-to-be new Java Bite training and production facility! Apparently this truck driver only had time for a 5 minute visit to the site. We are still both laughing and amazed as we watch both of […]
Boosting the Brand in Bali
One great way to gain visibility for the Java Bite brand, get a feel for the market, and make new contacts is to attend food events here in Indonesia. September 2019 found us in Bali participating in an international food trade show. REI, (Resource Exchange International, Inc.), is a key partner of PT SunREI Food […]
Mouths to Feed
“Don’t try to work with village people. It will be much more difficult for you.” This warning from a business owner in Indonesia caused me to pause and carefully consider the path we were forging. Although that conversation took place over a decade ago, I have never forgotten it — though it was perhaps the […]
Empowerment
I like to work with my hands; I derive satisfaction from a finished project. And if tasked with a project of tearing something apart . . . well, I’ve loved demolition work since I was a three-year-old playing with Lincoln Logs! In fact, I was a bit jealous when I recently passed through a village […]
Building Up Financially Vulnerable People
Resource Exchange International, Inc. (REI) takes the matter of “Building People to Build a Nation” very seriously, mobilizing resources so that professionals in several countries can strengthen the strategic sectors of their country. In Indonesia we direct our attention toward those whose income prospects are limited. Specifically, we work among low-income families in rural villages, […]
Dehydrators and People
In the village of Tiron, natural resource extraction has become a way of life. Agriculture provides the largest amount of community income. Mining in the village is a close second. In both agriculture and mining, the tools of the trade are very simple: hoe, plow, hammer. Low technologies present very limited opportunities for personal development. […]