Nyonya Meneer

Nyonya Meneer
Born
Lauw Ping Nio

1895 (1895)
Sidoarjo, East Java, Dutch East Indies
Died1978 (aged 82–83)
Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia
OccupationBuisnesswoman

Lauw Ping Nio (1895–1978), better known by her alias Nyonya Meneer, was an Indonesian businesswoman in the herbal medicine industry.

Biography

Lauw Ping Nio was born in 1895 in Sidoarjo, East Java, Dutch East Indies, and was of Chinese descent.[1] She was the third of five children.[2] She became known by the alias Nyonya Meneer (Mrs Meneer) - a name taken from the Dutch word for groat rice.[3]

Meneer was married at the age of 16 to merchant Ong Bian Wan.[1][4] When Meneer was pregnant with her four children,[2] her mother visited her daily with jamu, a traditional herbal drink.[5] She also treated her husband with herbal medicines when he was unwell with stomach complaints.[1][3]

After Meneer moved to Semarang, she began making jamu for friends and neighbours from her mother's recipes. This lead her to setting up a small at home business in her kitchen called "Jamu Cap Potret Nyonya Meneer." Meneer's business grew in popularity and in 1919 she opened a small factory and a herbal medicine shop.[1][5] The company became one of Indonesia's most trusted traditional medicine brands.

By 1940, Meneer's daughter had expanded the business to Jakarta. In 2000, her grandson Charles Saerang assumed control of the company[1] after internal conflict between Meneer's children and grandchildren.[2] In 2005, the business expanded to international exports into foreign markets.[6] Meneer's face was included on the packaging of all the products as a symbol that she herself came to the customers with the product.[2] Her image remained on the packaging until 2017,[1][3] when the company went bankrupt.[7][8][9]

Meneer died in 1978 in Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia.[4]

The Nyonya Meneer Herbal Medicine Museum was founded in 1984 in Semarang.[10][11] It displays herbs and the tools used in the production of traditional medicines.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hidayat, Amry Nur (24 May 2025). "Perjalanan Berdiri dan Tumbangnya Jamu Nyonya Meneer hingga Peluang untuk Kembali". Warta Ekonomi (in Indonesian). Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Hua, Lie (31 March 2002). "Nyonya Meneer: A not so happy family firm". jawawa. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 "Pengusaha Jamu Jawa Pertama di Indonesia". TokohIndonesia.com - Tokoh.ID. 6 June 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  4. 1 2 Pamudji, Aldila Tabah Sejati. "Sosok Nyonya Meneer, Tokoh Jamu Legendaris Indonesia - RRI.co.id". rri.co.id (in Indonesian). Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  5. 1 2 Beers, Susan-Jane (10 September 2012). Jamu: The Ancient Indonesian Art of Herbal Healing. Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4629-1017-5.
  6. ↑ Indonesian Commercial Newsletter. P.T. Data Search Indonesia. 2005. p. 35.
  7. ↑ Gideon, Arthur (4 August 2017). "Alasan di Balik Pailit Pabrik Jamu Legendaris Nyonya Meneer". liputan6.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  8. ↑ Dariyanto, Erwin (4 August 2017). "Nyonya Meneer Berdiri Sejak 1919, Akhirnya Tak Sanggup Lagi". detiknews (in Indonesian). Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  9. ↑ "Restart for Indonesia's Herbal Medicine Company Nyonya Meneer?". Indonesia Investments. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  10. ↑ "Pariwisata Provinsi Jawa Tengah | Tourist Destination | MUSEUM JAMU NYONYA MENEER". visitjawatengah.jatengprov.go.id. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  11. ↑ Let's Enjoy Semarang: Guide Book of Semarang Tourism, 2014 (in Indonesian). Dinas Kebudayaan & Pariwisata Kota Semarang. 2014. p. 24.
  12. ↑ Travel Indonesia. Vol. 20. P.T. Travia Duta. 1998. p. 14.
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