Jerome Polin Officially Closes All Menantea Outlets, Faces Many Challenges Since Its Establishment

Menantea first appeared in April 2021 as a trendy tea drink brand founded by Jerome Polin and Jehian Panangian Sijabat. This venture became their first experience in building a company. "Exactly 5 years ago (April 10, 2021), my brother (Jerome Polin) and I opened the first Menantea store. For us, this is our first company," said Jehian. 

In a short time, Menantea grew rapidly and successfully attracted the attention of the trendy drink market in Indonesia. The expansion has led this brand to have more than 200 outlets in various cities. This growth has made Menantea one of the notable players in the beverage industry. However, behind the massive expansion, various challenges began to emerge that affected business operations.

The decision to close all outlets was announced through Jehian's Instagram and Threads accounts on April 10, 2026. Similar information was also conveyed through the official account @menantea.toko on April 11, 2026.

Jehian acknowledged that his team was not fully prepared to face the complexities of the business world. One of the main obstacles was the lack of research on the backgrounds of the partners they collaborated with. Additionally, internal oversight was not functioning optimally as financial audits were not conducted regularly. This then triggered various problems that became increasingly complex over time.

As time went on, various issues began to emerge in Menantea's operations. These issues included partner complaints, unpaid supplier bills, and tax report errors. “Starting from partners reporting conditions in the field, suppliers with old unpaid bills, to indications of fraud internally,” Jehian explained.

Management has taken various steps to improve the company's condition over the past two years. These efforts include investigative audits with public accounting firms and settling obligations to employees and suppliers. In addition, the restructuring of financial and tax reports has also been carried out gradually. This improvement process is largely funded using personal funds from the founders.

Although various improvements have been made, management realizes that restoring the trust of partners and customers is difficult. “However, we fully understand that none of these things will be able to heal the disappointment of Partners and Customers towards Menantea,” said Jehian.

As the closing approaches, Menantea is holding a clearance sale program as a form of appreciation to customers. The stores that are still operating are offering drinks at Rp 10,000 per cup and Rp 15,000 for the Papua branch. Want to read the latest updates on other celebrities? Let's read it on KapanLagi.com. If not now, when, KapanLagi?