Holiday Ayo - The Hartono brothers will again occupy the first position of the richest people in Indonesia according to Forbes in 2022 with a total wealth of US $ 47.7 billion, equivalent to IDR 745.7 trillion (exchange rate of IDR 15,625 per US dollar).

It is known that they have been at the top of this list for at least 14 years. In 2021, for example, their wealth will reach US$ 42.6 billion or IDR 664.56 trillion. Whereas in 2020 when the economy was depressed due to Covid-19, Forbes noted that their wealth could still reach US$ 38.8 billion or IDR 605.28 trillion.

The source of wealth for this family of Chinese descent who was born in Java is the owner of PT Djarum or Djarum Group, a conglomerate that operates various business lines in various fields. However, the struggle of the two to achieve what they currently have is not an easy thing.

The Hartini brothers, Robert and Michael Hartono, were left by their father (Oei Wie Gwan) at a fairly young age, namely 23 and 24 years. Since then, they had to run the clove cigarette factory business called Djarum, which had been run since April 21, 1951 by their father.

Not only did their father leave them, they both also had to continue PT Djarum's struggle with this deplorable condition. The cigarette factory burned down in the same year and left PT Djarum in financial trouble.

The Hartono brothers also continued their cigarette factory business in the city of Kudus, Central Java, during their youth. Thanks to their business acumen and perseverance, the Hartono brothers have finally managed to bring the company to a more prestigious position as one of the largest tobacco companies in Indonesia.

In the 1970s, Djarum succeeded in becoming one of the largest clove cigarette suppliers in the world. In 1972, Djarum started exporting its cigarettes overseas. Three years later Djarum marketed Djarum Filter, its first machine-produced brand, followed by the Djarum Super brand which was introduced in 1981.

Djarum continued to gain success through the tobacco business before finally experiencing dismal times during the 1998 financial crisis. After the Asian financial crisis in 1998, the Hartono brothers looked for opportunities in other businesses and finally bought part of Bank Central Asia (BCA) shares together with the Lippo Group at that time.

The Hartonos bought shares in BCA after another wealthy family, the Salims, lost control of the bank during the 1997-1998 Asian economic crisis. Because the performance continued to provide positive results, Djarum also increased its share of ownership in the largest bank in Indonesia until it finally now has a majority share portion.

Not only penetrating into the banking business, the Hartono brothers also penetrated other sectors such as electronic equipment, property, plantations to information technology and online games. The two brothers seem to have an endless drive to achieve success and are not afraid to venture into new business territories.