Monica Aprilia, a graduate from UPH School of Hospitality and Tourism 2015 who has turned her hobby into a career was seated among hundreds of graduates during UPH Graduation Ceremony on November 22, 2019 at UPH Lippo Village Campus. Her creatively unique business has turned many people?s eyes. Lemon Miniature ? a brand created by Monica since 2016, produces food replica miniature and other clay-based miniatures.

?When I was in 6th grade, I watched one of those Japanese programs from a Private Channel about miniature crafts. I was really interested about it and decided to make it as a hobby. At the end, I really want to give my contribution for the food and beverages industry through this craft, and coincidentally, one of my customers trusted me to create a food replica of their product and since then, I started to turn my hobby into a business,? said Monica.

In doing business, Monica, as an owner and crafter of Lemon Miniature, has her own principles and values. For her, UPH has affected her life values and her skill developments ? that are very useful for her business.

?When I was in the School of Hospitality and Tourism, I was taught to put customer service over everything. This has really helped me in dealing and maintaining my relationship with my customers, which leads to an enhanced product value. One of the values that UPH holds high is Godly Character; this affects my life a lot, and has enabled me to entrust my life, and my business in God?s hands,? said Monica who graduated from Travel Industry Management undergraduate study program.

As one of UPH graduates, she has also shown her contribution for the creative industry through a number of works she has created for some Indonesian food and beverages companies such as Nestle Cerelac, Pepper Lunch, and Kokumi. She also admitted that it takes 2 to 3 weeks in real time for her to finish these projects.

?Truth to be told, the process of making these food replicas are not easy at all. For example, in order to create a fried chicken replica, I have to mold the shape first using a clay. I then create the desired ?crispy? texture that resembles the real fried chicken. After that, I would have to wait for it to dry in order for me to paint it. The coloring process must be done layer by layer. So, I started with a lighter color, then added another layer with a slightly darker tone over it,? Monica stated.

The days, Monica has started to see the food replica industry as a unique and promising business inspiration.
?Up until now, this kind of business can be rarely found. Especially because my brand is exclusively hand-made, when most brands would create it with machine,? she sated (na).