Wahyu Dwi Anggoro
IDXChannel - The Consul General and Economic Team of the Indonesian Consulate General in San Francisco visited the Raphio Chocolate company in Fresno, California, the United States on 17 January.
The company is a small business started by an Indonesian diaspora couple, Yohanes and Elisia, which specialises in the import and export of cocoa and artisanal chocolate products.
“This visit is part of the economic diplomacy mission, especially in the trade sector. We encourage more trade potential with partners in the accredited regions. We need to continue to build collaboration with the diaspora. One of them is with Raphio Chocolate," said Indonesian Consul General in San Francisco, Prasetyo Hadi, in a media release.
Consul General Prasetyo also appreciated the achievements and persistence of those who have built a cocoa and chocolate business from scratch, built an environmentally friendly and sustainable Indonesian cocoa and chocolate production and business ecosystem, and improved the branding of quality and competitive Indonesian chocolate products, not only opening new markets in the United States (US) but also significantly contributing to improving the image of Indonesian cocoa in the global market.
The Indonesian Consulate General in San Francisco and the chocolate entrepreneurs identified several challenges and opportunities for the cocoa business in the US. One of them is that the licensing of Indonesian cocoa exports to the US is still an obstacle, and the quality of Indonesian cocoa is not yet widely recognised. In addition, Indonesia needs to increase education and strengthen literacy as well as organise training to increase the capacity of Indonesian cocoa farmers and the quality and quantity of cocoa so that it can compete with competitors and the world's giant chocolate industry, given the huge potential opportunities for Indonesian cocoa and chocolate.
