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.
In terms of quantity, based on data from the Statistics Indonesia (BPS), Indonesia´s cocoa exports to the US in 2023 will be 48,158.29 tonnes with a value of US$187.26 million. This figure increased by 0.4% from the export volume in 2022 of 47,955.25 tonnes. The US is Indonesia's second largest cocoa export destination after India. In 2023, the US was recorded to have accounted for 48.4% of Indonesians´ total cocoa exports.
For this reason, the Indonesian Consulate General in San Francisco and Raphio Chocolate agreed to encourage and increase Indonesian cocoa exports to the US, including the penetration of Indonesian artisanal chocolate products in the US West Coast working area in particular and the US in general, and there is added value that can be felt by Indonesian cocoa farmers and chocolate industry entrepreneurs. Currently, the Indonesian diaspora businessman is exporting cocoa from various regions, such as Sumba, Papua, Bali, Sulawesi, West Java, as well as Jember and several areas in East Java.
For the support of the Indonesian Consulate General in San Francisco, Yohanes and Elisia expressed their gratitude for the cooperation and collaboration so far, which has helped boost Indonesian cocoa and chocolate exports, as well as raise awareness of the quality of Indonesian cocoa and chocolate products in the US. The Indonesian Diaspora is considered to have a central role as part of the RI Representative´s partners to continue to promote and strengthen synergy with business partners in carrying out economic diplomacy missions that can increase benefits for Indonesia's economic growth.
Consul General Prasetyo emphasised that the momentum of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and the US this year needs to be utilised to strengthen the economic diplomacy mission, which requires the support of all Indonesian partners and diaspora in the accreditation area. One of them is with Raphio Chocolate, in optimising useful promotional activities, so that Indonesian products become better known and in demand by the American public.
Raphio Chocolate, which has been operating since 2016, has successfully distributed its artisan chocolate products in nearly 100 stores across the US. Raphio Chocolate is also an active member of the Indonesian Cocoa Society (MKI) and the cocoa and chocolate business community in the US. The company also imports cocoa beans from Indonesia and other countries, and is frequently entered in international exhibitions and competitions, such as the International Chocolate Awards America 2019 (Bronze), Academy of Chocolate Silver Awards 2018 and Academy of Chocolate Bronze Awards 2019. Through its team in Indonesia, the chocolate MSME has also won the Origin Chocolate Winner 2023, at the Indonesian Cocoa Day 2023 contest. To increase its business capacity, the company also frequently participates in various international trainings. (WHY)
