Suara.com – Jembrana Cocoa Foreign Exchange Village, Bali, represented by the Kerta Semaya Samaniya (KSS) Cocoa Cooperative, succeeded in winning the 2023 Cacao of Excellence Silver Award in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on February 8 2024. This prestigious award is recognition of excellence and quality original cocoa beans from Jembrana, Bali.
The Cacao of Excellence Awards aim to drive transformation in the cocoa sector by recognizing excellence, connecting farmers with markets, and promoting innovation and standards.
Organized by the Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), this award aims to encourage the cocoa industry to continue to innovate, create cocoa excellence and implement sustainable business practices.
The assessment process was carried out by a team of panelists consisting of 32 experts, including chocolate making experts, sensory evaluation experts and cocoa bean experts. They assessed 222 cocoa bean samples from 52 countries, including Africa, the Indian Ocean, Asia-Pacific, Central America and the Caribbean, and South America. After passing a rigorous evaluation process, the top 50 nominees are eligible for Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards.
This award provides visibility for the Jembrana Cocoa Foreign Exchange Village, increases knowledge about the quality of their cocoa, and strengthens their efforts in sustainable cocoa farming practices.
Agung Widiastuti, as Trustee of the Jembrana Cocoa Foreign Exchange Village, expressed his pride in the Silver Award from Cacao of Excellence. He emphasized that this achievement strengthens their commitment to producing high quality cocoa and contributes to sustainable cocoa production.
The Indonesian Export Financing Institute (LPEI) or Indonesia Eximbank, continues to encourage the Foreign Exchange Village program to help cocoa farmers to penetrate the global export market. As the Ministry of Finance's Special Mission Vehicle, LPEI focuses on increasing the capacity and competence of business actors, as well as building a solid and sustainable export ecosystem.
Jembrana Cocoa Foreign Exchange Village is the first village to receive assistance from LPEI since 2012. Cocoa farmers in Jembrana receive guidance and training to produce quality cocoa products and penetrate the export market. Jembrana Cocoa is known worldwide as the producer of the best fermented cocoa beans according to the 2017 Cacao of Excellence version.
Jembrana cocoa beans have a unique aroma and taste, with a texture that does not melt easily, making them a superior export commodity. Sustainability and innovation are the keys to increasing Jembrana cocoa production amidst high world demand and limited global supply.
According to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), Indonesia is the 12th ranked exporter in the world for cocoa commodities and processed products, controlling 2.29% of the world export share in 2022 with a value of USD 55.10 billion. The price of cocoa beans has reached a very high level, reaching USD5,798 per metric ton in early February 2024, thus showing strong competitiveness in the global market.
“Indonesian cocoa commodities and processed products have a competitive edge, driven by good quality taste and unique texture which are very much needed in the chocolate processing, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. The Kerta Semaya Samaniya Cooperative has succeeded in exporting Rp. 1.5 billion to destination countries Belgium, France, Italy and Japan in 2023,” said Market Intelligence & Lead Chief Specialist LPEI, Rini Satriani.