Yogyakarta, May 29, 2025 — To commemorate its 20th anniversary, Chocolate Monggo, one of Indonesia’s pioneer premium chocolate producers, held a talk show entitled “Synergy for the Future of Indonesian Cocoa” at the Lobby of Pakuwon Mall Yogyakarta. This talk show served as a platform for cross-sector dialogue, bringing together experts, business actors, researchers, and cocoa farmers to collectively discuss the future of Indonesia’s cocoa industry.
One of the featured speakers, Dr. Arifin Dwi Saputro, lecturer at the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FTP UGM), shared insights on the importance of implementing quality standards in Indonesian chocolate products to ensure their competitiveness in both national and global markets. Other speakers included Thierry Dethournay, founder of Chocolate Monggo; Dr. Soetanto Abdullah, Chairman of the Indonesian Cocoa Board; and Mr. Sumadi, a cocoa farmer from Gunungkidul representing grassroots cocoa producers.
In his presentation, Dr. Arifin emphasized that the development of high-quality chocolate products must start at the upstream level through improvements in post-harvest handling and production processes based on international standards. He also presented several collaborative initiatives between FTP UGM’s Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering and small and medium-sized cocoa and chocolate enterprises. These programs focus on enhancing human resource capacity, strengthening technical skills, and developing product innovations to ensure Indonesian chocolate meets international standards and gains wider recognition in global markets.
As part of public education efforts, Dr. Arifin also shared the 7 key parameters for high-quality chocolate, which include:
- A shiny, smooth yet uniform surface
- Proper hardness or texture
- A strong and appealing chocolate aroma
- An ideal melting point for chocolate to melt perfectly in the mouth
- Fine and uniform particle size
- Proper chocolate rheology for optimal flow during processing
- Low moisture content to preserve taste and product durability
This talk show is expected to be a momentum for building stronger synergies between academics, industry players, government, and cocoa farmers in promoting a sustainable national cocoa industry ecosystem. In addition, through this event, the general public is expected to gain new knowledge about the extent of technological advancements and research conducted to process cocoa beans into high-quality chocolate products. This raises awareness that behind every bar of high-quality chocolate lies continuous innovation and collaborative research.
The event is in line with a shared commitment to supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly:
- SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) through capacity building for farmers and small-scale cocoa businesses
- SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) through the development of technology and innovation in chocolate production
- SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) by strengthening collaboration between academia, government, industry, and society
