Never Too Much Chocolate
One can never have too much chocolate, and in Indonesia there is plenty of fine chocolate. But did you know Indonesia is also the site of many efforts for more sustainable chocolate production?
Unknown to many people, Indonesia is the third largest producer of cocoa. From 2010-2013, Indonesia produced and exported 575,000 tons of cocoa. And sustainable production is now an increasing goal in the Indonesian cocoa industry. Did you know that smallholder farmers contribute - by far - most of the national cacao bean production. These smaller farmers outperform big state plantations and large private estates. It is without a doubt that the chocolates of Indonesia have had a strong influence on other countries. In Belgium and Switzerland in particular, Indonesian cacao has been used there for years to make the finest chocolate. Additionally, the top countries that import Indonesian cocoa beans include the United States, Singapore, and Malaysia.
Pipiltin Cocoa is a small enterprise that uses cocoa beans grown exclusively by Indonesian producers, sourced from several regions and works extremely closely with the local farmers to help them improve their production process and increase their income. As Pipiltn's cocoa beans are sourced from Aceh, East Java, Bali, Flores, and West Papua, each bean is unique. Bali’s cacao beans are infused with fruity and caramel flavours where Flores’s cacao beans have coffee and orange-like tones.
Another sustainable chocolate brand is Junglegold (previously POD) - the world’s first fully plant-based chocolate factory in the heart of Bali. Co-founded in 2010 by two Australians who settled in Bali, Junglegold works directly with local cooperatives to ensure fair trade for the local farmers and high quality natural products. There are 23 flavours including sea salt and cocoa nibs, honeycomb, rosella flower & cashew, cranberry, goji berry & coconuts, and banana chips & clove. The company also welcomes visitors to its factory in Bali to see how its finest products are produced.
Lastly, we have Monggo; a must-buy chocolate when you visit Yogyakarta! Did you know “monggo” means ‘please’ in Javanese?. Founded by a Belgian chocolatier who settled in Yogyakarta, Monggo uses mostly recycled paper for packaging and tries its best to source local ingredients to reduce its production carbon footprints. Monggo’s varieties include caramello, white chocolate, macadamia, marzipan, cinnamon, cashew nuts, coconut, ginger, and some of them mixed with red chilli, manggo, and durian. The cacao beans are sourced from various plantations in Java, Sumatra and Sulawesi.
While the diversity of cocoa beans is a critical factor as to why Indonesia is globally known for its chocolate, the industry now also wants to be globally known for its efforts in leading sustainable cocoa production.
Checkout https://www.junglegoldbali.com/ , @pipiltincocoa, @chocolatemonggo for more sustainable chocolate stories and products
Images credit https://www.junglegoldbali.com/ @pipiltincocoa, @chocolatemonggo