Sweet opportunities for the Indonesian premium chocolate industry abound under a new partnership between Jakarta-based fine chocolate manufacturer Pipiltin Cocoa and Katalis, a business development program backed by the Australian and Indonesian governments.

Pipiltin Cocoa will serve as a point of contact with other interested premium cocoa businesses in Indonesia as the industry targets the Australian market, responding to Australia’s growing demand for a more diverse range of premium products. The new partnership will provide important market insights for Indonesian exporters seeking to penetrate the Australian specialty chocolate market and beyond.

When announcing the exciting new partnership, Paul Bartlett, Director, Katalis, said, “Katalis works to foster new economic partnerships, business sector engagement, and cooperation that leads to more integrated markets between Australia and Indonesia. With the premium chocolate industry driving the work to identify and investing in opportunities across their value chain, we are confident that the partnership will lead to closer trade and investment, improved market access, and more inclusive economic growth.”

Rapid growth in the Indonesian premium chocolate industry over the last five years means it is highly suitable for investment. Australia’s premium chocolate segment is also ripe for new opportunities, with similarly fast growth due to increased health consciousness and growing demand for a more diverse range of premium products.

“Research has shown that single-origin cocoa beans from Indonesia exhibit the highest profile diversity in the world, reflecting the diverse agroclimatic conditions of the archipelago and advanced processing techniques applied by the premium cocoa industry in Indonesia. This is part of the strength of our offering, and we’re excited to work with Katalis to share the story of Indonesian people, culture, and flavours,” said Tissa Auliani, CEO, Pipiltin Cocoa.

With a significant proportion of the small and medium enterprises in Indonesia’s premium cocoa supply chain owned and led by women, new market opportunities will empower women entrepreneurs, smallholder cocoa producers, workers, farmers, and young people.

Pipiltin Cocoa and Katalis will work together to identify and promote market opportunities for Indonesian premium cocoa businesses, including through workshops and a trade fair in Australia.

About Katalis

IA-CEPA ECP Katalis (Katalis) is a unique, five-year (2020-25) government-backed business development program unlocking the vast potential of economic partnership between Australia and Indonesia. Katalis was established under the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement Economic Cooperation Program (IA-CEPA ECP). The program complements other Australian development programs with a commercially oriented, bilateral approach and places gender equality, disability and social inclusion at the centre of everything we do.

About Pipiltin Cocoa

Pipiltin Cocoa was founded in 2013 as a couverture bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturer that sources very high-quality raw beans directly from farmer’s cooperatives in Aceh, East Java, Bali, Flores, East Kalimantan and West Papua. Its products are available in more than 100 retail stores in Indonesia and have been exported to several countries.