No. 497
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COPAL COCOA Info A Weekly Newsletter of Cocoa Producers' Alliance 18th – 22nd June 2012 Cocoa Producers' Alliance In-House Cocoa Newsletter Issue No. 497 UP-COMING EVENTS o 3rd meeting of Directors General of Cocoa Research Institutions of Member Countries of COPAL, Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, 5th – 7th June, 2012. IN THIS ISSUE ICCO INSIDE DAILY COCOA THISPRICES ISSE: LONDON (LIFFE) FUTURES MARKET UPDATE NEW YORK (ICE) FUTURES MARKET UPDATE FROM THE NEWS MEDIA Do your health a favour, drink Cocoa everyday ‘It’s nature’s miracle food’ In the News (from Newspapers worldwide) Health and Nutrition Cocoa Cures Malaria Labour Issues Production and Quality Cocoa growers target global market Hershey aims to boost cocoa production in Mexico Environmental Issue The Market Cocoa producers in the Amazon want to compete globally, while protecting tropical forests Processing and Manufacturing Research & Development Mars Botanical cocoa extract supplements hit Vitamin World Stores shelves Promotion & Consumption Others A Jakarta school welcomes students to Chocolate Country Business & Economy ICCO Daily Cocoa Prices ICCO Daily Price (SDR/tonne) ICCO Daily price ($US/tonne) London futures (£/tonne) New York futures ($US/tonne) 18th June 1487.25 2261.09 1488.33 2193.67 19th June 1511.83 2299.04 1498.00 2243.00 20th June 1475.16 2248.92 1471.00 2183.00 21st June 1460.16 2222.00 1466.67 2152.33 22nd June 1440.99 2182.55 1449.00 2109.00 1475.00 2243.00 1475.00 2176.00 Average ALLIANCE OF COCOA PRODUCING COUNTRIES, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX, TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE, P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234-70-9814-1735; +234-70-9814-1736; FAX: +234-1-290-4262 Email: econs@copal-cpa.org Website: www.copal-cpa.org 2 International Financial Futures and Options Exchange (LIFFE) London Futures Market – Summary of Trading Activities (£ per tone) Monday Month May Jul 2012 18th June 2012 Opening Trans Settle Change High Low Volume 1585 1530 -45 1585 1526S 4,266 2012 1558 1513 -36 1564 1502S 5,495 Sep 2012 1526 1483 -34 1528S 1471S 2,324 Dec 2012 1511 1469 -34 1512S 1456S 1,717 Mar 2013 1510 1470 -34 1510S 1466S 622 May 2013 1514 1475 -33 1514S 1473 253 Jul 2013 1508 1479 -35 1508S 1477S 63 Sep 2013 1485 1485 -37 1485 1485 9 Dec 2013 1492 -37 Dec 2014 1499 -37 Average/Totals 1490 Tuesday Month May 0 14,749 2012 Opening Trans Settle Change High Low Volume 1532 1539 9 1543S 1521S 3,081 2012 1516 1523 10 1527 1505 3,999 Sep 2012 1486 1493 10 1496S 1475S 1,255 Dec 2012 1480 1478 9 1481 1462S 1,075 Mar 2013 1481 1478 8 1481S 1462S 430 May 2013 1481 1480 5 1487S 1469 597 Jul 2012 19th June 0 Jul 2013 1476 1485 6 1494 1476S 95 Sep 2013 1490 1492 7 1495S 1490S 42 Dec 2013 1497 1499 7 1497 1496S 10 Mar 2014 1506 7 Average/Totals 1497 Wednesday Month May Jul 2012 20th June 0 10,584 2012 Opening Trans Settle Change High Low Volume 1535 1508 -31 1542S 1505S 1,853 2012 1519 1494 -29 1524S 1486 6,120 Sep 2012 1489 1467 -26 1497S 1461S 2,757 Dec 2012 1475 1452 -26 1475S 1445 1,951 Mar 2013 1475 1453 -25 1479S 1445S 4,108 May 2013 1478 1457 -23 1482S 1449S 3,481 Jul 2013 1470 1462 -23 1470 1454S 29 Sep 2013 1478 1468 -24 1486 1460S 119 Dec 2013 1500 1476 -23 1502 1475S 69 Mar 2014 1481 -25 Average/Totals 1468 ALLIANCE OF COCOA PRODUCING COUNTRIES, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX, TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE, P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234-70-9814-1735; +234-70-9814-1736; FAX: +234-1-290-4262 Email: econs@copal-cpa.org Website: www.copal-cpa.org 0 20,487 3 Thursday Month Jul 21st June 2012 Opening Trans Settle Change High Low Volume 2012 1503 1516 8 1546S 1499 2,463 Sep 2012 1488 1492 -2 1516 1479S 7,407 Dec 2012 1463 1462 -5 1486S 1452S 1,958 Mar 2013 1448 1446 -6 1467 1437 1,322 May 2013 1451 1449 -4 1467 1441S 831 Jul 2013 1457 1453 -4 1460S 1447S 605 Sep 2013 1456 1457 -5 1457 1452S 220 Dec 2013 1463 1463 1462 297 1462 -6 Mar 2014 1470 -6 May 2014 1475 -6 Average/Totals 1463 Friday 22nd June Month 0 0 15,103 2012 Opening Trans Settle Change High Low Volume 2012 1501 1501 -15 1521S 1498 2,326 Sep 2012 1480 1475 -17 1490S 1474 4,186 Dec 2012 1453 1445 -17 1462S 1444S 1,840 Mar 2013 1438 1427 -19 1447S 1427S 918 May 2013 1440 1429 -20 1450 1427S 322 Jul 2013 1445 1432 -21 1450 1435S 210 Sep 2013 1440 1436 -21 1440S 1440S 9 Dec 2013 1450 1444 -18 1450 1444 75 Jul Mar 2014 1451 -19 May 2014 1456 -19 0 Average/Totals 1450 9,886 1450 1797 1797 0 Average for the week ALLIANCE OF COCOA PRODUCING COUNTRIES, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX, TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE, P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234-70-9814-1735; +234-70-9814-1736; FAX: +234-1-290-4262 Email: econs@copal-cpa.org Website: www.copal-cpa.org 4 New York Board of Trade (New York Futures Market – Summary of Trading Activities) (US$ per tone) Monday Month 18th June 2012 Open Price Change High Low 2012 2219 2174 -45 2240 2163 250 Sep 2012 2245 2189 -58 2266 2175 15,023 Dec 2012 2260 2201 -54 2274 2190 1,739 Mar 2013 2257 2211 -49 2278 2200 1,298 May 2013 2285 2222 -46 2288 2222 354 Jul Volume Jul 2013 2298 2236 -45 2303 2237 266 Sep 2013 2320 2249 -46 2320 2251 1,535 Dec 2013 2336 2263 -45 2338 2272 2,381 Mar 2014 2348 2279 -40 2348 2348 6 May 2014 0 2291 -40 0 0 Average/Totals Tuesday Month Jul 2232 19th June 0 22852 2012 Open Price Change High Low Volume 2012 2180 2230 56 2235 2180 100 Sep 2012 2190 2235 46 2245 2182 9,540 Dec 2012 2201 2245 44 2252 2200 2,260 Mar 2013 2225 2252 41 2257 2218 2,103 May 2013 2250 2263 41 2263 2250 578 Jul 2013 2264 2275 39 2274 2264 193 Sep 2013 2277 2287 38 2287 2277 402 Dec 2013 2289 2301 38 2298 2289 104 Mar 2014 2318 2316 37 2318 2308 1,080 May 2014 0 2328 37 0 0 Average/Totals Wednesday Month 2273 20th June 0 16360 2012 Open Price Change High Low 2012 2217 2167 -63 2228 2156 155 Sep 2012 2228 2169 -66 2242 2145 11,002 Dec 2012 2235 2181 -64 2251 2156 2,445 Mar 2013 2251 2193 -59 2255 2168 1,837 May 2013 2253 2204 -59 2263 2185 687 Jul 2013 2258 2216 -59 2273 2194 593 Sep 2013 2267 2227 -60 2284 2205 653 Dec 2013 2232 2241 -60 2232 2232 6 Mar 2014 2310 2256 -60 2311 2250 114 May 2014 0 2268 -60 0 0 Jul Average/Totals 2212 Volume 0 17492 ALLIANCE OF COCOA PRODUCING COUNTRIES, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX, TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE, P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234-70-9814-1735; +234-70-9814-1736; FAX: +234-1-290-4262 Email: econs@copal-cpa.org Website: www.copal-cpa.org 5 Thursday 21st June Month 2012 Open Price Change High Low 2012 2162 2130 -37 2200 2141 31 Sep 2012 2174 2147 -22 2209 2137 9,293 Dec 2012 2183 2157 -24 2216 2146 2,117 Mar 2013 2203 2171 -22 2225 2161 2,267 May 2013 2203 2186 -18 2239 2176 448 238 Jul Volume Jul 2013 2211 2199 -17 2234 2190 Sep 2013 2220 2209 -18 2254 2201 437 Dec 2013 2267 2221 -20 2268 2215 1,205 Mar 2014 0 2234 -22 0 0 12 May 2014 0 2246 -22 0 0 Average/Totals Friday 2190 22nd June 2012 Month 0 16048 Open Price Change High Low 2012 2131 2094 -36 2131 2087 32 Sep 2012 2140 2102 -45 2160 2092 9,076 Dec 2012 2156 2115 -42 2156 2105 1,964 Mar 2013 2168 2128 -43 2169 2121 3,607 May 2013 2175 2142 -44 2180 2136 502 Jul Volume Jul 2013 2189 2155 -44 2196 2150 168 Sep 2013 2188 2165 -44 2188 2159 391 Dec 2013 2199 2177 -44 2199 2173 864 Mar 2014 2198 2190 -44 2199 2198 1,893 May 2014 2206 2203 -43 2211 2206 Average/Totals Average for the week 407 2147 18904 2147 3437 3437 ALLIANCE OF COCOA PRODUCING COUNTRIES, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX, TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE, P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234-70-9814-1735; +234-70-9814-1736; FAX: +234-1-290-4262 Email: econs@copal-cpa.org Website: www.copal-cpa.org 6 News NEWS Health and Nutrition Cocoa Cures Malaria Daily Guide By Lukman Amusa June 22, 2012 Professor Frederick K. Addai delivering lecture at the anniversary ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR and Head of the Anatomy Department at the University of Ghana Medical School, Prof Frederick Kwaku Addai has revealed that regular consumption of natural cocoa powder can treat malaria. He said cocoa powder also reduced high blood pressure and burned a lot of body fat. Prof. Addai urged people with malaria to take cocoa tea everyday in order to prevent contracting malaria. He made these statements during the University of Ghana Medical School’s 50th anniversary celebration lecture at the British Council Hall in Accra. It was on the theme, “Cocoa and Your Health: The Tip of the Iceberg.” He said regular consumption of cocoa also reduced cholesterol, prevented tooth decay and reversed liver damage in heavy drinkers by two percent. He urged the farmers to increase cocoa production in the country in order to make the product more abundant on the market. The Chairman for the occasion, Professor A.S. Ayettey, urged government to establish a policy that will enable the farmers to plant more cocoa trees. Production & Quality Cocoa growers target global market Viet Nam News June, 18 2012 BINH PHUOC — Viet Nam hopes to become a major supplier of cocoa beans in the world market, with production of 50,000 tonnes of fermented beans by 2020. It plans to have 50,000ha under cocoa cultivation, of which 42,000ha would yield the fruit. The cocoa sector in Viet Nam is showing signs of rapid growth, according to Phan Huy Thong, director of the National Agriculture Extension Centre, who spoke at a forum on sustainable cocoa development in Binh Phuoc Province last week. Total cultivated land is now about 20,100ha, yielding 5,100 tonnes last year. There were only 2,000ha of land planted with cocoa trees in 2005. Cultivation exists mainly in 10 provinces, including Ben Tre, Tien Giang, Dak Nong, Dak Lak, Binh Phuoc and Ba Ria-Vung Tau, mostly grown under the shade of other crops, including coconut palms and cashew trees. Phan Van Don, deputy director of Binh Phuoc Province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said cocoa could be an attractive crop to smallholder farmers, both in intercropping and monoculture systems. Cocoa has the advantage of lower labour costs to coffee and rubber, less water requirements compared to coffee. Intercropping with cashew gardens in the province has been successful as well. ALLIANCE OF COCOA PRODUCING COUNTRIES, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX, TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE, P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234-70-9814-1735; +234-70-9814-1736; FAX: +234-1-290-4262 Email: econs@copal-cpa.org Website: www.copal-cpa.org 7 Nguyen Khac Thuoc, a farmer in Bu Dang District of Binh Phuoc Province, said that intercropping with his 5ha under cashew cultivation had helped him raise his income substantially. Nguyen Van Hoa, deputy head of the Cultivation Department, said there was an increasing demand for the highnutritive valued bean in the global and domestic markets. Cocoa supply globally was much lower than demand. Viet Nam has to import more than 10,000 tonnes of cocoa powder for local production annually. Cocoa was not expected to face strong price fluctuations as other farm produce, Hoa said. The price of cocoa as well as other farm produce in the domestic market has fallen this year due to a drop in price in the world market, but compared to other agricultural products like rubber and cashew, cocoa prices have not fallen much. Despite the potential of the sector, many delegates at the forum agreed that the sector had not yet reached its potential due to poor farming practices, limited technological transfer, poor planting materials and outbreaks of pests and diseases. In addition, the planting was scattered and small-scale, causing difficulties to production and consumption, Hoa said. Since cocoa is still a relatively new tree in Viet Nam, little research has been conducted on the plant in the country. With less experience in planting cocoa compared to other trees, farmers are still hesitating about planting the tree, according to Thong. He said that, to meet the planning target, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development should review zoning plans for cocoa cultivation in the country. Each locality should identify the amount of cocoa cultivation and then draw up appropriate plans. He said that scientists and agricultural research institutes should focus more on research to create new high-quality seedlings, better cultivation techniques, and measures to prevent and control pests and diseases. The Government is encouraging co-operation between concerned agencies and the private sector to develop the cocoa industry. Delegates suggested that the Government establish standards for cocoa quality, and develop more agricultural extension programmes to provide farmers with skills and techniques in growing, harvesting and processing cocoa. They also recommended that modern technologies should be used for processing cocoa beans to achieve higher quality. Hoa said Viet Nam would increase the value of the bean by meeting standards for certificates granted for high quality cocoa production. Organised by the Central Agriculture Extension Centre, the forum attracted policymakers, scientists and agriculture experts as well as more than 300 farmers from 10 provinces. — VNS Hershey aims to boost cocoa production in Mexico Reuters By Marcy Nicholson June 21, 2012 NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hershey Co aims to revive Mexico's cocoa production by giving away disease-resistant plants to farmers, after the crop was nearly decimated by frosty pod rot, the chocolate maker said this week. "As cocoa yields improve in Mexico during the next 10 years of this program, we hope to increasingly source Mexico cocoa for our products sold in Mexico," said Jeff Beckman, a spokesman for Hershey. Hershey, the biggest chocolate producer in North America and maker of Reese's peanut butter cups, has launched the 10-year Mexico Cocoa Project with cocoa supplier Agroindustrias Unidas de Cacao SA de CV, a member of the Ecom Cocoa Group. The project, which will take place in southern Mexico, is a $2.8 million initiative, aimed at treating frosty pod rot, or Moniliasis, which is a disease that attacks the fruit of the cacao tree. ALLIANCE OF COCOA PRODUCING COUNTRIES, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX, TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE, P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234-70-9814-1735; +234-70-9814-1736; FAX: +234-1-290-4262 Email: econs@copal-cpa.org Website: www.copal-cpa.org 8 "These are hybrid varieties that are known to be resistant to this disease and that will be the key to rebuilding the cocoa growing industry there," Beckman said. "The goal is to help increase productivity, help the industry to recover. It would be our desire to buy more cocoa from Mexico." The farmers who receive the hybrid plants, which will take three to seven years to grow useable cocoa pods, will not be obligated to sell to Hershey, Beckman said. Hershey has done business in Mexico for 40 years, the company said. The country has never been a significant cocoa producer, but the disease cut its output by more than half since it hit in 2005. Production in the 2010/11 crop year was just 20,000 tonnes, down from 44,000 tonnes in 2003/04, according to International Cocoa Organization data. Demand is expected to rise though due to Mexico's growing working population ranging from 15 to 64 years old, who are expected to eat more impulse and indulgence foods, according to Euromonitor International senior food industry analyst Francisco Redruello. "Mexico, which is a cocoa-growing country, is a net importer of cocoa, so there is a definite need for additional cocoa grown in Mexico to be used domestically," Beckman said. Hershey is not the first chocolate company to invest in the country. In February, the Mexican president announced that Ferrero, which makes Ferrero Rocher chocolates, will spend $190 million to construct a plant in the state of Guanajuato, to make new Kinder and Nutella products for both the local and North American markets. The Market Cocoa producers in the Amazon want to compete globally, while protecting tropical forests Forests Blog, Center for International Forestry Research (blog) BY Gabriela Ramirez Galindo June 19 2012 RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Cocoa producers in the Brazilian Amazon are looking for ways to compete in the global market while protecting plush tropical forests. But experts say developing a strategic plan to sustainably produce the crop in degraded areas, the current goal, will require additional funding and technical expertise. Eduardo Trevisan Goncalves from the Institute of Forest Management and Certification Fund (Imaflora) said his organization is already working with the local government in one municipality in Para state to help ‘green’ farmers improve their products so they can become competitive cocoa suppliers for markets in this massive chocolate-loving nation, and eventually overseas. But the northern state is huge, spanning more than 1 million sq. kilometers, he noted. Its demands are great and resources limited. “We are working to convert degraded areas into cocoa agroforestry systems,” Trevisan said during a side event at the Rio+20 summit. In doing so, scientists hope the crop will be transformed into a “tool for reforestation.” Rainforests, often called the lungs of the planet for their role in absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen, also contribute to the livelihoods of more than a quarter of the world’s population. The Poverty Environment Network says the forests generate around one fifth of the total household income of neighboring communities. ALLIANCE OF COCOA PRODUCING COUNTRIES, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX, TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE, P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234-70-9814-1735; +234-70-9814-1736; FAX: +234-1-290-4262 Email: econs@copal-cpa.org Website: www.copal-cpa.org 9 By studying efforts of those living in and nearby forests to use their resources in multiple and sustainable ways, scientists hope to unravel valuable lessons about both conservation and poverty alleviation. A recent study by CIFOR looked at the opportunities and limitations of sustainably producing nuts and timber in the Brazilian Amazonia. As was the case in Para, forest people looking for answers often ran into policy, economic, and technical barriers, it found. Scientists also studied timber and nut production in the frontier regions of Madre de Dios in Peru and Pando in Bolivia. There as in Brazil, they said, communities, industry officials, non-governmental organizations and local stakeholders often had different views on how to implement multiple-use forestry strategies Processing & Manufacturing Business & Economy Labour Issues Environmental Issues Ivory Coast & seeks funds to stop Research Development Mars Botanical cocoa extract supplements hit Vitamin World Stores shelves Drinks Business Review 20 June 2012 Mars Botanical, a scientific business unit of Mars, has made CocoaVia daily cocoa extract supplements available in Vitamin World stores nationwide. Delivering 250mg of cocoa flavanols in every serving, CocoaVia supplement is a patented cocoa extract made from 100% pure cocoa. Vitamin World will carry CocoaVia Dark Chocolate flavor both Sweetened and Unsweetened and CocoVia Raspberry flavor in its stores. Containing just 30 calories per serving Dark Chocolate flavor is best to mix in coffee, milk, yogurt, smoothies, and oatmeal, whereas Cran Raspberry flavor can be consumed with water, iced tea, yogurt and smoothies with just 20 calories per serving. CocoaVia cocoa extract supplement comes in convenient, single-serving stick packs and is available in four flavors with no added sugar, artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Made using patented Cocoapro process, CocoaVia supplements may also be found at Vitamin Discount Center and other online retailers including Puritan's Pride, Swanson Health Products and drugstore.com. Promotion & Consumption ALLIANCE OF COCOA PRODUCING COUNTRIES, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX, TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE, P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234-70-9814-1735; +234-70-9814-1736; FAX: +234-1-290-4262 Email: econs@copal-cpa.org Website: www.copal-cpa.org 10 Others A Jakarta school welcomes students to Chocolate Country Jakarta Globe By Krissy Dwyer June 19, 2012 Permata Hijau’s Chocolate School offers an introductory one-day course about gourmet chocolate. (JG Photo/Krissy Dywer) Permata Hijau’s Chocolate School offers an introductory one-day course about gourmet chocolate. For some it is a health food, for others an aphrodisiac, but most eat it for pure pleasure. While chocolate is a delight for many, it is also a growing business in Indonesia — and that’s just what Jakarta’s new Chocolate School is catering for. Fitted with glass walls at the Belezza Shopping Arcade in South Jakarta’s Permata Hijau, passers-by can watch future chocolatiers learn the craft of making the sweet treat. The students, often bakers, chefs, entrepreneurs or people in the culinary industry, observe the experienced chocolate lecturers creating the perfect cocoa-based candy. Food producer Freyabadi in cooperation with Petra Foods and Fuji Oil Japan had several reasons for creating Chocolate School in Indonesia, where chocolate’s popularity is growing rapidly. Educating people about Indonesian chocolate was the main reason. “General chocolate consumption around the world is growing between 1 and 3 percent every year, but it’s nearly 20 percent in Indonesia,” said Mervyn Pereira, the school’s consultant. But Indonesia is not considered a “chocolate country” despite the large quantity produced here. “We have more chocolate than the Germans, the Belgians and the French, who all claim to be chocolate countries,” Pereira said. The only difference is that the majority of Indonesian chocolate, about 95 percent, falls into the compound category, “which we don’t consider real chocolate because it uses vegetable fats instead of cocoa butter,” Pereira said. “Real chocolate uses cocoa butter [because it] melts at body temperature, that’s why it melts very nicely and smoothly in the mouth.” Because Europe uses 90 percent real chocolate, Chocolate School also uses real chocolate so its students will be more competitive internationally. “We are telling them to go one step forward. Using gourmet chocolate will increase your profit margins and give the customer a quality chocolate,” Pereira said. “That’s our objective. We want people to use better quality [real] chocolate.” Despite the fact that compound chocolate is cheaper and easier to work with, there are many reasons to pick cocoa butter-based chocolate. “It’s better, it’s tastier and it’s real gourmet stuff,” Pereira said. He added that there are many health benefits of real chocolate. “It’s good for the heart, good for the skin, good for the brain,” said Pereira, who admitted to eating and drinking chocolate every day. The consumption of gourmet chocolate will grow as more people eat dark chocolate for pleasure and health reasons, Pereira predicted. “It’s becoming more than just a food, it’s becoming a good food. And we want to spread that knowledge, we want to educate people about chocolate.” Chocolate School offers an introductory one-day course about gourmet chocolate, and a three-day course where students learn recipes, how to melt chocolate properly and how to use the instruments. Professional classes, including praline courses, are also offered, and participants can even obtain a masters certificate in chocolate-making. ALLIANCE OF COCOA PRODUCING COUNTRIES, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX, TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE, P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234-70-9814-1735; +234-70-9814-1736; FAX: +234-1-290-4262 Email: econs@copal-cpa.org Website: www.copal-cpa.org 11 Pereira said the school is also planning a business model to teach wannabe chocolatiers how to market gourmet chocolate — from packaging to presenting. “In some places chocolate is presented like jewelry, in Europe for example. It has not caught on yet [in Indonesia],” he said. Pereira added that future plans include chocolate tours to plantations and production sites near Jakarta, a chocolate museum in Makassar, South Sulawesi, and educating 240,000 Sulawesi farmers “who grow cocoa beans, harvest them, dig the beans out and sell them.” “But to get good chocolate, the beans must be fermented first and then dried. [Then] they get a better price for their beans. These things haven’t been talked about with the farmers yet,” Pereira said. He added that consumer chocolate will become an important export commodity. “We make a lot of chocolate. People don’t realize it. So we want to spread the knowledge of chocolate and make this a chocolate center,” he said. “I mean, it is a chocolate country — it’s good for export, it’s good for tourism, it’s good for everything.” From S. America to Sulawesi: A Taste of Cocoa’s History While European states such as Belgium, Switzerland and France claim to be chocolate’s earliest inventors, at least one scholar believes the cocoa tree, which originated in South America, was actually cultivated in Indonesia first. “The Spaniards brought chocolate back from the Americas in the 1520s, and the Spanish kept it a secret,” said Mervyn Pereira of the Chocolate School in Jakarta. He added that two to three thousand years ago, chocolate was still only ingested in liquid form. “They just crushed the nips inside the beans and melted it and drank it, principally for health reasons.” Pereira, who has been trying to uncover the mystery surrounding chocolate in Indonesia for the last 10 years, said the food form was developed much later out of concern for taste. The recipe eventually spread to France, and then the Swiss invented the first chocolate bar about two hundred years ago. “So the Europeans have always claimed that chocolate is theirs,” Pereira said. But in reality, he said, a Spanish sailor had earlier brought chocolate to Sulawesi from Caracas, Venezuela, in 1560. “I believe the chocolate came here, but at the time there was a war between the Dutch and the Portuguese, so the ship must have avoided coming to Jakarta and gone to Sulawesi,” Pereira said. While chocolate in Europe is only referenced in the 1700s, records show that cocoa beans were already growing in Java in 1706. Pereira said that from 1760 until the end of that century, Indonesia was exporting cocoa to Holland. “We have a very long history of cocoa,” he said. “[Indonesia] really is a cocoa country.” ALLIANCE OF COCOA PRODUCING COUNTRIES, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX, TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE, P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234-70-9814-1735; +234-70-9814-1736; FAX: +234-1-290-4262 Email: econs@copal-cpa.org Website: www.copal-cpa.org 12
