Cau Chocolate Strengthens Cocoa Farmer Support to Boost Bali's Productivity

BALI - Cau Chocolate, Tabanan Bali-based cocoa producer continues to strengthen its farmer mentoring program to increase productivity and produce high-quality cocoa. To date, the company has developed 300–400 hectares of plantations managed by local farmers.

Cau Chocolate CEO, I Kadek Surya Prasetya Wiguna, explained that his company partners with 12 farmer groups in the Tabanan and Jembrana regions.

He added that the mentoring focuses on implementing proper organic cultivation practices to ensure optimal farm management.

"Our partnership is essentially based on loyalty pricing, but we prioritize maintaining their enthusiasm for farming," he said when met at Cau Chocolate's production facility, as quoted on Wednesday, November 26.

He added that Cau Chocolate's field team regularly assists farmers, both young and experienced, and provides support ranging from tree care to pest control using organic methods.

"Once they have a good and proper plantation, the next goal is to produce cocoa with high productivity. One way is to use organic farming concepts. But our target is to produce at least two kilograms of dry beans per tree. Let's say the wet beans are three times the yield, that's six kilograms," he said.

Currently, national cocoa productivity is still relatively low, averaging 600 kilograms per hectare per year. According to Wiguna, this potential can actually be increased to 2 tons per hectare if superior seeds and proper maintenance techniques are used.

He cited the example of the Cau Chocolate plantation, where production has reached 1.5–1.7 tons per hectare annually. With a cocoa price of around IDR 100,000 per kilogram, farmers have the potential to earn around IDR 150 million per hectare per year, or more than IDR 10 million per month.

In addition to strengthening the upstream sector, Wiguna stated that Cau Chocolate is also continuing to develop international markets and has been exporting products since 2021 to various countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, Qatar, Poland, and Australia.

"The only significant amount is from Australia. It's not a huge amount yet, but it's starting to happen," he explained.

Wiguna also revealed that the company is building a new factory with a larger production capacity, targeted to process up to 2 tons of cocoa per day.

Despite the increased capacity, he emphasized the company's commitment to providing fair prices to farmers. Despite the global cocoa price dropping to around IDR 85,000 per kilogram, Cau Chocolate still purchases a minimum of IDR 100,000.

"Purchases at a good price must be accompanied by good quality. Our loyal farmers also strive to produce exceptional quality. They are extraordinary champions, producing quality chocolate that is recognized worldwide," he said.