Ransiki Chocolate, a New Charm of South Manokwari

Jakarta, August 23, 2019—The afternoon was relatively different on one of biggest shopping arcades in the capital city. The twits of Vogelkop Superb Bird of Paradise (Lophorina niedda), which was only can be found at the area of Arfak Mountains, were seeking the interstice among the warm conversation of the upcoming guests. Some photographs of the conservation area and the charms of this bird of paradise also were mounted with the people of South Manokwari people who were harvesting cocoa pods in their plantations.

In another part of the space, some of the guests were enjoying various chocolate products. And of those chocolates were processed from the fine collection of dried cocoa beans of a sub district in South Manokwari District, West Papua Province. The guests and enthusiasts who attended the event at Alun-Alun Indonesia, Grand Indonesia on Thursday, August 22, 2019, wanted to celebrate the launching of recent chocolate products of Pipiltin Cocoa.

Ransiki was the name of the sub-district. A name that could be something new to our ears to be heard, and it had not been enlisted as one of centers of cocoa production in the archipelago. But, in reality, this sub-district as located in the area of Arfak Mountains of eastern part of Indonesia, produced qualified cocoa beans that could be processed into high flavor chocolate product. With this reason, Pipiltin Cocoa applied the name of this sub-district as the trading mark of their newest chocolate products. Furthermore, this high flavor chocolate was processed by dried cocoa beans from Ransiki.

“This Ransiki Chocolate offers a different flavor experience among our special chocolate products collection that we had developed. The tasty and fruitful sweetness flavor will enrich our mouth when we are eating this chocolate. And it makes the differences,” as Tissa Aulina, one of the founders of Pipiltin Cocoa that focuses on the development of fine flavor chocolate products, explained. She also added that all of the dried cocoa beans of Ransiki were produced by the plantation in the buffer zone of forest conservation areas in South Manokwari District. Then it would be ensured that these high quality cocoa beans were not generated from cocoa plantation that damaged the forest areas.

The Vice of Governor of West Papua Province, Mohamad Lakotani, who also attended this new product launching, stated that the efforts that had been performed by Yayasan Inisiatif Dagang Hijau must be highly appreciated in introducing the chocolate product from Papua as part of green trade practice by mainstreaming the improvement of community welfare without damaging the environment. “Indirectly, the initiatives of Yayasan Inisiatif Dagang Hijau and its partners are the efforts in elevating our nationalism. During the years, the people in Ransiki never have tried the results of their hard works in managing and taking care of the cocoa plantations. And this Ransiki Chocolate will boost their spirits and prides of Ransiki, and West Papua people in general, that their skillful hands can produce a high flavor chocolate products with highest appreciation,” furthermore said by the Vice Governor of West Papua Province.

In the similar occasion, moreover, Mohamad Lakotani also described the provincial government commitment that had declared the West Papua Province as sustainable province which highly recommended the environment sustainability and forest conservation aspects. He also invited all participating stakeholders during the launching event of Ransiki Chocolate to work together in advancing the welfare of West Papua people by applying the planning and implementation of green trade practices.

During the talk show as part of the Ransiki Chocolate launching event, Fitrian Ardiansyah as the Chairman of Yayasan Inisiatif Dagang Hijau explained the institutional commitment in performing coordination and cooperation with the local governments which decided decision and policy in improving the community welfare by applying green trade initiatives and kept the conservation of protected forest areas. “The commitment of West Papua Province in allocation approximately 70% of its administrative areas as forest conservation is the forms of local government positioning in conserving the supporting forces of environment in term of the improving of community livelihood. And the initiatives in mainstreaming the green trade, as well as these efforts, that we must appreciate and should be encouraged as the stimulants of further cooperation and cooperation for the development of community economics activities,” Fitrian Ardiansyah said.

These multi stakeholders efforts were the significant paths in conserving the legacy of the next generation in the future. “With the initiatives that mainstream the forest area conservation, then we are affording that in the future we will hand on the spring water sources to the next generation, rather than we create tears for them,” the Head of Research and Development Agency of West Papua Province, Professor Charlie D. Heatubun, said to the audiences and responded with applause.

The high flavor Ransiki Chocolate launching event was the initial phase during the processes, and Yayasan Inisiatif Dagang Hijau also invited some representatives of sustainable Indonesian cocoa sector stakeholders to gather and share their experience with the governments West Papua Province and South Manokwari District. In the next day, Friday, August 23, 2019, at Aston Kuningan Suites, Jakarta, the activity entitled as Development of Cocoa Sector in West Papua Province was implemented to gather the insights and discussion of the stakeholders.

Cocoa Sustainability Partnership was also invited as one of the resource person in providing general overview of collective action that had been implemented by this public-private partnership forum to develop the sustainable cocoa sector in Indonesia. From the results of discussions, it was generated some significant commitments in applying the cocoa sector development in West Papua Province by advancing the initiatives of green trade that focused on the environment conservation.

“The activities which are enriching our insights and able to open the opportunity of further collaboration and cooperation are the actualization of our positioning to keep the environment conservation that can provide supporting forces to the livelihood of nearby community. With this collective efforts and initiatives, we can ensure that the dried cocoa beans products of West Papua Province are not produced within the forest areas, without the participation of children as labors, mainstreaming the equality participation of women groups, and preserve the environment conservation. As together, we will conserve the water spring for our next generation, not as creating tears for their legacy,” as closed by Fitrian Ardiansyah, the Chairman of Yayasan Inisiatif Dagang Hijau. (CSP/AH)