Arifin Dwi Saputro1*, Lilik Sutiarso2, Joko Nugroho Wahyu Karyadi, Redika Ardi Kusuma1, Ayuniargi Cahyani1, Pinjung Nawang Sari2
1Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia
2Department of Agricultural Socioeconomics, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia
*Corresponding authors: arifin_saputro@ugm.ac.id
Abstract. Chocolate is one of the most popular confectionery products in the world due to its unique flavour and mouthfeel perceived during consumption. It is consumed mostly in developed countries, even though cacao, as the raw material for chocolate manufacture, is highly produced in developing countries, such as Ivory Coast, Ghana and Indonesia. In the cacao producing countries around the equator, chocolate consumption is relatively low. The fact that about 90–95% of cocoa in the world is produced by smallholder farmers limits the possibility of cocoa farmers to produce their own chocolate due to unaffordable price of huge chocolate processing machine installations. Apart from that, this phenomenon can also be associated with the lack of knowledge of chocolate processing. Therefore, an alternative (small scale) processing method that can be economically applied is highly required. Aside from this, a knowledge on how to create high quality chocolate is needed by cocoa farmers and small scale chocolate makers. Through several projects of community empowerment, including a project named as “Teknologi Tepat Guna (TTG)”, small scale chocolate processing machines, workshop of chocolate production and concept of Choco-Edu Tourism have been introducing to farmers and small scale chocolate makers. By conducting these programs, a higher level of livelihood can be achieved by farmers.
Keywords: Choco-Edu Tourism, chocolate, cocoa small scale processing system, community empowerment.