The Malaysian government has urged the domestic cocoa/chocolate industry players to be more aggressive in their marketing and promotion activities in both domestic and international markets.
According to the Deputy Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister, Datuk Willie Mongin, “There are many premium and quality chocolates produced by Malaysian cocoa industry entrepreneurs, unfortunately many local consumers are still not familiar with their own domestic brands.”
Willie added that Malaysia produced many premium and quality chocolates, and in Sarawak, there are Chelum and Royal brands supervised by the Malaysian Cocoa Board. In addition, many local cocoa industry players had already exported and sold downstream chocolate products overseas.
The government is committed to assisting local cocoa industry players to introduce their products through roadshows, exhibitions and trade missions abroad. However, these businesses must also do their own marketing and advertising of their products and not to rely too much on handouts.
The government is currently conducting 2 feasibility studies on setting cocoa trade hubs in the Port of Tanjung Pelepas and Pasir Gudang Port, Johor as well as establishing the CocoaNexus development in the Seri Iskandar region of Johor through the 12th Malaysia Plan. These projects hope to accelerate the cocoa grinding process and encourage downstream processing into cocoa-related products by domestic companies.
The final objective is to enhance the export value of cocoa beans and cocoa end product as Malaysia has sufficient supply of cocoa, besides being one of the biggest cocoa grinders in Southeast Asia. At the same time, domestic players should innovate and start to think of newer applications of cocoa and its derivatives for both retail and the food services segments.
AFBR thinks the Malaysian counterpart should learn from its Thai neighbour, where there are substantial innovations within the cocoa industry despite the fact that Thailand is not a major cocoa producing country. High-end restaurants and boutique cafes in Bangkok are combining chocolate with other Thai ingredients in desserts and drinks, including cocktails. In addition, Thailand’s biggest craft chocolate brand, Kad Kokoa, offers a portfolio of products that includes bars, bon bons, chocolate kombucha, chocolate sauce and cacao tea amongst others.
Despite Thailand’s recent history with cocoa, a local boutique café called Paradai, located near Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, has won 3 gold medals at the International Chocolate Awards 2019.
