Yogyakarta, 30 July 2024 – The series of activities for The 7th International Summer Course in Sustainable Development: Sustainable Bioprospecting of Tropical Biodiversity continues after the opening and lecture series which took place last Monday (29/7). The activity continued with a cultural trip and workshop which lasted from morning to evening.
At least 33 participants were enthusiastic about visiting the first destination, the Ngayogyakarta Sultanate Palace. Kraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat is the official palace of the sultanate located in the center of the Special Region of Yogyakarta. The participants toured the palace area which consists of three parts; the front complex of the palace, the core complex and the rear complex of the palace. In this area, participants who come from various countries learn Javanese culture, especially Yogyakarta, which is still preserved today, starting from building architecture, royal systems, clothing, to ceremonies, and so on.
The second destination is the Sonobudoyo Museum, which is located in the same area as the Sultan Palace. Sonobuyono Museum is the museum with the most complete collection of Javanese artifacts in Indonesia, after the National Museum in Jakarta. The collection consists of ceramics from the Neolithic era, bronze crafts, a collection of wayang, keris and masks.
The journey continues to the Bantul area, DIY, to be precise at the Monggo Chocolate Museum and Factory, a premium local chocolate product that has been around for decades. The participants learned the techniques and processes for processing chocolate from beans to ready-to-eat chocolate products. Uniquely, Monggo Chocolate was founded by a Belgian citizen, Thierry, based on the lack of good quality chocolate products in Indonesia, even though Indonesia is a country that produces cocoa which is the main raw material for famous chocolates in Europe. This anxiety makes Monggo Chocolate one of Indonesia’s most popular chocolate products.
The participants then took part in a chocolate workshop at Cokelat Monggo. Each had the opportunity to make their own chocolate to take home. It is hoped that this workshop program and introduction to chocolate processing will provide new knowledge to participants regarding the bioprospection of cocoa fruit into processed chocolate with high economic value.