Jember Coffee and Cacao Research Center, East Java, collected various coffee and cacao beans from across the archipelago on Thursday (26/10). The leaf and bean samples preserved by the Dutch government are also kept at the research center. The collection can be seen by visitors.
A cup of hot coffee or chocolate is possibly familiar to our daily activities. However, there are many people who do not know the plants that produce the ingredients for these two most favorite drinks in the world. The Coffee and Cacao Research Center’s Coco Park in Jember, East Java, provides the answers.
Its real name is Coffee and Cacao Science Techno Park (CCSTP), but the park is popularly known as Coco Park. The edutainment park, which is managed by the Coffee and Cacao Research Center (Puslitkoka), stands on a 140-hectare land in Rambipuji district, Jember.
In the park complex, all forms of coffee and chocolate are used as a source of education as well as entertainment. Here, we not only view coffee as simply grounds or hot beverages on the table. The same goes for chocolate, which are not just chocolate bars. Coco Park presents various forms of coffee and chocolate, starting from their cultivation, collections of coffee and cacao beans from all over the archipelago, and to a cup of specialty coffee and delicious praline chocolate.
Touring Coco Park costs only Rp 10,000. From the entrance gate, visitors can go around on "Flintstones" vehicles to view an expanse of coffee and cacao plants. Several areas consist of experimental cloning gardens, where superior seeds are being produced.
When accompanying Kompas around Coco Park on Tuesday (24/10), Puslitkoka chairman Misnawi said that the park, which is also a research and development center, had produced superior coffee beans for seeding. Coffee plants grown from these superior cloned beans start fruiting more quickly than the usual three years it takes. " The plants can start fruiting within 18 months," Misnawi said.
Anther advantage is that the superior plants have more complex roots to withstand landslides. Moreover, these plants have a higher productivity and produce better-quality beans.
After touring the research gardens and nursery are several areas for processing a variety of coffee and chocolate products.
Guides invite visitors to taste the freshly picked cacao fruits. "Do you want to try a sweet or sour one? We have both," said Coco Park guide Iwan, while picking and peeling cacao fruits for us.
A single bite, and the white pulp burst with a sweet-sour flavor. Puslitkoka uses the pulp to make “nata de choco”, a drink similar to nata de coco, only made of cacao pulp. The beans are used to make a variety of chocolate products, from chocolate cakes and chocolate bars to cacao powder.
Exporting to Japan
The park\'s factory also exports its chocolate bars to Japan under the trademark Paradise Papua. The name Papua is used, because the cacao originate from that island. ”Papuan cacao are produced organically, and the Japanese like them,” said Iwan.
Aside from being used for food industry, essential oil can also be extracted from cacao for cosmetics. The cacao byproduct, which is rich in antioxidants and helps to combat aging, can be used in soaps and a number of cosmetics. The Puslitkoka research team’s cosmetics products have even attracted the attention of artists who run cosmetics businesses.
In addition to cacao, the factory also processes coffee. The coffee Puslitkoka produces is packaged in various forms, from ground coffee to instant coffee.
Visitors can also relax around the plantations, which offer many open huts to have a rest while watching spotted and Java deer. There is also a children\'s playground with a swimming pool.
The most interesting thing is that, while touring the park, visitors can learn how to make various products from coffee and cacao. Those interested in opening a chocolate factory can even attend a short course there. Coffee lovers can also take a barista course or coffee appraiser classes for Arabica (Q Grader) and Robusta (R Grader) coffee. The park also provides training for farmers who want to cultivate and process coffee or cacao so they can produce quality products.
Coco Park also has a small museum featuring collections of coffee and cacao beans from across the archipelago. The beans are displayed in glass jars and labeled according to their origin and variety. Famous varieties are stored in these display jars, such as Arabica Blue Java, Blue Moon Flores, Toraja Arabica and others.
Wahyu Nurdiyanto, 39, a visitor from Malang, East Java, seemed to enjoy Coco Park. There, he could introduce his son to cacao and chocolate varieties from all over the archipelago. “I had no idea at all about the wealth of Indonesian coffee and chocolate. Here, I learned that Indonesia is the third largest chocolate producer in the world, and the fourth largest coffee producer. All types of coffee beans are available here," he said, as he introduced the aroma of cacao powder to his 4-year old son, who was eager to breathe in the smell of chocolate from the glass jar.
Combining science and technology
Coco Park is Puslitkoka’s effort to bring the world of science and technology closer to the general public. Established in 1911, Puslitkoka is known as one of the largest research centers in the country, a renown that has enabled Puslitkoka to fully fund its various research projects.
According to Misnawi, recent concerns arose among its researchers. They wanted more people to become interested in science and technology. And so, Coco Park was built.
Since opening in September 2016, Coco Park has received enthusiastic response from the public. An average 10,000 people visit the part each week. Misnawi said this was beyond expectations. Even during national holidays, the rate of visitors to Coco Park can reach up to 5,000 people per day.
The high visitors number shows that people not only want to travel, but also to take part in activities, learn and gain knowledge.
"That is why the concept of Coco Park is made as an educative tour, where people do not only do sightseeing and enjoy nature, but can learn and gain knowledge in a fun way," he said.
After driving around more than two hours, our afternoon trip to explore Coco Park ended at a souvenir shop. There, various types of food, beverages, cosmetics and souvenir made of coffee and chocolate were displayed.
Coco Park is like a miniature of Nusantara plantations. This plantation supplies the best beverages in the world. So, there is no need to go to Europe just to enjoy a cup of specialty coffee or soft and sweet chocolate truffles.
