Indonesia Soy Beverage Producers Take Part in USSEC Virtual Workshop to Promote Industry and Market Development

As part of USSEC’s market development initiatives in Indonesia to increase human consumption and preference for U.S. Soy, USSEC organized a virtual workshop for local soy beverage producers on April 22 and 23. This is the first of a series of virtual workshops, public as well as in-company, that aims to help expand the interest and demand for soy as a nutritious and affordable source of protein.
The two-day “Soy Beverage Virtual Workshop for Value-Added Soy Products” was a collaborative effort between USSEC and the newly inducted Indonesia Soy Food Beverage Network (SoyBeaN), an organization that USSEC was privileged to assist set up. The workshop was well received and attended by more than 120 participants including food regulators, food scientists, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), and food enthusiasts, as well as cottage scale soy beverage producers from all across the country.
Using Cisco’s WebEx for the presentations and online interaction, as well as the Pigeonhole application for the question and answers sessions, the workshop engaged the local stakeholders on:

  • education for small medium scale soymilk producers on food safety regulation, nutrition labelling and food registration; and
  • discussed consumption trends and product development of soy-based food and beverages taking place both in Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries.

Out of the 850 ready-to-drink soy beverages products approved by the National Agency for Food and Drug Control, it is estimated that nearly 70% are dominated by imports. Some locally produced brands are disadvantaged due to a lack of understanding of food safety policies and regulations; limited product range and creative marketing messaging.
At present, Indonesia’s soy milk per capita consumption is at a very low base of less than 0.5 litre/year compared with other Southeast Asian countries and signals strong growth potential as evidenced in the emergence of new locally produced soy beverages. USSEC’s Indonesia Country Director, Ibnu Edy Wiyono remarked that with the “strong growth of locally produced soymilk industry, this will help broaden the customer base for U.S. soybeans exports to Indonesia.” In addition, U.S. Soy continues to benefit with its preference and demand from tempe and tofu producers.
After the workshop, the USSEC team will also follow up with a technical training series for local soymilk producers to help them in improving their products and growing their businesses.

Digital Poster for the Workshop
Mr. Riyadin, owner of CV. Puspita, producer of soymilk “SaLe” joined the virtual workshop with two of his staff.