North Sulawesi Vanilla and Robusta Coffee Secure Buyers in Malaysia, Japan and South Korea at KKI 2026

Vanilla brand lands buyers in three Asian markets

Vanilla and coffee from micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Indonesia's North Sulawesi province secured overseas buyers at Karya Kreatif Indonesia (KKI) 2026, a national MSME showcase held in Jakarta from 20 to 23 August 2026, ANTARA reported. Joko Supratikto, head of the Bank Indonesia representative office in North Sulawesi, said in Manado on Thursday that Narasi Vanilla, a high-quality vanilla product from the province, had opened market access to Malaysia, Japan and South Korea through business matching sessions and the signing of letters of intent.

The outcomes announced by Bank Indonesia cover three separate deliveries:

• samples of vanilla beans, powder and paste sent to the buyer SAF Synergy PLT (Blitz and Co) in Malaysia;
• 20 kilograms of vanilla beans worth 2,500 US dollars shipped to Global Mandehling Coffee Korea of South Korea;
• 24 units of vanilla paste and vanilla powder delivered to Indonesia House of Bean Tokyo of Japan.

The South Korean consignment is the only one for which both a volume and a value were disclosed, implying roughly 125 US dollars per kilogram of beans. The Malaysian and Japanese deliveries were described as samples and product units rather than commercial volumes, and no contract values were given for either.

Gunung Ambang Robusta enters the same channel

Alongside vanilla, Gunung Ambang Robusta coffee from the city of Kotamobagu, which Bank Indonesia described as being of export quality, expanded its market network through business matching with Indonesia House of Bean Tokyo of Japan. No shipment volume, price or delivery schedule was disclosed for the coffee, and the arrangement was presented as a widening of the producer's buyer network rather than as a concluded sale.

Joko said the results showed that opportunities for North Sulawesi's flagship products to reach global markets are widening through stronger quality, branding and business networking.

What a letter of intent settles, and what it does not

A letter of intent records a buyer's stated intention to proceed and generally frames specifications, indicative quantities and next steps. It is not a purchase contract, and it fixes neither price nor delivery obligation. For the North Sulawesi suppliers, the operational test now is whether the sample deliveries to Malaysia and Japan convert into repeat, priced orders, and whether smallholder output can be aggregated into consistent lots that professional buyers are able to schedule. Both vanilla and speciality coffee are bought against tight specifications, and buyers in Japan and South Korea in particular assess moisture, grading and consistency between consignments before moving from trial quantities to standing purchases.

Bank Indonesia frames a longer programme

Bank Indonesia said it will continue to push MSMEs to grow and become resilient and competitive through business capacity building, wider access to markets and financing, innovation, digitalisation and the development of a sustainable ecosystem. The central bank added that cooperation between MSMEs, communities, government, industry, financial institutions, global buyers and strategic partners would continue to be strengthened.

"Love, take pride in and use Indonesian MSME products, because if not us, then who. If not now, when will Indonesian MSMEs become the host for Indonesian products and be able to grow, be resilient and competitive," Joko said, as quoted by ANTARA.

KKI 2026 was held under the theme "Beudaya MeusareSare, Berdaya Bersama-sama", framing the event as a collective effort to make the best work of MSMEs from across the country better known and used within Indonesia while also reaching global markets. The report was published by the Manado bureau of ANTARA.