Jakarta, July 29, 2026 – The Ministry of Creative Economy/Creative Economy Agency (Ekraf) fully supports the implementation of the Indonesia Summer Cooking Experience initiated by the Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Indonesia at Ron Gastrobar, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The event is part of the national S’RASA (Rasa Rempah Indonesia) movement, designed as a platform to introduce Nusantara cuisine while connecting international business players with Indonesia’s leading food products and culinary brands.
Minister of Creative Economy Teuku Riefky Harsya emphasized that penetrating international markets with local culinary products requires synergy and collaboration across ministries and government agencies. According to him, culinary wealth not only represents cultural identity but must also provide tangible economic added value for creative economy practitioners.
“Culinary arts are one of the creative economy subsectors that represent Indonesia’s culture, traditions, and creativity. Through the S’RASA program, collaboration serves as a means to introduce the flavors of the Nusantara while expanding awareness of Indonesian culinary products and brands in international markets,” said the Minister of Creative Economy.
Furthermore, the Minister of Creative Economy explained that this cross-sector collaboration scheme creates opportunities for creative economy practitioners in the culinary subsector to explore strategic partnerships with importers, distributors, and prospective global business partners through various facilitation programs prepared by the Ministry of Creative Economy.
“The Ministry of Creative Economy continues to provide promotional facilitation, participation in international exhibitions, and business matching as efforts to connect creative economy practitioners with global markets. Such collaboration is one of the steps toward expanding market access for Indonesian culinary products and brands,” said Teuku Riefky.
The Indonesia Summer Cooking Experience was designed as an interactive business engagement program integrating hands-on cooking experience, shared dining, product exhibitions, and business networking. The event was attended by culinary business players based in the Netherlands, importers of Indonesian products, distributors of cooking spices, as well as representatives of local retail networks such as Warung Barokah (Amsterdam) and Toko Kalimantan (Zaandam).
The event was officially opened by the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Laurentius Amrih Jinangkung. Participants were invited to directly prepare four traditional Nusantara dishes, namely sate kambing, cireng, otak-otak, and bolu gula aren. This hands-on experience provided prospective business partners in the Netherlands with an in-depth understanding of the use of authentic Indonesian ingredients and the distinctive flavor profiles of Nusantara cuisine.
The S’RASA Program is a transformation of Indonesia’s gastrodiplomacy movement, Indonesia Spice Up the World (ISUTW), which was launched in August 2025. The program involves the synergy of six ministries and government agencies bound by a Cooperation Agreement (PKS), with the Ministry of Creative Economy taking a strategic role through the Deputy for Cultural Creativity and Design. Within this cooperation framework, the Ministry of Creative Economy focuses on promotional facilitation, participation in global exhibitions, business matching, as well as strengthening supply chains and industry networks for supported brands.
The Netherlands, which serves as a major logistics hub in the European region, offers significant market potential and is highly adaptive to international culinary trends. On the occasion, several leading Indonesian products were also introduced, including Kecap Bango, palm sugar from PT Mahorahora Bumi Nusantara, and Kopi Kapal Api, which are being prepared for entry into European distribution networks. Founder of Lakeside BV, Oswin Beingsick, said the event could serve as a potential gateway to increasing the volume of Indonesian food products and culinary ingredients imported into the European market.
Kiagoos Irvan Faisal
Head of the Bureau for Communication
Ministry of Creative Economy/Creative Economy Agency
