JAKARTA - PT Unilever Indonesia signed a USD 120,000 (approximately Rp 2 billion) letter of intent to export Bango sweet soy sauce to the Netherlands, a commercial result of Indonesia's gastrodiplomacy program launched last year.

The deal with Amsterdam-based distributor InterAromat BV was signed January 12 during Horecava 2026, the Netherlands' largest hospitality trade show. Yohanes Hendra Setyastanto, Unilever Indonesia's export and business development manager, signed online while InterAromat CEO Suryo Tutuko signed in person at the RAI Amsterdam exhibition center.

The agreement follows business matchmaking sessions held January 8 and December 23 as part of S'RASA, Indonesia's culinary promotion program through overseas restaurants. The Trade Ministry launched S'RASA in 2025 in collaboration with five other ministries to expand Indonesian restaurant networks abroad and boost spice and condiment exports.

Sweet soy sauce, called “kecap manis” in Indonesian, accounts for over 90 percent of Indonesia's soy sauce production. The thick, molasses-like sauce contains up to 50 percent palm sugar and remains difficult to find in most of Europe outside the Netherlands, UK, France and Germany.

Over 250,000 people of Indonesian descent live in the Netherlands, a legacy of Dutch colonial rule that ended in 1949. That explains why “kecap manis” has remained popular in the Netherlands due to this historical connection.

InterAromat's market research found Indonesian sweet soy sauce has unique characteristics and flavor profiles unmatched by similar products currently sold in the Netherlands, according to Fajarini Puntodewi, director general of national export development at the Trade Ministry.

"This LoI proves the Trade Ministry's commitment to pushing superior local products to become more competitive and loved by consumers worldwide," Puntodewi said January 13. She said Bango will expand to other European markets after establishing its Dutch presence.

Two Indonesian restaurants in Amsterdam, Warung Barokah and Toko Kalimantan, also participated in the Indonesian Pavilion at Horecava as part of S'RASA.