Analisis Value Chain Upgrading Komoditas Kakao melalui Strategi Branding dan Diferensiasi Produk di Sabang
Abstract
Sabang cocoa has distinctive terroir potential, yet its production and cultivated area have declined over the past five years, with most beans still sold unfermented at low value. This qualitative study maps the value chain (Value Chain Analysis or VCA) and identifies value-upgrading opportunities (Value Chain Upgrading or VCU) through in-depth interviews with farmers, collectors, processing SMEs, and the Sabang Agriculture Office, supported by source triangulation. Results show a fermentation price premium of 200 percent, yet realized only through direct farmer–SME channels, not through general collectors. An organic functional upgrading pattern emerged, with SMEs acting as quality collectors. The study formulates a branding strategy grounded in the 7-P marketing mix and consumer agency perspective, recommending wider fermentation incentives and formalization of Geographical Indication as a long-term branding instrument.
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