Founder of Kalara Borneo Receives Youngpreneur with Impact Award on Indonesia’s 80th Independence Day

Pontianak, August 17, 2025. The commemoration of Indonesia’s 80th Independence Day at the Garuda Hall, Office of the Governor of West Kalimantan, became a special moment for the local business community. In a ceremony honoring MSMEs and various stakeholders, Yohana Tamara, affectionately known as Ara, Founder and CEO of Kalara Borneo, was recognized with the Youngpreneur with Impact award.

The award, presented in the category of Millennial Agribusiness Entrepreneur, Pratama Perkebunan, was given following a nomination by The Plantation and livestock agency of West Kalimantan Province. Ara was acknowledged for pioneering the development of fermented cacao and advancing it to the stage of couverture chocolate production — a first in West Kalimantan. This effort not only added value to a commodity that had long been overlooked but also contributed significantly to balancing regional inflation.

As a young woman who established Kalara Borneo as a social enterprise, Ara has built a business model that combines product innovation with community empowerment. By practicing fair trade and working directly with farmers, locally fermented cacao is transformed into premium chocolate now recognized at the national level and beginning to be introduced to international markets.

This award reaffirms Ara’s role as a representative of Kalimantan’s younger generation who dares to take on leadership in the plantation sector. From the land of Borneo, Ara demonstrates that nation-building can be achieved through concrete action: elevating local commodities, creating added value, and delivering economic, social, and environmental benefits for the community.