Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – The large number of Indonesian diasporas in the Netherlands opens up business opportunities, especially that on culinary, in this European country, according to the Indonesian Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Mayerfas.

"The large number of Indonesian diasporas in the Netherlands and Dutch citizens of Indonesian descent who currently live in the Netherlands offer great business opportunities, especially that on the culinary business," said the ambassador at the webinar under the theme 'Indonesian Culinary Business Opportunities in the Netherlands' on Monday (March 1) .

The ambassador's statement was in line with those of two other speakers at the event, namely Suprapti Tanjung, who is the owner and founder of the Padang authentic restaurant Lapek Jo, and Agus Hermawan, chef at the Indonesian fusion food restaurant, Ron Gastrobar.

In the webinar Chef Agus told about his story of surviving the pandemic.

"The culinary business in the Netherlands was hit hard during the pandemic. To be able to survive, we made plans, adjusted menus, and provided take-away and delivery services to all regions of the Netherlands," he said.

Meanwhile, René Willemsen who is an expert lawyer for corporate law from the law firm Delissen Martens, who also spoke at the webinar, explained the requirements and stages that must be met to start a culinary business in the Netherlands.

In the discussion session, the webinar participants and speakers deepened the discussion about the administrative requirements that must be met in starting a business in the Netherlands, business plans, registration of food products, tax registration, certification of hygiene standards, and other matters.

The opportunity to open an archipelago culinary business in the Netherlands is an interesting topic because of the cultural and historical ties between the two countries, as well as the large number of Indonesians in the Netherlands.

Data from the Dutch Statistics Agency (CBS) in January 2021 show the total population of the Netherlands with an Indonesian background was recorded at 352,298.

Meanwhile, the 2017 data published in the book 'Favorite Indonesian Restaurants in the Netherlands', state that there are 330 Indonesian food sellers in the Netherlands, consisting of 190 restaurants, 118 take-away services, and 22 shops.

Reporting by Indonesia Window