By Rudolph Ian Alama

DAVAO CITY (PIA) — Dabawenyo chocolate processors and makers are seeking to expand the local market in a bid to strengthen the industry in the country’s chocolate capital.

At the sidelines of Davao City’s celebration of the World Chocolate Day on July 7, Lizabel Holganza, a member of the Davao City Cacao Industry Council and a chocolate producer, said the three-day chocolate fair held at Abreeza Mall aims to put Davao’s chocolates in the mainstream.

“For this 2023 celebration of World Chocolate Day, we gathered 12 of our chocolatiers. These chocolatiers have very fine chocolate beans and high-quality chocolate products that we like to bring to the attention of the Dabawenyo, because mababa ang per capita consumption ng ating sikwate (hot chocolate drink) and tableya (a ball of ground-up cacao beans). By way of this three-day exhibition, trade fair and chocolate tasting, mapro-promote natin ang ating mga produkto (we can promote our products),” Holganza said.

She hopes that the events would develop more chocolate champions not just from the industry but also champions from the consumer side that will help promote the products.

“We’ve been declared as the Chocolate Capital of the Philippines because number one reason we produced the most amount of cacao beans, and number two we have a growing number of chocolate processors. These sectors are contributing significantly revenues to Davao City through the produce that we sell and the value-adding of these products,” Holganza said.

Republic Act 115471 signed in 2021 by then President Rodrigo Duterte declared Davao City as “Chocolate Capital of the Philippines” and Davao Region as “Cacao Capital of the Philippines.”

The region’s share in the country’s annual production of cacao is massive chunk of 78.6% while Dabawenyo chocolatiers are acclaimed internationally.

Davao City-based Malagos Chocolates has received 56 international awards. While another Davao City chocolatier Auro Chocolates won five gold awards including “Best in Competition” and “Overall Winner” in the 2020 International Chocolate Awards (ICA) Asia-Pacific competition held in Taiwan. 

Holganza said they are stimulating domestic demand for Davao chocolates as the Philippines is still a net importer of cacao, getting stocks from Indonesia, as cacao production in the country is still low.

“Apart from promoting per capita consumption, we are propagating and promoting increase in production, expansion of growing farms. Kulang na kulang pa ang ating supply,” Holganza said.

Currently, Davao is producing 12,000 metric tons of cacao or 80% of the country’s total production of 15,000 metric tons annually. The Philippine demand for cacao is around 50,000 metric tons.

Holganza said Davao City LGU is eyeing 8,000 hectares for added plantation sites for cacao. Currently 6,000 hectares in Davao City is planted with cacao.

“With those 8,000 hectares, if you plant 600 to 800 trees per hectare if you multiply that would be 164,000 trees,” Holganza said.

Chef-educator Jill Sandique said the country has great potentials in producing good quality chocolates as the genetic stock of the cacao trees are criollo.

“When cross bred with other cacao basically, ang pinaka-marami sa atin ay Trinitario, which is a fine cacao, of course, kailangan natin ng (we need) proper post-harvest processes like fermentation,” Sandique, one of the country’s chocolate experts, said.

She added that cacao in the Philippines has very low levels of cadmium in their chocolates as compared to Latin American countries with high levels of cadmium, a toxic heavy metal.

“If we do our act together both the private and public sector, malaki ang potential natin because of what we have,” Sandique said.

She added that most of the local chocolates are expensive than imported one because they are made from fine cacao.

“Fine cacao dapat ang genetic stock niya is good and then maganda ang processing (The genetic stock of fine cacao should be good, and the processing should be done well… there is a lot of effort that goes into it. That is why it is called fine cacao and it creates a premium because of its high quality,” Sandique said.

Holganza said the export market for Davao cacao and chocolates is small and are niche markets for top brands, which uses fine Davao cacao. That is why there is a need for expansion.

Apart from cacao production, farmers earn thru farm tourism where plantations are opened to tourists.

Foremost among these farm tourism sites is the Malagos Garden Resort, where the famed Chocolate Museum is located. The resort is adjacent to the Malagos farm where cacaos are grown and the beans are processed. 

Inside the Chocolate Museum, visitors can have an immersive cacao experience that includes the Tree-To-Bar guided tour of the museum, farm, and its facilities. i

“We have a beautiful story to share about our cacao and that is the focus of our cacao farmers as it is an immersive and experiential tour and on top of that, it provides the farmers additional revenue,” Holganza said, who owns Gran Verde Farm, another farm tourism destination in Davao City.

Cacao farms are under the farm tourism project of the Department of Tourism-XI. (PIA Region XI)