Davao City declared ‘Chocolate Capital of the Philippines’
When we think of Davao City, what immediately comes to mind are its crystal-clear beaches, colorful festivals, and durian fruit. But this place has more to offer by way of world-class products like their chocolates.
President Rodrigo Duterte signed yesterday, May 27, R.A. 11547, making the city of Davao the Chocolate Capital of the Philippines and the entire Davao region the Cacao Capital of the Philippines.
One of the things that Davaoenos indeed are proud of is their outrageously delicious chocolates. The city of Davao, to be specific, has a lot of famous tableya brands and tableya makers. But now, most of them have also ventured into chocolate making and are slowly climbing up the best chocolatiers ladder.
You don’t have to go or order from abroad to taste some of the most mouth-watering chocolate bars as our country has its very own.
Malagos Chocolateis one of the famous chocolatiers in the Philippines. The Puentespina family is behind this distinguished brand and made the “Tree-to-Bar'' possible.
Their love for cocoa started in 2003 when one of their founders, Charita, leased a farm in Malagos, Baguio District, Davao City with pre-existing cacao trees. After many years of improving their tableyas and other cacao products, they finally decided to commercially launch their very own Malagos Chocolates in 2013.
Their chocolates have won international awards by different chocolate awards giving bodies like the Academy of Chocolate Awards and the International Chocolate Awards for their truffles and dark chocolates, just to name two.
Visitors can also take a quick tour of The Malagos Chocolate Museum. It will give you the “Tree to Bar” experience and learn more about how the brand started and about their variety of chocolate products.
Another Davao chocolate connoisseur and brand is Theo & Philo. Their artisan chocolates are made out of genuine cacao beans and a “timeless love affair with chocolate.” They believe that local homegrown chocolates here in the country should be made known globally; thus, they offer various chocolates and chocolate-based products straight out of the Davao soil.
They have unique chocolate flavors like Dark Chocolate with Calamansi, Dark Chocolate with Green Mango, Dark Chocolate with Labuyo, and more.
The Davao chocolate scene is truly creating a name. In 2017, Davao’s cocoa products made waves as nine of the best tableya brands got together and started a joint business to sell everything cocoa and chocolate products.
This helped promote the city’s flourishing chocolate and cacao industry. Cacao & Beyond, Wit’s Sweets & Savouries, Cacao Culture Farms, and Rosario’s are just some of the brands you can find in Cacao City. It is one of the shops that also made waves for the best tableya, chocolate bars, chocolate-covered fruits, and other cacao-based products in the city.
If you’re having trouble finding the best-fitting chocolate for your tastebuds and want to just chill for a while and take your time, they offer their visitors a cup of hot chocolate to satisfy your chocolate cravings.
