Philippine Chocolates and World Recognition

Cacao has long been produced in the Philippines, dating back to when Spanish colonizers
introduced it centuries ago. Although overlooked for some time, cacao is now considered a
priority crop, with more local manufacturers perfecting the art of chocolate-making. These days,
numerous chocolate crafters are maximizing its potential and taking it to the international stage,
so much so that countless award-giving bodies and competitions have already recognized
Philippine chocolate.

1919 Chocolate
A newcomer to the market, 1919 already bagged an award for their chocolate within a year of
being in business. The small-batch chocolate maker won a silver for their 62% Dark Chocolate from the Academy of Chocolate 2020 Awards under the tree-to-bar category. The milestone comes as a big boost to owners Karl and Kay Santos, who took a personal project to become a full-blast business in 2019. The cacao is sourced from the family-owned farm in Malvar, Batangas and is transformed into bars, spreads, and beverages.

Auro Chocolate
Bean-to-bar chocolate brand Auro was founded in 2015 and officially launched in May 2017.
Since then, they have been recognized as the fastest-growing premium chocolate company in the Philippines, with more than 40 internal awards to its name. These include various rankings and accolades for Auro’s wide range of chocolate products from the Academy of Chocolate, Great Taste Award, International Cocoa Awards, and International Chocolate Awards.

Sourcing their cacao from farmers in Davao and working directly with five cocoa-producing vcooperatives and 50 individual farmers, Auro also won the Top 20 Best Cacao Beans Award
2019 at the Salon Du Chocolat. In 2020, it was awarded the Shining Bright Award by the
Academy of Chocolate Special Awards, which recognized only four global producers able to
demonstrate growth in fine chocolate. Some of its award-winning products include the 50%
Regalo Single-Varietal Dark Chocolate, 85% Mana Single-Estate Dark Chocolate, and 100%
Cacao Unsweetened Chocolate Tablea.

Dalareich Food Products
In 1994, Mr. and Mrs. Ricardo Polot put up Dalareich Food Products, a small family business.
Based in Bohol, they started with 5 kilos of cacao to produce unsweetened chocolate tablea,
used in making the local version of hot chocolate. Polot’s daughter, Dalareich, eventually helped out in the business and was able to learn bean-to-bar chocolate-making at Cacaolab of Ghent University in Belgium. This paved the way for the business’s expansion, eventually producing their own bean-to-bar chocolates and opening the Dalareich Chocolate House to tourists. In 2019, Dalareich won a Gold for their 100% Unsweetened Chocolate from the Academy of Chocolate Awards under the Drinking Chocolate category.

Malagos Chocolate
In 2015, Malagos won its first international award that helped increase sales for the Davao-
based chocolate maker. But it was a couple of years later, in 2017, that Malagos found its place on the world map, as the cacao beans they use were recognized by the Cocoa Excellence Programme as being one of the best 50 beans in the world. The cacao is from Malagos’s own

Puentespina farm, which has been at the forefront of improving the cacao industry of the
Philippines. The Puentespinas established Malagos Agri-Ventures Corporation in 2012 with a premium single-origin cocoa liquor. Its first tree-to-bar, single-origin fine chocolate was commercially launched in 2013 and they have since diversified their product line to include a multitude of bars, truffles, dragées, coated fruits, and beverages. All these brought Malagos more international acclaim as the brand has now over 50 awards and recognitions from the
International Chocolate Awards, Academy of Chocolate Awards, Great Taste Award, and World Drinking Chocolate Competition. In 2019, its cacao was designated the 16th heirloom cacao in the world by the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund.

MS3 Agri-Ventures
Davao-based MS3 Agri-Ventures is a startup enterprise put up by local farmers. It started off
manufacturing halal raw cocoa products, including tablea, cocoa powder, cocoa nibs, and tea. It eventually diversified its product line to offer ready-to-eat chocolate bars. Its Bonchoc (Bean of Nature Chocolate) with Cashew and Coffee Granules received a bronze from the Academy of Chocolate Awards in 2019 under the bean-to-bar flavoured category. Under the Drinking Chocolate category, MS3’s Bonchoc with Cashew and Coffee Granules won a silver and its 100% Dark Chocolate Cacao Tablet took the bronze. The chocolate tablet was also awarded by the Asia Halal Brand Awards in Malaysia in 2017.

Theo and Philo Artisan Chocolates
Theo comes from Theobroma Cacao, the cacao tree’s scientific name, while Philo, which
means love in Greek, is taken from owner Philo Chua’s name. Theo and Philo promotes this
love for chocolate in all of its high-quality products, made only with local ingredients and raw
materials like calamansi, turon, and adobo. These unique flavors brought Theo and Philo global recognition, as it received multiple awards from the Academy of Chocolate Awards in 2019. These include a Gold for its Hot Dark Chocolate, a Silver for its Choco Tea, and Bronze Awards for its 65% Dark Chocolate with Black Sesame, Cashew and Pili, 65% Dark Chocolate with Green Mango and Salt, 65% Dark Chocolate with Labuyo, Milk Chocolate Adobo, and Milk Chocolate with Pili Nuts and Pinipig. The Great Taste Awards has also recognized Theo and Philo’s 60% Dark Chocolate with Ginger and Mint, 90% Dark Chocolate, 70% Dark Chocolate, and Dark Hot Chocolate.