According to an expert, craft chocolate has gained popularity in the Philippines as more Filipinos discover the distinctive flavors of the sweet delicacy during the season of love.
“More consumers are becoming more curious about provenance, sustainability, taste,” Trina C. Texan, a certified chocolate taster with cocoa assessment and sensory evaluation certificates, told BusinessWorld in an interview.
He adds, “If you're going to prepare for Valentine's and you're a craft chocolate maker, the preparation happens long before Valentine's Day.”
Ms Tecson said that in the past, locally produced chocolates were often ignored in the market due to low consumer awareness. “People weren't really eating local chocolate because maybe there wasn't any awareness at that time.”
With more advanced machinery and sustainable shopping habits of buyers, the industry has witnessed high demand, especially during the Valentine season.
“There has been a huge shift from international to local interest and I think that's what really drives the craft chocolate movement in the Philippines,” he said.
“Local chocolate makers have advanced the way they process craft chocolate… and consumers have become more aware of it and are choosing to support local, and that's a big movement too,” he said.
The popular tradition of giving chocolates during Valentine's Day dates back to the 19th century, in which a heart-shaped box was filled with chocolates.
“It became an iconic Valentine's representation of love, thoughtfulness and gift giving,” Ms. Texan said.
“The heart shape is really a symbol of love, so I think chocolate makers would want to take advantage of that during that time to make it available to everyone who wants to celebrate,” he said.
Cocoa, the crop used to make chocolate, is a perennial crop that grows in the cocoa belt, or countries located 20 degrees above or below the equator. The Philippines is among the “countries of origin” that can grow and produce their own cocoa.
“We are believed to be the first country in Asia, the Philippines, to grow cocoa because we were growing it for Spain when it was a colony of Spain,” Ms Texan said. “It would be exported back to Spain, where Spaniards at the time were already consuming cocoa as a beverage.”
According to the Department of Agriculture (DA), there are three major farming groups in the country – Criollo, Forastero and Trinitario. Of the three, forastero is the most commonly grown cocoa, accounting for 80% of the world supply.
Within the country, most of the crop comes from Mindanao, with the Davao region contributing 78% of national cocoa production. Meanwhile, another 12% and 10% come from other areas of Mindanao and Luzon respectively.
“It's very special to have a country that grows its own cocoa,” Ms Texan said. “Whether it is bean-to-bar or tree-to-bar, whether the beans used are Philippine beans is the more important factor.”
“People are liking to try locally produced, locally sourced beans because the Philippines is a country of origin,” he said. — Almira Louise S. Martinez