SM CITY Davao hosted the 1st ever Davao Chocolate Festival, a delectable celebration of chocolate treats last September 12-14. The three-day festival featured different chocolate treats from 15 exhibitors. Chocolate festival participants include: Kablon Farms, Chocolate Bean, Human Nature, Puratos, Malagos Chocolates, Cacao de Davao, Chocolatte de Davao, and Nutra Rich, Tsokolate de San Isidro, Coco Dolce, Red Ribbon, SM Supermarket, SM Dept. Store, and Allegro Ice Cream & Giardino Gelato.
The Festival of Chocolate is the largest all-chocolate event and the first in Davao City, featuring an incredible Vendor Showcase with sales of chocolates and treats from the region’s best Chocolatiers and Confection Companies; Demonstrations & Live Competitions by Pastry Professionals; Mocktail/Cocktail Challenge, Kiddie Tour, Lecture Series on Cacao Production & Bean Sorting and Grading as well as Tablea Making and much more!
My two realizations from this event: #1: In the presence of that much chocolate I should remember to stay calm and not go berserk, and #2: I said to myself, my hips will probably survived, after watching every single chocolate bar displayed before my eyes, it makes me gape stupidly. Aside from those two things, I quite enjoyed myself. The presence of that much food was like adrenaline to my veins.
The Ceremonial Ribbon Cutting and Chocolate breaking was witnessed by SM shoppers, as well as distinguished VIP’s, which include: Mindanao Development Authority (Minda) Secretary Luwalhati Antonino, Cacao Industry Development Association of Mindanao Executive Director Mr. Val Turtur, City Council Committee on Agriculture & Food Char Honorable Councilor Marissa Salvador-Abella, Department of Trade & Industry 11 OIC Regional Director Belenda Q. Ambi, SM Supermalls AVP for Operations Mindanao Debby Go, SM Supermalls AVP for Marketing Mindanao Russel Alaba, SM City Davao Mall Manager Lynette Lopez, SM City Davao Asst. Mall Manager Engr. Warren Rey Bautista, SM City Davao Asst. Mall Manager Engr. Nick Santos.
This weekend for the first time ever there was a chocolate festival designed to bring chocolate lovers and sustainable Davao chocolate producers together in one venue. The chocolate festival was designed to show people that better chocolate can only come from good cocoa (fine or flavor cocoa, and sustainable beans).
With chocolate tastings, chocolate selling, a chocolate wall and chocolate activities going on it was ideal for chocolate lovers. There was even a stall where you could buy chocolate cosmetics, and a stall where you can snort chocolate powder (it was kind of minty, and you could taste it in the back of your throat, which was a little weird).
One of my favorite chocolate producers included Coco Dolce, a chocolate company selling some really delicious chocolates and bonbons which were absolutely divine. Francisco Gonzales, the COO of Coco Dolce said he was able to shell out at least 700 bars of chocolate for tasting. For a baby company, who started producing coconut sugar only last 2009 and chocolates last 2013, I could say that they minted a chocolate breed that is definitely world class and proud to say from Davao. Coco Dolce chocolates are made of finely milled cocoa beans, pure organic coco sugar, and virgin coconut oil. It had just right amount of sweetness with rich texture and creamy too. Thanks to Coco Dolce, I had a few free bars to feast on, my hips were pleading to stop but I can’t.
It is just so sad that, the Coco Dolce chocolates isn’t available yet in the grocery shelves except at the Davao & Cebu Intl. Airport as well as some small shops in Manila. But Gonzales hinted that the company will definitely be distributing it all over Mindanao. Coco Dolce’s factory is located in Binugao Toril and for further details about the product you can check out www.freefoodco.com.
Chokolate de San Isidro boasts of the sikwate or the chocolate tablets or better known as tablea. I have to say this product resurrects my love for tablea and taking a quick sip for only 40 pesos a cup ( by the way , mine was free again, thanks to Chokolate de San Isidro Managing Partner and VP Mr. Dante Muyco) transported me back to my childhood days with my Granny.
She makes the best tablea, and I remember we used to get those family packets of assorted cream biscuits and proceeded to dunk the biscuits in the tablea concoction until it was sloppy mess and in the gob it went. Oh those were the days! Not a care in the world, eat what you wanted (without the worry of weight gain, food allergies, etc.) and the prospect of a fun filled afternoon to play outside in the sun.
Through the efforts of CSI Trade Ventures, a marketing group created by young entrepreneurs in Davao City whose aim is to promote Davao Region’s products and provide access to the local and export markets. It is a major stakeholder in the Chokolate de San Isidro Inc. being an investing partner in the production of tablea and its exclusive distributor. Its aim is to re-introduce to institutional buyers and consumers, chocolate – the way it is prepared traditionally.
San Isidro is located 100 kms. away from Davao City. This municipality in Davao del Norte is known for its vast cacao production area. It boasts of approximately 4,000 hectares of cacao and is known for significantly contributing to the supply of beans for Luzon and the Visayas.
The brand “Sikwate” is derived from a Cebuano dialect which means chocolate drink. These home-style pure dark chocolate tablets are processed from 100 percent premium cacao beans, roasted to perfection and packed in traditionally crafted banana paper to preserve its freshness.
The company’s tag, “DARKER IS BETTER”, promotes the use of chocolate at its purest state. Besides, the chocolate tablets, they are also open to engage in supplying raw/roasted cacao beans for domestic and export markets, and other cacao by-products that you may require. Should you be interested, kindly send your inquiries to [email protected] or contact (+63917)700-9000 c/o Ted Garcia or at (+63917)700-0302 c/o Toto Muyco. CSI Trade Ventures is located at 646 Garnet St. Marfori Heights, Davao City.
“Sikwate”, is an all natural 100 percent cacao, made out of handpicked beans, roasted and milled in small batches to attain the full flavor of dark chocolate. Determined to create a niche in the chocolate business the Chokolate de San Isidro Inc. (CSII) completed the first shipment in 2009 of Trinitario Cacao to Europe and even in the US. Today, it continues to have the reputation of delivering quality beans from Davao to the rest of the world, used primarily for gourmet chocolates.
One highlight of the event was the Chocolate Dessert Challenge during the 2nd Day of the Festival, people swarm like ants just to get a glimpse of the competing teams. Participants were from different affiliations and schools which include I Chef, Holy Cross of Davao College, Most Culinary Institute. The winners for the challenge was Rabbie Kyle S. Garcia and Henry Simbajon, their entry “Spiced Concorde with Salted Tamarind Sauce, blew the judges away to take home the Grand Prize.
The last three days featured the music of Davao’s finest musicians, “The Trio Strings”, Gary Iñigo & Elijah La Fuente and film viewing that is just appropriate for the festival, that had many shoppers find some comfortable seats for a 2 hour respite, “Chocolat’ (Juliet Binoche & Johnny Deep) film, although I would prefer the “The Chocolate Factory” for its much lighter tone. But overall, this has definitely opened my eyes to chocolate producers I had never even heard of before, and all of them have shops in Davao or supply their chocolate to shops in Manila and some parts of Europe and the US. Admittedly, some of the display was more expensive than normal chocolate, but it was totally worth it plus all the stall owners and receptionist were so friendly and really helpful.
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