In 2015, a chocolate bar from a small farm in Davao won a gold medal at the International Chocolate Awards in London. The chocolatiers at Malagos were competing against Swiss, Belgian, French, and American makers who had been refining their craft for generations. The judges, tasting blind, gave the Davao bar gold. When the origin was revealed, some were surprised. Most of the chocolate world had barely heard of Philippine cacao.
That was the beginning of a recognition that the Philippine chocolate industry has been trying to accelerate ever since. Today, Davao produces approximately 80% of the Philippines' cacao supply, and a cluster of small-batch chocolate makers -- from Malagos to Auro to Cacao Culture Farms -- are producing single-origin bars that are sold in premium chocolate shops in Europe, the United States, and Japan. The cacao they're using grows in your destination. This guide tells you how to find it, where to buy it, and why champorado is one of the finest uses of chocolate in any cuisine on Earth.
The Philippines as Cacao Producer
The Philippines is the third largest cacao producer in Asia, behind Indonesia and Malaysia, and a major global supplier of fine-flavour cacao -- the category that accounts for less than 8% of world production but commands significantly higher prices in the specialty chocolate market. While bulk cacao (Forastero variety, grown in West Africa) dominates industrial chocolate production, the Philippines specialises in the complex, aromatic varieties that serious chocolate makers seek out.
Davao del Sur, the region surrounding Davao City in Mindanao, is the heart of Philippine cacao production. The volcanic soil, consistent rainfall, and equatorial climate create ideal conditions. Cacao trees grow under the shade of larger trees in agroforestry systems that are both ecologically sustainable and -- importantly for flavour -- slow-growing, which concentrates the beans' aromatic compounds.
Philippine Cacao Varieties
Trinitario
The dominant variety in Philippine fine-flavour production, Trinitario is a natural hybrid of Criollo and Forastero that combines the complex flavour of Criollo with the hardier disease resistance of Forastero. Philippine Trinitario from Davao has a distinctive profile: deep cocoa base, notes of tropical fruit (sometimes mango, sometimes banana, sometimes a jammy red-fruit quality), and often a lingering bitterness that chocolate makers prize for depth.
Forastero
The bulk variety, grown for volume rather than flavour. Less interesting to specialty chocolate makers but economically essential. Most Philippine Forastero is sold as commodity cacao or used in lower-tier chocolate products.
Heritage Criollo
Criollo -- the most complex and flavourful of all cacao varieties -- exists in small quantities in the Philippines in heritage trees that have been growing on some Davao farms for over a century. Pure Criollo is extraordinarily rare (it makes up perhaps 1% of world cacao production) and intensely susceptible to disease, which is why it's been largely displaced by Trinitario. Finding a bar made from documented Philippine Criollo is a genuine treasure hunt.
The Award-Winning Chocolatiers
Malagos Chocolate -- Davao's Pioneer
The Malagos story begins on a sprawling farm in Calinan, 30 kilometres from Davao City, where the Puentespina family has been growing cacao and creating a remarkable agri-tourism destination. Their Malagos Chocolate brand -- doing the full bean-to-bar process on-farm -- won multiple International Chocolate Awards medals, putting Philippine cacao on the world map.
The chocolate is genuinely exceptional: single-origin Davao Trinitario, available in multiple percentages (70%, 85%, and various flavoured varieties including pili nut, turmeric, and sea salt). The farm shop at Malagos sells the full range at factory prices (PHP 200-400 per bar). The Davao airport duty-free shop and several Manila specialty food stores also carry Malagos. Visit the farm for the full experience -- the cacao tree trail, the bean-to-bar factory tour, and the cafe serving single-origin hot chocolate is one of the finest food tourism experiences in Mindanao.
Auro Chocolate -- International Recognition
Auro, based in Luzon but sourcing from Philippine farms, has built the most internationally visible Philippine chocolate brand. Their bars are stocked in specialty chocolate shops in Europe, Japan, and the United States -- a remarkable achievement for a company less than a decade old. Auro's sourcing model connects directly with Philippine farming cooperatives, and their flavour profiles are designed with international specialty chocolate buyers in mind: clean, complex, fruity, with well-managed bitterness.
In Manila, Auro is available at Rustan's, SM Megamall specialty food sections, and their own online shop. PHP 250-450 per bar. If you want to bring home a Philippine chocolate brand that will genuinely impress a knowledgeable chocolate lover abroad, Auro is your best choice for recognition and quality.
Cacao Culture Farms -- Laguna's Artisan Producer
Located in Laguna province (1-2 hours from Manila), Cacao Culture Farms does small-batch, single-origin chocolate from their own farm with a strong emphasis on the relationship between terroir and flavour. Their operation is genuinely small -- some batches are numbered and limited. The farm offers visits (arrange in advance) and sells directly at the farm gate. A visit to Cacao Culture combines well with exploring the Pagsanjan area or other Laguna attractions.
Tablea: Philippine Traditional Chocolate
Before anyone in the Philippines was making single-origin 70% bars for international chocolate competitions, there was tablea. Tablea are traditional Filipino chocolate tablets: ground cacao beans, fermented and dried, then formed into rough discs or tablets. No added sugar, no milk, no refinement -- just compressed cacao mass.
Tablea is dissolved in hot water or milk to make tsokolate -- a thick, grainy, intensely chocolatey drink that was traditional Philippine breakfast fare for centuries before coffee took over. The texture is deliberately rustic: you can feel the grain of the cacao grounds. The flavour is pure and strong, the sweetness coming entirely from whatever you add (typically brown sugar or muscovado).
The best tablea comes from Cebu -- specifically from Tablea Filipinas and local producers in Cebu City who source from nearby farms. Davao tablea is also excellent. Price: PHP 80-200 for a pack of 10-12 tablets sufficient for 10-12 cups. Tablea makes an excellent, uniquely Filipino souvenir that is lightweight, keeps well, and is genuinely not available outside the Philippines in any meaningful way.
Champorado: Chocolate Rice Porridge
The most important and most underrated use of Philippine chocolate is champorado. This is chocolate rice porridge -- glutinous rice cooked with tablea dissolved into the cooking water, resulting in a thick, purple-brown, intensely chocolatey congee-like breakfast dish. It is served sweet (add more sugar to taste) and traditionally paired with tuyo -- dried, salted fish -- whose sharp, salty intensity cuts through the sweetness in a way that is initially alarming and ultimately revelatory.
Champorado is available at most Filipino breakfast spots (called "tapsihan" or "silog" restaurants) for PHP 60-120. It's one of those dishes that sounds odd described and tastes absolutely right when you're eating it. The salty fish with sweet chocolate porridge combination is one of Filipino cuisine's great flavour contrasts. Try it once. It will probably make more sense than you expect.
Where to Buy Philippine Chocolate
In Davao
The Malagos farm shop in Calinan is the definitive source. Aldevinco Shopping Center in Davao City has multiple stalls selling various Philippine chocolate products including tablea and finished bars. The Davao airport duty-free section has a surprisingly good selection -- Malagos and several local tablea brands are reliably stocked.
In Manila
Auro Chocolate is the easiest to find -- Rustan's Supermarket, SM Megamall Gourmet section, and specialty food stores in BGC. Tablea brands from Cebu and Davao are available at The Landmark in Makati and some Robinsons Supermarket locations. For the broadest selection of Philippine fine chocolate brands in one place, visit the Saturday Salcedo Weekend Market in Makati -- artisan food vendors there often include Philippine chocolate producers.
In Cebu
Cebu tablea is easy to find at Carbon Market and at the airport. Several pasalubong (souvenir food) shops throughout Cebu City stock tablea packs specifically packaged for travelers. The Cebu airport duty-free has limited but acceptable chocolate options.
Chocolate Farm Tours
The Malagos Agri-Tourism experience (PHP 500-1,000/person, book ahead at their website) is the best structured cacao-to-chocolate experience in the country. The tour covers:
- Walking the cacao tree trail and seeing pods at various stages of ripeness
- The fermentation and drying process (done on-site, different from most Filipino producers)
- The bean-to-bar factory where roasting, winnowing, grinding, conching, and tempering happen
- A chocolate tasting session comparing different origins and percentages
- The farm cafe serving single-origin hot chocolate, champorado, and chocolate-based desserts
Allow 3-4 hours for the full experience. Malagos is 30 minutes from Davao City by Grab (PHP 200-350). The farm also has accommodation for those who want to stay overnight in the highlands outside the city.
Bringing Philippine Chocolate Home
Chocolate is one of the easiest souvenirs to travel with. A few practicalities:
- Heat: Philippine chocolate is often less tempered than European chocolate, meaning it can bloom (develop white streaks) or soften faster. Keep it cool during travel -- don't leave it in a hot car. In checked luggage, it's usually fine if insulated.
- Customs: Chocolate is permitted in most countries without declaration. No agricultural concerns with processed chocolate products.
- Best choices for travel: Properly packaged Auro or Malagos bars in sealed packaging travel best. Tablea tablets in sealed packs are very travel-friendly -- compact, light, and they don't melt at body temperature.
- Quantity: No meaningful import restrictions on chocolate quantities in any major destination country. Bring as much as your bag allows.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Philippine chocolate really award-winning?
Yes, genuinely. Malagos Chocolate has won multiple medals at the International Chocolate Awards in London -- one of the most respected competitions in the specialty chocolate world, judged blind by professional chocolate tasters and industry experts. Auro Chocolate has also received recognition in international competitions and press coverage from Fine Chocolate Industry Association publications. These are not marketing claims -- they're verifiable competition results. Philippine cacao, particularly from Davao, produces flavour profiles that the international fine chocolate market consistently rates highly.
What is champorado and where can I try it?
Champorado is Filipino chocolate rice porridge -- glutinous rice cooked with dissolved tablea (traditional cacao tablets) until thick and deeply chocolatey. It's served sweet with additional sugar and traditionally paired with tuyo (dried salted fish) as a flavour contrast. Available at most Filipino breakfast restaurants ("tapsihan," "silog" spots, or traditional Filipino breakfast eateries) for PHP 60-120. It's most commonly eaten in the morning. The combination of sweet chocolate porridge and salty dried fish is a quintessential Filipino flavour pairing that visitors either embrace immediately or need a second try to appreciate.
Where is the best place to buy Philippine chocolate?
For the widest selection at the best prices: the Malagos farm shop in Calinan, Davao (factory prices, full range). For the most convenient Manila purchase: Auro Chocolate at Rustan's Supermarket or the Salcedo Weekend Market in Makati. For tablea specifically: Carbon Market in Cebu, or any pasalubong shop at Cebu Airport. For airport convenience on departure: Davao Airport duty-free has the best Philippine chocolate selection of any airport in the country.
What does Philippine cacao taste like?
Philippine Trinitario cacao from Davao typically produces chocolate with a strong cocoa base, notes of tropical fruit (mango, banana, or red-fruit jam depending on the specific farm and fermentation), and a pleasant lingering bitterness. The flavour is distinctive from West African cacao (which tends toward earthier, more neutral profiles used in bulk commercial chocolate) and different from South American cacaos (which often lean more toward acidic fruit or nut profiles). Philippine cacao is fruit-forward and moderately complex -- approachable for people new to single-origin chocolate, interesting enough for experienced tasters.
Can I visit a cacao farm in the Philippines?
Yes. The easiest and most structured experience is Malagos Agri-Tourism in Calinan, Davao (PHP 500-1,000/person, book ahead, 30 minutes from Davao City). In Laguna province, Cacao Culture Farms offers farm visits (arrange in advance by contacting them directly). For a more informal experience, the Davao Cacao Festival held annually brings together multiple producers for tastings, farm demonstrations, and industry events -- check the Davao City tourism office website for current festival dates.
The Bottom Line
Philippine chocolate is on an upward trajectory that the world is only beginning to notice. The combination of exceptional terroir in Davao, a small cluster of genuinely talented chocolate makers, and growing international recognition from competitions and specialty buyers has created one of the most interesting emerging fine-chocolate regions on Earth. That it's also a place you can visit, walk the cacao trails, eat champorado for breakfast, and buy the bars at farm-gate prices makes it one of the most rewarding food tourism stories in Southeast Asia.
Buy the Malagos bar. Dissolve the tablea into hot milk. Try the champorado even if it seems strange. The Philippines has been growing extraordinary cacao for centuries -- it just hasn't been telling the story loudly enough. Now it is.
