The chocolate sector in Davao City has flourished quite a bit, and there are now around a dozen local chocolate producers that use cacao grown in the area to create chocolate. The cocoa that they sell originates almost always from their own farm. Despite this, the most majority of this chocolate is very difficult to locate anywhere in the city.
This is due, in part, to the cultural significance of cacao in the Philippines, as well as the fact that the vast majority of people purchase and eat cacao in the form of tableya, a traditional kind of hot chocolate unique to the country. It is also tough to create a chocolate shop in Davao because cacao growers and chocolate producers are suffering from a significant shortage of capital. This is one of the reasons why it is so difficult to operate a chocolate store in the city. Since rent is expensive and local demand is increasing only moderately, most manufacturers sell their products online or in specialty food stores.
In a city that’s recognized as the chocolate capital of the Philippines, where should one go to get some of the greatest chocolate? City of Chocolate.
7 Things To Know Before Traveling Davao
- The vast majority of individuals will be able to speak English with a passable level of fluency.
- Due to the very low speed restriction in the city, getting from one side of the city to the other might take quite some time. The city is enormous.
- Since there is a severe lack of public transportation, I would suggest that if you want to go someplace quickly you hire a driver for the day rather than relying on public transit.
- Because martial rule is in effect over the whole of Mindanao, you should anticipate being checked at checkpoints and maintain your identification on you at all times.
- Because the majority of visitors to Davao are from the Philippines, those who do not seem to be natives will be immediately noticeable.
- Outside of good hotels and restaurants, you won’t be able to use a credit card since cash is the predominant form of payment in the city
- Despite the fact that the consumption of durian is prohibited in most public areas, Davao is well recognized as the durian capital of the Philippines; as a result, you should be prepared to come across the fruit during the peak durian season, which runs from July to September. Be sure to have your photo taken in front of one of the enormous sculptures of durians.
Davao Chocolate Shops & Destinations
Here is a list of five chocolate shops in Davao that are worth visiting while you are in the cacao capital of the Philippines. These chocolate shops range from those that sell only chocolate to others that have a wide variety of chocolate products.
Cacao City
In Davao City, there is a dizzying array of chocolate brands to choose from. To be more specific, brands of tableya, although several of them also produce chocolate. However, Davao has become something of a chocolate destination in its own right, with over a dozen cacao-based businesses operating within the city itself, and even more operating throughout the province of Mindanao as a whole. In light of this, at the tail end of 2017, nine of these brands banded together to launch a business cooperative, which then opened a store in which to sell their respective wares.
Cacao City has established itself as the go-to chocolate shop in Davao thanks to the presence of brands such as Cacao & Beyond, Wit’s Sweets & Savouries, Cacao Culture Farms, and Rosario’s. Tableya, chocolate bars, fruits covered in chocolate, and a variety of other goods based on cacao are all available for purchase there. You can also purchase a cup of hot chocolate to sip on while you try out all of the different kinds of Davao chocolate that are available to you if you plan on remaining seated for an extended period of time.
Address: Jln Palma Gil St, Poblacion District, Davao City, Davao del Sur
Hours: 9am-7pm, daily
Croft Bulk Store
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Croft Bulk Foods, located in Davao City, is an eco-friendly food business that is quite symbolic of the healthy, locavore food trend that is now spreading over the globe at this moment. They sell dried fruits, nuts, and cacao products by weight, and clients are encouraged to bring their own containers in an attempt to reduce the negative effect that their business has on the environment. They presently stock chocolate from a variety of manufacturers, including Malagos Chocolate, Rosario’s Delicacies, and Coscao Chocolates.
Address: Unit 6A, Paseo Uno Bldg., Ruby Street, Marfori Heights, Davao City, 8000
Hours: 8am-9pm, daily
Malagos Chocolate
Malagos Chocolate is without a doubt the most well-known chocolate brand produced in the Philippines; however, the relatively new company Auro Chocolate is quickly gaining ground on Malagos Chocolate. Malagos Garden Resort and the enormous farm that lies behind it have been operating as a tourist destination within the city under the management of the Puentespina family, who established the brand many decades ago. After you have arrived at the location and paid the required fee, you will have access to the entire grounds for as much of the day as you would like to spend there.
The restaurant is located close to the entrance, and further back you’ll find children’s play areas, a butterfly garden, the chocolate spa, and a few scattered cacao trees. Simply go to the restaurant or the gift shop in the chocolate museum, which is located close to the cacao grove, and you will be able to purchase Malagos Chocolate bars. Bars of dark chocolate, fruits covered in chocolate, and tableya are among the products available.
Address: Malagos Garden Resort, Malagos, Baguio District, Calinan – Baguio Rd, Dabaw, 8000 Lalawigan ng Davao del Sur
Hours: 8:30am-5:30pm, Mon.-Sat. {museum closes at 5pm}
Gran Verde Family Farm
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Gran Verde Family Farm is another cocoa plantation in Davao City that guests are welcome to see, similar to Malagos. In contrast to Malagos, Gran Verde is a far more modest company that focuses only on supplying fresh fruits and vegetables to nearby companies. Wit Holganza is the sister that is in charge of running the farm, and she approaches her responsibilities with the utmost seriousness. Wit will lead you on a tour of the meticulously laid out plantation, which her family uses to cultivate a wide variety of crops in addition to cacao, and which you may arrange to take here.
A few years ago, the family decided to enlist the assistance of an environmentalist in order to assist them in reorganizing the farm in such a way that it would have the greatest possible good influence upon the land itself. The implementation process has begun, but we’ll save that talk for the tour, when you may learn everything about the agriculture in the area while enjoying a cup of sikwate that was produced in-house. Wit uses tableya that she has prepared from her own cacao to create this traditional Filipino chocolate drink. The same cacao is used into all of her granola’s varied taste profiles (available at Cacao City, as well).
You can hear more more from Wit in the episode of my podcast that focuses on the process of manufacturing chocolate from tree to bar.
Address: Calinan District, Davao City, Davao del Sur, Philippines (she will send you the exact address after your tour is booked)
Hours: by appointment only
Davao International Airport
It may come as a surprise, but the airport in Davao really boasts a fantastic range of chocolate and cacao products. The primary port of departure for the city makes a concerted effort to preserve Davao’s status as the nation’s capital for both chocolate and durian production. It provides a wide variety of durian items, in addition to chocolate bars and other cacao goods that are created locally (including cacao nibs and tableya).
Address: Daang Maharlika Highway, Buhangin, Davao City, 8000 Davao del Sur
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FAQs
Why Davao called chocolate Capital of the Philippines?
Davao City has been recognized as the “Cacao Capital of the Philippines” by Agriculture Secretary William Dar. This is due to the fact that the city continues to be the most productive producer of cacao beans in the entire region.
What is Davao chocolate?
We make this single origin 77% dark chocolate by hand using cocoa beans that come directly from farmers in Davao, Philippines, as well as 23% organic cane sugar. The chocolate contains 76% cocoa liquor and 1% cocoa butter, both of which are pressed in our factory. This chocolate has a rustic flavor, and it’s Kosher-D.E. certified, vegan, and gluten-free.
What is Philippines chocolate?
Tsokolate is the word for chocolate in the Filipino language. Tsokolate is also the name of a hot chocolate drink that is made from tablea, which are cacao tablets made from roasted and ground cacao nibs that are molded into rounds or tablets and are traditionally used in the Philippines for making hot chocolate.
What is the famous product of Davao City?
Farms and plantations in the Davao City area provide food and other goods to regional as well as worldwide markets. The durian, the banana, the pomelo, the pineapple, and the mango are among its most important export items. Bankerohan Market and Magsaysay Fruit Stands are two places you may visit if you are interested in purchasing freshly harvested fruit.
What is the best product of Davao City?
Durian. To overlook the “king of fruits” in Davao City, which is known as the “Durian Capital of the Philippines,” is almost like doing the city a disservice. The durian, which was formerly known as the “blue cheese of fruits,” is not necessarily everyone’s favorite fruit. Either sweet and creamy or pungent and revolting are both valid descriptors for it.
