THE Cacao Industry Development Association of Mindanao Inc. (Cidami) will be joining two chocolate festivals this month and in November, hoping to expand the market of local chocolate producers in the global scheme.
During Kapehan sa Dabaw Monday, October 9, held at SM City Ecoland Annex Building, Cidami Executive Director Val Turtur said the festivals will be in Paris, France on October 28 to November 1, while November 9 to 12 will be in Seattle, Washington.
The participation of the country in these international festivals, Turtur said, will bring a big opportunity for the local chocolate industry to raise its branding to an international standard.
Turtur said both events will be displaying Davao-based chocolates by Malagos Chocolate, Nutri Rich Philippines, Rosario's Davao Artisanal Chocolates, and Auro Chocolates.
Kablon Farms Food Products's chocolates from Koronadal and a chocolate producer in Bohol will also be featured in the fairs.
"Most of our chocolate displays are from Davao Region as 80 percent of the total 30,000 hectares of Philippine cacao land areas are in the region," he said.
The country, Turtor added, will be receiving recognition from Le Salon du Chocolat Festival in Paris for being part of the top 15 best chocolate in the world with over 157 nominated countries.
He said this award will help the chocolate industry to mark up a higher price.
As of the present time, the minimum price of chocolate products of well-known producers starts at P130, which is twice as the price of West Africa's chocolates.
In Chicago's North-Western Chocolate Festival, he said Cidami will be presenting the cacao beans being produced in the country hoping to encourage numbers of American companies to source out cacao from our country.
"We are extending so much effort to make Philippine cacao an internationally recognized product," he said.