IN A span of nine months of operation, the Cacao City at the Pasalubong Center gathers about 80 percent of its customers from domestic tourists coming from all over the country while less than 10 percent of their customers are from Davao Region.
“With the cooperation’s mission to support local cacao farmers and Davao pushed to be the chocolate capital of the Philippines, the stakeholders have been fully invested on their product,” Wit Holganza, the Managing Director of Cacao City Marketing Cooperative, said in a press conference last July 11, Thursday, at Cacao City.
She also said that that these processors are distributing to various institutional establishments.
“Like me, I provide my granola to La Fermette, the Dairy Farm. And Rosario's supply their products to Marco Polo and the likes," she cited as an example.
Holganza added that these clients may not be walk-ins and the profit may not go directly to the cooperative but at least these institutional establishments acknowledge the quality of Davao’s cacao beans.
According to her, the 80 percent of their customers are domestic tourists because some of the Davao chocolate products are being made known and promoted also in different places in the country.
“It also actually depends on the custoIN A span of nine months of operation, the Cacao City at the Pasalubong Center gathers about 80 percent of its customers from domestic tourists coming from all over the country while less than 10 percent of their customers are from Davao Region.
“With the cooperation’s mission to support local cacao farmers and Davao pushed to be the chocolate capital of the Philippines, the stakeholders have been fully invested on their product,” Wit Holganza, the Managing Director of Cacao City Marketing Cooperative, said in a press conference last July 11, Thursday, at Cacao City.
She also said that that these processors are distributing to various institutional establishments.
“Like me, I provide my granola to La Fermette, the Dairy Farm. And Rosario's supply their products to Marco Polo and the likes," she cited as an example.
Holganza added that these clients may not be walk-ins and the profit may not go directly to the cooperative but at least these institutional establishments acknowledge the quality of Davao’s cacao beans.
According to her, the 80 percent of their customers are domestic tourists because some of the Davao chocolate products are being made known and promoted also in different places in the country.
“It also actually depends on the customer’s taste,” she added when asked how they cater to their clients.
She said that while supplying their customers’ taste, they would engage and market the other cacao by-products that the customers might also be interested in.
As a means to practice equal promotion for all the displayed products, Holganza said they do display rotation every thirty days to allow equal footing for all products.
Cacao City Marketing Cooperative has 15 member-processors. Nine of the 15 display their products at Cacao City. These processors showcase complex cacao and chocolate products from 100 percent Davao cacao beans.
Some of these local brands include the Federation of Cooperatives in Mindanao (Fedco), Wit's Sweet and Savouries, Malagos Chocolate, Sikwate, and Rosario Davao Artisanal Chocolate, among others.
To better improve the operation and the products of each processor, there also interventions and assistance by the Cacao Industry Development Association of Mindanao, Inc., Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Davao, Department of Agriculture (DA) Davao, and Davao City Agriculture's Office.
The Cacao City is also open for other processors to join and have their products displayed as long as they have their own business permits.
Holganza said they are also considering the good taste of the products of those who would want to join them as well as their good packaging presentations. (Abigail Joyce Cahiwat, MSU-Marawi Intern/With JPA)mer’s taste,” she added when asked how they cater to their clients.
She said that while supplying their customers’ taste, they would engage and market the other cacao by-products that the customers might also be interested in.
As a means to practice equal promotion for all the displayed products, Holganza said they do display rotation every thirty days to allow equal footing for all products.
Cacao City Marketing Cooperative has 15 member-processors. Nine of the 15 display their products at Cacao City. These processors showcase complex cacao and chocolate products from 100 percent Davao cacao beans.
Some of these local brands include the Federation of Cooperatives in Mindanao (Fedco), Wit's Sweet and Savouries, Malagos Chocolate, Sikwate, and Rosario Davao Artisanal Chocolate, among others.
To better improve the operation and the products of each processor, there also interventions and assistance by the Cacao Industry Development Association of Mindanao, Inc., Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Davao, Department of Agriculture (DA) Davao, and Davao City Agriculture's Office.
The Cacao City is also open for other processors to join and have their products displayed as long as they have their own business permits.
Holganza said they are also considering the good taste of the products of those who would want to join them as well as their good packaging presentations. (Abigail Joyce Cahiwat, MSU-Marawi Intern/With JPA)