WHO says cacao is only for satisfying sweet buds and craving appetites?
Artist and entrepreneur Telesforo Zosa Jr. saw great potential in fusing artwork and home furnishings through cacao leaves.
His business Teles Creations introduces Dabawenyos to cacao leaves as raw material for lamps.
“It was an experiment on how to help introduce Davao City on cacao products aside from the known chocolates, tablea, and bean-based products,” Zosa said in an interview during the Philippine Cacao and Chocolate Festival on October 18, 2018 at the Davao Convention Center.
He said the idea started from the suggestion of Department of Trade and Industry (DTI 11) Assistant Regional Director Edwin O. Banquerigo.
“I was asked by sir Edwin kung possible bang magawan ng paaraan to innovate on the cacao product that’s why tiningnan ko yung possibility on focusing on the leaves instead (I was asked by sir Edwin if it would be possible to innovate on cacao products; that is why I looked at the possibility of focusing on the leaves instead),” Zosa said.
Zosa added this would be a game changer for the cacao industry. Though he admitted that he did not know where to start when it came to the cacao leaves, it was not a reason for him to stop developing a product.
“Ang ginawa ko nagresearch ako nang maigi. Kasi one of the major problems ko ay kung paano i-fossilize ang dahon. I tried watching videos para matingnan kung ano rin ang ginagawa ng mga artist hanggang sa I found the right way to fossilize it (I did my research on it. One of my major problems was on how to fossilize the leaves. I tried watching videos to see how other artists are also doing it until I found the right way to fossilize it),” Zosa added.
He also said his Teles Lamps keeping leaves from being wasted when farmers decide to trim cacaos.
The lamps are hand-made while the lamp stands are molded from clay. Zosa said the designs of the lamps are inspired from the forest trees, radiating a sense of serenity from the environment.
A lamp is sold for P5,000.