THE Philippine Cacao made another mark in the international cacao arena as three of the six Philippine cacao bean entries were recognized as part of the Best 50 for the 2021 Edition of Cocoa of Excellence Program.
The great news was announced on the website of the Cocoa of Excellence (CoEx), which is based in Rome, Italy just recently.
Consul Armi L. Garcia, chairperson of the Philippine Cacao Industry Council (PCIC), said: “The achievement of the three cacao farmers from the Philippines is an industry achievement, as this has proven that the quality of beans that the Philippine has is world class. This also put the Philippines in the radar of chocolatiers and bean buyers in the world.”
The PCIC spearheaded the Philippine Cacao Quality Awards (PCQA) 2021 Edition together with the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Trade and Industry to select the best beans that will be sent to the CoEx Competition.
The three cacao beans samples that were recognized by CoEx are owned by PCQA winners, Arthur Lagoc of Davao City, Christopher Fadriga of Bago City, Negros Occidental, and Carlos Barsicula of San Isidro, Davao del Norte.
“The collaborative effort of the private and public sector in the technical and financial requirements for this competition, the competence of our PCQA Selection Committee and Technical Working Group headed by Mrs. Charita Puentespina, and the perseverance, enthusiasm, and passion of our cacao farmers made these milestones possible,” Garcia said.
The Best 50 samples will be processed into dark chocolates next month and will be subjected to blind evaluation by a panel of professional in September to select the 2021 Cocoa of Excellence Awards which will be announced by October 2021.
The Cocoa of Excellence Programme is a global competition that recognizes the work of farmers and rewards cocoa with superior and unique flavors. For its 2021 Edition, the Cocoa of Excellence received a total of 235 cocoa bean samples from 53 origins. (PR)