AS THE cacao industry in Davao City continues to boom, more and more companies are also producing cacao-based products. One of the newly established companies is MS3 Agri-ventures, which manufactures halal-certified cacao products.
Abdul Kareem Santillan, MS3 Managing Director, said he saw interest in starting a business on the production of cacao products a few years ago because of the health benefits one can get from the crop.
After working in Doha, Qatar, Santilllan came back to the Philippines to develop and rehabilitate the cacao trees in their farms. At the same time, he also started to study about cacao farming and production with the help of the Cacao Industry Development Association of Mindanao, Inc.
Santillan said from the tree to the finished value-added product, the company ensures that they only use the best equipment, processes, and practices to ensure that they only produce high quality cacao-based products.
Last October 2016, the company was issued a license to be operated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA also allowed his company to export his products.
Santillan said while waiting for the permits to be released, the company has already started developing their products.
"Nagprepare na ako ng product para at least, pagdating ng permits pwede na ako maka market (I prepared the products already, so that once we receive the permits, we can immediately market our products)," he said.
The MS3 Agri-ventures was able to secure halal certification from the Islamic Da'wah Council of the Philippines (IDCP) for his products.
He said for the cacao vinegar, they collect the pulp juice that is dripping from the wet beans. The collected pulp juice is then fermented for another three months to produce the cacao vinegar.
He said they collect the water that is dripping from the beans and ferment it for three months.
At present, the company produces Cacao Powdered Tea, Cacao Tablet, Cacao Nibs, Cacao Powder, and Cacao Vinegar.
For those who are interested to buy their products, you may contact through their email, ms3_agriventures@yahoo.com, or visit their website (ms3-agriventures.com). Their office is located at Purok 4, San Isidro, Bunawan, Davao City.