CHOCOLATE lovers were treated to an entire weekend of great eats as SM City Davao hosted the third Davao Chocolate Festival on October 14 to 16 at the Annex.
Having gathered a total of 20 producers or entrepreneurs offering everything cacao-based from food to drinks, the third installment was regarded as the biggest among the three in terms of exhibitor registration.
The annual Davao Chocolate Festival is a joint project by SM City Davao and the Cacao Industry Development Association of Mindanao (Cidami), and supported by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
The Davao Chocolate Festival was conceptualized to highlight Davao cacao while promoting cacao farming, research and development, and processing.
As a marketing platform, the event is also seen to ultimately fuel the region’s cacao trade and industry.
Cidami executive director Valente Turtur, who has just been elected as the president of the National Cacao Industry Council, revealed that when they started the Davao Chocolate Festival in 2014, they only gathered less than 10 cacao processors. However, in the succeeding years, the number has continuously increased.
“There is still so much potential in our local cacao industry,” the so-called Cacao King of Davao Region said. “In fact, we have been experiencing a shortage of supply, as a consequence also of the El Niño phenomenon earlier in the year.”
According to the Federation of Cooperatives in Mindanao, they are not able to sell their beans because the supply only covers their internal demand for their processing.
In the meantime, SM City Davao’s mall manager Lynette Lopez expressed her delight with the success the event has been reaping for three years now. She revealed that Cacao de Davao, a Cidami member and one of the pioneer purveyors of the Davao Chocolate Festival, has already been one of the mall’s tenants since August this year.
“We look forward to helping our local concepts grow. We are especially proud that in a way, they have grown with us,” Lopez said.
Among the festival’s regular exhibitors are Cidami, Chokolate de San Isidro, Freefood’s Coco Dolce, Kablon Farm, Aromacology, Fedco, Lara Mia, Giardino Gelato, The Chocolate Bean, Cacao de Davao, Nutrarich Neutraceutical Innovations, Saging Repablik, Puratos, Auntie Anne’s, and SM Supermarket.
Introducing their products in this year’s exhibition are Milky, Dessert Bar, Rosario’s Delicacies and ComVal Tropical Harvest Co Inc.
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