I’m sure a lot of Filipinos will agree with me when I say that the Philippines has the best chocolates in the world. If you don’t believe me, you probably haven’t tried them yet! Support local cacao farmers and chocolate makers by checking out these brands below:
Theo and Philo
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Theo and Philo prides itself as the country’s first bean-to-bar chocolate brand and it continues to be among the most prestigious chocolates around. Along with their single-origin plain bars, they have a collection of flavored bars which are inspired by local Filipino cuisine. Some of their unique chocolates are Milk Chocolate Adobo, Milk Chocolate with Pili Nut and Pinipig, 65% Dark Chocolate with Green Mango and Salt, and 65% Dark Chocolate with Calamansi. They also offer chocolate spreads, chocolate drinks, baking ingredients, and desserts.
Malagos
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Malagos Chocolate is a tree-to-bar chocolate brand hailing from Davao that makes its bars with cacao beans grown and harvested from its farm, the Puentespina Farm. It’s known best for providing high-quality couverture chocolate for people’s baking and cooking needs but it also offers unique Cacao Juice, truffles, and chocolate drink powder.
Auro
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Since its launch in 2017, Auro Chocolate has been globally recognized by the most prestigious award-giving bodies such as the Academy of Chocolate, Great Taste Award, and International Chocolate Awards for good reason: it’s just so good! This bean-to-bar company directly and sustainably sources its beans from Mindanao farming partners and pays them at a much higher value to not only inspire quality but to also give them the opportunity to improve their standard of living.
Auro offers a collection of Classic Chocolate, Heritage Chocolate, and its premium Reserve Chocolate.
Risa
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Risa Chocolates sources its ingredients from local small-scale farmers and makes use of quality cacao beans, primarily single-origin beans from South Cotobato, to craft a wide range of products that include couverture, baking chocolate, drinking chocolate, and private label creations.
MS3 Choco
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MS3 Agri-Ventures is a sustainable agri-business that consists of farmers who have come together through community and culture and is geared towards promoting the local chocolate industry by providing cacao beans sourced from Mindanao. The company sells its own brand of chocolate too which it proudly labels as healthy and organic. Try their unique bars like Granolda Blend, which has cacao, almond, and raisins; BonChoc, consisting of cacao, coffee, and cashew; and PiliChoc, consisting of cacao mass and pili nuts.
Lerio Chocolates
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Lerio Chocolates was founded in 2019 by three women hailing from Agusan del Sur who source their single-estate grown cacao from their own partner farm in Rosario. This plantation-to-bar brand offers a variety of bars, couveture chocolate, cocoa powder, pure tablea, and even the occasional bonbons and truffle boxes.
Coco Dolcé
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The Free Food Co’s Coco Dolcé Chocolates are artisanally made from bean to bar using the traditional conching method. These single-origin, fair-trade chocolates are also sweetened with 100% Organic Coconut Sap Sugar sourced from Mindanao and safe for all diabetics! There are different Milk and Dark chocolate variants to choose from, including bars that feature Chili, Pili Nuts, and Rice Crisps.
Dekada
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Dekada Chocolates are owned by organic farmers, mother-and-daughter duo Angel and Gabbie De Guzman. While they currently outsource their cacao beans from Batangas, they hope to make use of their own beans in the future which have been growing on their farm for two years now. Try their chocolate bars, chocolate triangles which are great for both snacking and baking, and tablea rounds for making delicious hot tsokolate.
1919chocolate
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This award-winning, family-owned chocolate shop creates its bars using beans grown from their 100-year-old family cacao farm in Batangas. The husband-and-wife tandem behind the brand works together to both ensure the propagation of their century-old Criollo trees and to produce unique, premium chocolate bars that you’ll crave time and time again. Right now, 1919 Chocolate offers chocolate spreads, tablea rounds, cacao nibs, cacao tea, 100% arabica coffee, and a catalog of different bars including milk, dark, and flavors like dulce de leche, hōjicha, oat milk, and toasted milk and strawberry.
Dalareich
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Dalareich is Bohol’s first chocolate factory that has been creating tablea chocolates since its humble beginnings in 1994. This family-owned bean-to-bar chocolate brand makes use of homegrown cacao beans in Bohol and also helps promote the local industry by offering workshops and events to residents and tourists. Dalareich Chocolate House also recently gained international recognition by bagging Gold in the 2019 Academy of Chocolate Awards in London.
Plentitude
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Plentitude Chocolate is crafted bean-to-bar directly from local farmers in different parts of the country. Must-tries are its variety of single-estate chocolate, namely Julius Estate Compostela Valley, Davao (with tasting notes of dried strawberry and pecan), Tizon Estate, Batangas (with tasting notes of banana and hint of citrus fruits), Leon Estate, South Cotobato (with tasting notes of mangoes, cashew, fermented sough-dough), and Rehoboth Estate, Calinan, Davao (tasting notes of green apple and florals).
Their chocolate bars are also vegan and only make use of two ingredients — cocoa beans and unrefined sugar.
Tigre y Oliva
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Tigre y Oliva produces single-origin craft chocolate using locally sourced cacao beans directly from farming communities. Sustainability is a major factor in this brand’s philosophy which they uphold through its fair and ethical sourcing of ingredients as well as organizing reforestation initiatives and farmer trainings. Tigre y Oliva sells a wide array of products, from chocolate bars and chocolate-dipped snacks to special desserts like Pili Butter Bars, brownies, and cookies!
(ALSO READ: Get the Sweetest Self Care With This Pinoy-Made Cruelty-Free Chocolate Body Scrub)
What’s your favorite Filipino chocolate brand? Share them in the comments below!
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