A vegan variety of chocolate from Davao was launched and now recognized as first in the Philippine Cacao industry.
Patrick Belisario, Coscao Chocolates owner, carried out research and development of chocolates. Interestingly, their chocolates offer 6 different varieties including the vegan flavor.
Based from the report of Business World, Belisario said that “unlike other more commercialized, mass produced chocolate bars loaded with white sugar, additives, coloring and chemicals, our homemade, bean-to-bar chocolate has basically five ingredients.”
Coscao Chocolates Production Manager Jayson M. Balacano told BusinessWorld that their chocolates are healthy as they do not contain preservatives, palm or hydrogenated oil.
Moreover, in terms of ingredients, locally-sourced cacao beans; homemade cocoa butter; organic coconut sap sugar;organic virgin coconut oil, and real vanilla pods are obtain to create chocolates.
To date, the increasing demand of local chocolates are influenced from the health benefits that can be acquired from cacao beans. Thus, the new vegan variety has the potential to capture the consumers who are health conscious.
Davao City Department of Agriculture-Davao Regional Agriculture & Fishery Information Section Chief Noel T. Provido said that vegan variety of chocolate is one of the many innovated value added cacao products in Davao.
More about Coscao Chocolate
On the other, report stated that the owner is from Cagayan de Oro. Over the years, Coscao started production in May 2018, sourcing raw cacao from cooperatives in Calinan, Davao City.
Further, in a small facility in the central Davao, chocolates are being processed.
Accordingly, the firm source up to 120 kilos of cacao beans per month from various cooperatives at P160 per kilo. Balcano said that the price seemed to be a bit expensive for us considering that we used to buy it at P130 per kilo, but due to the increasing demand, the price is going up.
Also, like any other processors of Cacao, lack of supply seemed to be the ongoing problem of the business.
Source:
Davao chocolate firm offers first-in-PHL vegan option