Start small but dream big!

This was the message of Marinus Heemskerk, Resource Speaker during the Chocolate Making Training conducted by the Caraga Cacao Industry Council in coordination with the Department of Agriculture (DA)-Caraga, Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), MinDA, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Science and Technology and DA-Agricultural Training Institute (ATI).

“Learn to crawl first before you start to run,” he told the participants who were mostly cacao growers and “tableya” processors.

Heemskerk is a food technologist and chocolate processor from the Netherlands. He discussed the process of chocolate making explaining the importance of each step.

The two-day training was held at the ATI Training Complex on February 21 and 22.

Caraga Cacao Industry Council Chairman Christopher Lindo said they organized the training to present cacao farmers another opportunity they can tap from their cacao production. He also said the training is also in line with the pursuit of the DA to encourage farmers to go into value-adding.

“Hopefully after this training, new chocolatiers will emerge in the region,” he said. 

On the other hand, another Resource Speaker, Mary Grace Belviz, facilitated the demo on actual chocolate making.

Belviz is a chocolatier from Davao City. She and her husband Emmanuel own Rosario’s Chocolate. She shared that they too started small but gradually, through hard work and perseverance, their chocolate making business is now growing.

“Chocolate making requires a lot of patience so you have to put your heart into it,” she said.

Further, Belviz emphasized that making good quality chocolates starts with using quality cacao beans. She encouraged the farmers to follow good farming practices to meet the demands of the market and command higher prices for their products.

On the other hand, Istanislao O. Basalo, a cacao grower and tableya processor from Tagbina, Surigao del Sur said he was thankful for the opportunity to attend the training because he gained new learnings that he hopes to make use of soon.

Cacao is one of Caraga region’s priority commodities. It is also the main ingredient in chocolate making. (vpsanchez)