Philippine Cacao – What Is The Price Of Pride If Not The Price Of Product – Now, Where Is The Prize To The Country There?

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News to me: We Filipinos have an exclusive heirloom Criollo cacao variety found only in the Philippines – “Filipino Aromatico.” Chocolates made from it have, according to Jazzmine Quiambao, “a flavor full of depth and nuttiness, and its aroma deliciously distinct.” This is one-of-a-kind, and even its name is original.

Jazzmine Quiambao says (31 Jan 2023, “Cacao Association Champions Locally-Produced And World-Renowned Cacao, Filipino Aromatico,” Manila Bulletin, mb.com.ph):

There are hundreds of varieties of cacao in the world, all producing amazing tastes and products, but did you know that the Philippines has the cacao variety that makes everyone else run for their money? The unique taste and aroma… is sought after by other countries. The best part? It’s got “Filipino” in its name.

Ms Jazzmine is talking about the “Filipino Aromatico,” the one-and-only cocoa variety in the world – and this is now known universally:

The Filipino Aromatico is one of the Philippines’ native cacao varieties that made it to 2021’s Cocoa of Excellence roster of the International Cocoa Awards (ICA) in Paris. The ICA evaluated 235 cacao bean samples from more than 50 countries, and the Filipino Aromatico emerged as one of the top cacao varieties in the world.

Remember the name: “Filipino Aromatico.” Let us now thank the Pinoy group Plantacion de Sikwate Cacao (PDS) that, Ms Jazzmine says, “discovered, developed and propagated the Filipino Aromatico throughout the country.”
(“Plantacion” from facebook.com)

The Filipino Aromatico is an heirloom criollo found exclusively in the Philippines. Chocolates made from [it} are said to have a flavor full of depth and nuttiness, and its aroma deliciously distinct. It doesn’t even need sugar for it to be sweet, so it’s the perfect cacao base for individuals who are health-conscious or can’t take much sugar.

Now, for Aromatico products, I’m thinking like the Nescafé people have been doing with Philippine coffee beans – they have the “NESCAFÉ Plan,” by which Nescafé is “committed to helping coffee farmers improve the quantity and quality of their coffee yield in a manner that is sustainable for the long-term, and profitable to both the farmers and Nestlé.”

I have written about that here earlier: “Nescafé PH Reporting On Its Regenerative Agriculture Company Moves To (Likewise) Profit Robusta Farmers And Coffee Consumers” (THiNK Journalism, 04 Feb 2023, ithinkjournalism.blogspot.com).

Please note that Nescafé is not only financially assisting the coffee growers in the Philippines but also espousing Regenerative Agriculture (RA), that which I am convinced will help solve Farmer Poverty and resolve Climate Change. I cannot over-emphasize the importance of RA considering the millions of Filipino farmers and the devastation brought about every now and then by super typhoons, floods, landslides, and droughts, not necessarily in that order.

With its “Nescafé Plan,” Nescafé deserves congratulations for being socially-minded beyond expectedly business-minded. Nescafé is a rare breed indeed. The price of a product should be the prize to the country as well. That is what I am now challenging a cacao-based company in the Philippines to do!@517

 

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