It was a cold and rainy January day in Stockholm, Sweden - being from the Philippines, we all missed a warm piece of home. That piece was sikwate, a dark chocolate drink from tableya – made of pure cacao beans roasted in firewood, grounded coarsely, and made into round tablets.
Unknown to many, during more than 300 years of Spanish colonisation, growing cacao, drinking chocolate and eating rice chocolate porridge are all a big part of our Filipino heritage.
Over the last few years, Filipino chocolate makers have been awarded internationally for their bean-to-bar craft creations and Filipino cacao, the basic raw ingredient for chocolates, has also been recognized as one of the top 20 best beans in the world.
Not only are Filipino chocolates made from one of the best cacao beans and grown sustainably from cacao trees with special harvesting and fermentation methods, but our chocolates are making a big positive impact to Filipino farmers and their families. This is because Filipino chocolate makers work closely with Filipino farmers through direct-trade, which means they are paid higher and assures there are no child labor at the farms.
Now through Tzocolaté, we are on a mission to tell the complete Filipino chocolate story and invite you to discover its unique flavors and sustainable origins. We celebrate our heritage, salute the labors of our farmers and honor the skills of our craftmakers.
We believe chocolate should not only taste great but should also positively impact all those who help create it. From soil to bar.
We hope you do too. And we bet you have never tasted anything like Filipino chocolates before 😉.
Elle, Rose and Jenny
