Chocolate has a rich history in the Philippines.
In fact, the Philippines is the first country in all of Asia to grow cacao. It all dates back to the 1700s via the Spanish galleon trade when Spaniards first brought cacao to the country. Cacao quickly thrived in the country’s tropical climate, launching a rich chocolate-loving culture that Filipinos partake in today.
Today, the Philippines is steadily growing its cacao production. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the country produced 9,341 metric tons (MT) of cacao beans in 2020, with most coming from the Davao region. With the crop facing high demand globally, there is a growing initiative to increase cacao production and showcase the skills of Filipino cacao farmers to the world.
Leading the charge is Auro Chocolate. The name comes from the fusion of “Au,” the chemical symbol for gold, and “Oro,” the Filipino and Spanish word for gold.
Auro Chocolate has exciting plans on the horizon. After opening a full-fledged café just earlier this year, Auro is preparing to open another physical store at De La Salle University this September that offers a similar experience to their grab-and-go store in MoA Square. This expansion will provide students with a wide range of food options. Additionally, Auro Chocolate is actively seeking partnerships, having already collaborated with the Miss Universe organization and sponsored an episode of Drag Race Philippines. Finally, they are set to introduce Auro Chocolate beverages in the near future.
The next chapter in the brand story
Founded in 2015 by Mark Ocampo and Kelly Go, Auro Chocolate is a proudly tree-to-bar brand, meaning they have complete control and influence over how cacao is grown, harvested, processed, produced, and enjoyed. The chocolate brand also prides itself on its sustainable practices, close relationships with the farmers, and vibrant flavors. Finally, Auro Chocolate possesses a litany of awards from global institutions such as the Academy of Chocolate and the International Chocolate Awards World Finals.
Auro Chocolate lives up to its ‘tree-to-bar’ promise by overseeing the planting of cacao trees, ensuring they are cultivated in optimal conditions. The brand then ensures beans are picked at the peak of ripeness for the best quality. These beans are then shipped out from farms to Auro Chocolate’s factory where they undergo intricate processing such as sorting, roasting, and winnowing. The brand’s expertise goes on to the production stage where the cacao is refined into delicious chocolate bars. Even the brand’s packaging is given much thought, with its artisanal packaging showcasing Filipino culture and motifs (more on that below). Finally, the chocolate is shipped out to stores and cafés—ready for the consumer to enjoy.
The brand also owes much of its success to its methodical, scientific approach to boosting the outputs of Filipino cacao farmers. For example, the brand studies farming best practices from around the world and even does genome mapping for its beans. As a result, the brand now even has manufacturing deals in Switzerland and other leading chocolate producers around the world.
Yet Auro Chocolate is not resting on its laurels, and is gearing up to expand even further. “We see ourselves as slowly evolving into a full-on lifestyle brand, so we’re exploring collaborations with other brands and seeing how else we can grow,” revealed Ocampo.
With new releases, collaborations, and openings set in Auro Chocolate’s near future, it’s safe to say that it’s a new chapter in the brand’s story.
Putting Filipino farmers at the forefront of the cacao industry
Auro Chocolate’s new push into retail is possible thanks to its stellar productivity. Today, Auro Chocolate has a factory based in Calamba, Laguna equipped with the latest European technology, producing 1 MT of cacao each day according to the brand’s website.
But it didn’t happen overnight. The seeds of Auro Chocolate’s success were planted years ago when Ocampo and Go met as students in Chicago. The two instantly bonded through their mutual love for food culture—which eventually led to them noticing how often American chocolate brands used Filipino cacao beans.
“At the time, there weren’t really any Filipino brands promoting our cacao beans,” explained Ocampo. “So this kickstarted a journey that saw us moving to Germany specifically to learn the manufacturing process, before launching our Laguna operation in 2016 and eventually launching products in 2017.”
Getting off the ground wasn’t easy. First, Ocampo and Go realized the quality of the cacao beans themselves in the Philippines would need improving. Thus, the two of them threw themselves deep into studying best practices in other cacao-producing countries such as Trinidad and Tobago. The duo even went as far as employing genetic mapping, working with a genetics lab to figure out what would produce the highest quality cacao bean.
But sometimes it was the simple fixes that were needed most. Ocampo relates a story where he realized that even something as simple as the fermentation boxes cacao farmers were using needed changing.
“Many of the boxes they were using had exposed nails on the inside, for example,” Ocampo explained. “We learned this affects the quality of the cacao inside. This was something we needed to fix.”
Go and Ocampo quickly realized the need for capacity building and farmer training programs, kick-starting the brand’s initiatives for its partner-farmers. Today, Auro Chocolate empowers Filipino cacao farmers with its sustainable sourcing policy. This policy is made up of three important steps meant to positively impact the brand’s partner communities.
First, the brand’s cacao technicians and agriculturists frequently visit partner farms to help farmers produce better yields and high-quality beans.
Second, the brand provides a number of training programs on topics such as Good Agricultural Practices or GAP. These GAP training sessions help farmers produce the best quality cacao possible.
Auro Chocolate’s training programs even go beyond farming cacao beans. Training programs even cover business and financial management topics, alongside giving farmers the skills they need to cultivate their farms.
Finally, Auro Chocolate’s third pillar for true empowerment is that it pays for its cacao beans at 10-15% above the International Cocoa Organization world market price. Not only does this incentivize quality and variety segregation, but it’s a great step towards granting farmers financial stability.
“We wanted to make a business model that was beneficial for our farmers too,” Ocampo emphasized. “We wanted them to have the opportunity to really add value to the product themselves, and realize that it is possible to live well as a farmer.”
Proudly Filipino—from farm to packaging
However, it wasn’t always smooth sailing for Auro Chocolate once they entered the market. Ocampo admits that it took a while for local palates to appreciate the brand’s flavors.
“Sometimes the fruitiness you can get from cacao beans catches Filipinos off-guard,” Ocampo explained. “That’s why we have our Classic Collection, which has more of the traditional flavors. From there, we have the Reserve Collection where we actively teach people about things like single-origin beans and more exotic flavors.”
According to Ocampo however, there is growing awareness around cacao bean culture. For instance, there was a time when Auro Chocolate included percentages on its packaging—these percentages were meant to show how much cacao solids were present in the chocolate. The higher the percentage, the more bitter the taste. After a while, however, the brand doubted this made any difference at all and removed them.
“We were surprised because people actually came up to us looking for the percentages again,” said Ocampo. “They kept going ‘I want the 64%’ or ‘can I get the 42%’. So that showed people were beginning to understand cacao after all.”
Filipino consumers’ growing appreciation for cacao fits perfectly with Auro Chocolate’s proudly Filipino ethos. For example, it isn’t just local cacao farmers that the brand works with: Its employee’s uniforms are crafted by a women’s community in Palawan. The brand will even release stuffed toys created by an Ifugao community.
Auro Chocolate’s flagship café in BGC also showcases its proud Filipino roots. Every detail, from the captivating wallpaper meticulously crafted by artist Raxenne Maniquiz, to the intricately shaped cacao pod lamps by Rita Nazareno, and the woven baskets and pillows sourced from Iloilo, exemplifies the essence of Filipino craftsmanship. Adding to the cozy atmosphere are the inviting bamboo chairs from Winners Furniture in Cavite. Unmissable is the cacao tree, an artistic masterpiece conceived by Nazareno and Ocampo himself, who spearheaded the restaurant’s overall design and visual direction.
Even the brand’s artisanal packaging is a reflection of its commitment to the essence of the Philippines. Inspired by the country’s cultural heritage, their packaging showcases traditional Filipino motifs and contemporary design elements. Each chocolate bar’s packaging is designed with vibrant colors, intricate patterns, and delicate illustrations that pay homage to Filipino culture.
Staying true to its proudly Filipino ethos is what inspired the opening of its café. “We actually managed to open shops in Tokyo and Bahrain first,” Ocampo shared. “So we thought ‘why don’t we do it here too?’”
To say that Auro Chocolate is making the Philippines and Filipino farmers proud is an understatement. Its commitment to farmer empowerment runs so deep that one of its partner farmers, Jose Saguban or Mang Jose, received guidance from Auro Chocolate on quality and post-harvest protocols to help maximize flavor. When Mang Jose was included in the Top 20 Best Cacao Beans in the World for the prestigious Cacao of Excellence Award at the Salon Du Chocolat in 2019, the brand sponsored his trip to Paris so he could personally receive his recognition.
Today, Auro Chocolate has 150 full-time employees and supplies 60 different European chocolate makers and other international markets. The brand is looking to steadily expand, looking to take even more partner communities under its wing beyond the cacao-heavy Davao. These new partners will of course play a crucial role as Auro Chocolate opens more stores and expands its product offerings.
Looking ahead, Auro Chocolate envisions a future where Filipino cacao farmers take center stage in the global market. Through their unwavering commitment to quality, sustainability, and ethical practices, Auro Chocolate aims to create synergy with the global market and synchronize the demand for high-quality cacao by living up to international standards.
Auro Chocolate’s expansion into retail as the next chapter in its brand story and its continuous focus on sustainable practices put them as frontrunners in the industry—setting them and their farmers up for more truly golden opportunities.