Davao-based chocolate maker Cacao Culture has launched the first 8.8 Chocolate Festival, a month-long celebration highlighting locally made chocolates as the company marks its 10th anniversary.
Cacao Culture HQ + Chocolate Shop at Juna Subdivision in Davao City. Handout
The festival began Saturday, August 1, with chocolate tasting flights at Cacao Culture's cafés in Juna Subdivision and Poblacion Market Central in Davao City.
But the main celebration will take place on August 8, featuring in-store promotions, complimentary hot chocolate for the first 88 customers at each branch, product launches and other activities.
Special promotions will also run online and in stores from August 7 to 9, including curated chocolate bundles, discounts and freebies available through the company's cafés, retail shops and e-commerce platforms.
Founded in 2016 by husband-and-wife entrepreneurs Kenneth and Shiela Reyes-Lao, Cacao Culture started as a cacao seedling nursery after the couple relocated from Metro Manila to Davao City to explore opportunities in the region's growing cacao industry. The business later expanded into cacao farming, post-harvest processing and chocolate production.
In 2018, the company began selling its products online and eventually broadened its offerings to include chocolates from more than 20 Philippine makers, positioning itself as both a manufacturer and retailer of locally produced chocolate.
Cacao Culture’s Kenneth and Shiela Reyes-Lao at a pop-up in 2023. Handout
"For the past 10 years, our mission has been to spread love for Philippine chocolates," Shiela Reyes-Lao, Cacao Culture co-founder and chief chocolate maker, said in a statement. "The 8.8 Chocolate Festival gives us the opportunity to invite more people by telling them about Philippine chocolate and providing the platforms for them to taste and experience Philippine chocolates."
Kenneth Reyes-Lao said the company saw the value of working with other local producers to help grow the industry.
"By working with other chocolate makers, we could offer customers a selection of Philippine chocolate and create more opportunities for the industry to grow together," he said.
The festival will feature products from Cacao Culture alongside chocolates from Philippine brands including Auro Chocolate, Malagos Chocolate, Nutrarich, Cacao de Celo, Coscao Chocolate and 1919 Chocolate.
Cacao Culture at Poblacion Market Central. Handout
In 2023, Cacao Culture opened its first chocolate café, expanding beyond retail products to offer chocolate-based drinks, pastries, desserts and guided tasting experiences.
The company said it hopes to make the 8.8 Chocolate Festival an annual event celebrating Philippine chocolate while introducing consumers to local chocolate makers from across the country.