It’s Chocolatey in Davao City

The 2nd Davao Chocolate Festival just opened on September 25 at SM City Davao and it got me extremely excited. My top three reasons are:
1. Chocolates
2. Chocolates; and
3. Chocolates (DUH!)

I went to the 1st Davao Chocolate Festival last year and it was one of the most memorable and best coverage I’ve been to. That day was the clear example of having fun at work. I felt like a kid that time and it seemed like I was in a small area of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.

Sinfully delicious chocolates from The Chocolate Bean

The Chocolate Festival this year is no different. It still manages to make the inner child in me happy and excited. What I like about this year’s festival is there are more cacao-based products available for the public like beauty products and pastries. Last year were mostly chocolates and hot cocoa tablets.

Cacao-based beauty products from Aromacology

One of the best things about the festival is you get to enjoy a free taste of almost all the chocolates being sold there!

A huge chocolate cake to celebrate the 2nd Davao Chocolate Festival. The cake was prepared by I Chef

Instead of a ribbon cutting ceremony, the festival kicked off with the slicing of the chocolate cake.

L-R: Russel Alaba, AVP for Marketing-Mindanao, SM; Val Turtur, CIDAMI Executive Director; Arlene Ozoa, Marketing Consultant, IChef; Lynette Lopez, SM City Davao Mall Manager; and Engr, Nick Santos, SM City Davao Assistant Mall Manager

A chocolate mold of the Philippine Eagle

Products from Coco Dulce. They made waves last year with their delicious chocolate bars.

Theo Philo’s new product, the Crunchy Peanut Chocolate Spread, which was freakin’ good.

Chocolate Yema Cake from Gatchchocolatto

The famous Malagos chocolate and cacao-based products. London-based Academy of Chocolate recently awarded the Malagos Premium 100% Unsweetened Chocolate the bronze award for the Best Unflavored Drinking Chocolate category.

Exhibitors participating in the festival include: Human Nature, Lara Mia, Cidami, Aromacology, Gatchocolatto, Giardino, The Chocolate Bean, Gourmet Bites, Coco Dolce, Kablon Farms, Tsokolate de San Isidro, Malagos chocolates, Cacao de Davao, SM Supermarket, iChef Kiddie Zone, and Puratos.

On Saturday (September 26) there will be a workshop by Chef Jackie Ang Po, award-winning chef and officer of the prestigious Pastry Alliance of the Philippines, who will discuss “Baking Chocolates at Home”. Then in the afternoon there will be a search for this year’s best chocolate dessert.

Then on Sunday (September 27) the Cacao Industry Development Association of Mindanao (CIDAMI) will be giving updates on the cacao industry. In the afternoon Chef Rolando Laudico, one of the judges of Junior Master Chef Pinoy Edition, will be discussing on cooking chocolates.

Shoppers at SM City Davao will also have the chance to win a golden ticket with a single receipt, minimum purchase of P5,000 from any mall tenant. Shoppers will only have to present the receipt at the redemption booth at the ground floor are to get that precious golden ticket. Limited to only 20 shoppers, the ticket will let the holders avail of freebies from the exhibitors.

Another way to win the ticket is guessing the number of golden chocolates coins inside a capsule that is located at the festival area. All you have to do is post a photo of the capsule on Facebook or Twitter with your guess and #SMDavaoChocolateFestival. Those who can guess the closest to the actual number of coins will win.

The Davao Chocolate Festival is co-organized by CIDAMI and SM City Davao. It is located at the Annex building of the mall and will run from September 25 to 27.

So those of you with a sweet tooth, head off to SM City Davao and enjoy the best cacao-based products Davao and Mindanao has to offer.