By Lilian Mellejor/PNA
DAVAO CITY – An emerging local chocolate maker employs “hugot lines” to capture the hearts of young people.
Lines can be about heartbreaks, love, work, and other relatable life situations, said Joycedel Macias, product researcher in charge of the Biao Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative (BARBCO) located in Barangay Talandang, Tugbok District here.
BARBCO is the producer of Chocolate de Biao or “hugot chocolates” that are becoming popular among the young and a hot selling chocolate product for wedding gifts. The products are sold at BARBCO’s mini store in Talandang and in a local mall.
Macias said she thought of featuring “hugot” lines or sentimental undertones because these are popular especially among the youth.
“We are targeting the youth as our market, so we used hugot lines because they are very fond of it,” said Macias in an interview during an event organized by the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Region 11 here on Wednesday.
Macias said she scouts for trending “hugot” lines from social media as well as from BARBCO personnel. There are already 22 “hugot” lines gathered for the products.
Macias said people can also post “hugot” lines on their Facebook Page, and the best ones are featured in the product’s package.
BARBCO started producing chocolates in February this year. It also exports its products to China.
Registered as a cooperative since 1992, BARBCO members were former employees of the defunct Philippine Cacao Estate Corporation (PCEC). It has now 41 members and 133 associate members.
Members were also beneficiaries of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) receiving 200 hectares from PCEC. Of the total area, 80 hectares were already planted to cacao.
The cooperative is a beneficiary of government assistance through DA and has continued to receive training and equipment for cacao production and other value-added products like chocolates from DA through its High-Value Crops Development Program (DA-HVCDP).
Noel Provido, the chief public information Officer of DA-11, said DA-HVCDP gave seedlings for BARBCO’s nursery, fermentation facility, chocolate processing facility, and series of training.
BARBCO’s good track record in taking care of the government assistance prompted DA to further assist the members.
“We look at it as a whole value chain,” Provido said.
BARBCO started producing tablea (cocoa blocks) and has recently started producing cacao beans. The cooperative is earning PHP200,000 to PHP300,000 per month.
Macias said BARBCO is now supplying raw materials to leading chocolate producers in the city and Manila and to international cocoa processors as well.
