Malagos Chocolate facts for kids
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| Private | |
| Industry | Food processing |
| Founded | October 2012 |
| Founders | Roberto and Charita Puentespina |
| Headquarters | Davao City, Philippines |
| Products | Confectionery Liquor |
Malagos Agri-Ventures Corporation, also known as Malagos Chocolate, is a company from the Philippines. They are famous for making chocolate right from the cacao bean. This means they grow the cacao beans and then turn them into chocolate bars themselves. Their main base is in Davao City.
The company started with an idea from Charita Puentespina. She and her husband, Roberto, began by leasing cacao trees. They made a traditional Filipino chocolate called tablea. After learning more about cacao, they officially launched Malagos Chocolate in June 2013. They have worked with big names like Starbucks and Krispy Kreme. In 2020, they even started selling their chocolates in Canada.
In 2017, Malagos Chocolate opened its own museum. It has different areas, including a chocolate lab where you can learn and even make your own chocolate! Malagos chocolates are made from cacao grown on farms in Davao City. The company works with hundreds of local farmers.
As of 2024, Malagos Chocolate has won 56 international awards. Their dark chocolates and drinking chocolates are especially popular. They have received awards from groups like the Academy of Chocolate and the International Chocolate Awards. Malagos has even been ranked among the top 50 chocolate makers in the world!
Contents
How Malagos Chocolate Started
The First Idea
The idea for Malagos Chocolate came from Charita Puentespina. She was inspired after visiting a big chocolate show in France. She told her daughter that she could make chocolate just as well at home. The company's story began in 2003. Roberto and Charita Puentespina leased a farm with cacao trees in Davao City.
Charita worked hard to make the farm healthy again. Soon, they could harvest cacao pods from the trees. She used these cacao beans to make tablea. This involved roasting the beans over a fire, then grinding and shaping them. People found that her homemade chocolate had a wonderful, smooth taste.
Growing the Business
After making their first chocolates, the Puentespinas bought a special machine. This machine helped them make more chocolate. At first, they sold their cacao beans to a retailer in Singapore. This retailer then sold the beans around the world. They also made local products like drinking chocolate.
Later, Sean Askinosie, who started Askinosie Chocolate, asked them for cacao beans. This led to a strong working relationship between the two companies. In 2007, a team from Mars, Incorporated helped the Puentespinas. They set up the Mars Cocoa Development Center. Here, the farm learned new ways to grow cacao. This led to the official start of Malagos Agri-Ventures Corporation in October 2012. They began making a special kind of chocolate liquid called single-origin cocoa liquor. Malagos Chocolate officially launched its other chocolate products in June 2013.
Malagos Today
In late 2016, all 300 Starbucks stores in the Philippines started using Malagos chocolate. They used it in their chocolate chip cookies. In May 2019, Malagos sold their special "couverture" chocolates at a food exhibition in the Philippines. Later in 2019, they partnered with a food group called "The Tasting Club."
Also in 2019, the company released a recipe book called The Malagos Book of Chocolates. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Malagos released an ad to show their chocolates were fresh. They also started an online grocery store to keep selling products. Malagos chocolates are now available on AirAsia flights. They have also worked with Krispy Kreme and a Filipino farm called Cacao Culture. Even restaurants like Max's Restaurant use Malagos chocolates in their cakes. A milk-tea shop from Hong Kong, Honey Lemon, also created drinks with Malagos Chocolate. They also partner with other fancy hotels and cafes.
Reaching the World
In 2017, Rex Puentespina said that Japan was their main export country. They started trading there in 2016. In 2017, they also began selling in Thailand and Singapore. By mid-2020, Malagos started shipping their products to North America, especially Canada. The founder said they wanted people in Canada to try their local chocolate. After this, an official Malagos branch opened in Canada.
Malagos Chocolate Museum
In 2017, the Puentespinas opened the first chocolate museum in the Philippines. It's an interactive museum, meaning you can do things there! The first part of the museum shows the Puentespina Cacao Farm. Here, you can learn how farmers harvest cacao to make chocolate. There are also videos and information displays.
Another part of the museum has a kids' playground. The brand's mascot, "Beanie," is there too. The third area is where you can buy their delicious chocolates. The fourth area lets people make their own chocolate! Besides the museum, Malagos has stores in Metro Davao and other parts of the Visayas and Mindanao regions.
Malagos Products
Malagos grows its own cacao beans on a special farm near Mount Talomo. This farm is certified by the Bureau of Plant Industry. Malagos also handles all the steps of making chocolate. This includes fermenting, drying, sorting, and roasting the cacao beans. About 50 people work at the farm. Their chocolate-making facility is located about 350 meters (1,148 feet) above sea level.
Malagos uses high-quality cacao beans called Trinitario. This type of bean is a mix of two other kinds, Forastero and Criollo. The company also buys beans from about 100 small cacao farmers in the Davao area. They even provide cacao seeds and young plants to farmers across Mindanao. In October 2017, Malagos Chocolate joined other chocolate brands at the "Salon du Chocolat" event in Paris, France.
The company makes different kinds of dark chocolates. These include bars with 65%, 85%, and 72% dark chocolate. They also have a 100% pure unsweetened chocolate bar. Another popular product is their salted caramel chocolate bar. Malagos also makes "cacao juices." These are made from the juice found inside cacao pods. People say the juice has a "sweet and tart flavor." The company uses recyclable paper for its packaging.
See also
- Malagos Garden Resort
- Chocolate industry in the Philippines
