Some 24 cacao farmers and growers from the different municipalities of Romblon province gathered for three days to learn more about chocolate processing.
The three-day training held at the Lyn's Restaurant on March 2-4 was pushed by the Department of Trade and Industry – Romblon (DTI-Romblon) headed by its provincial director, Noel DR. Flores, in partnership with the Romblon Cacao Growers Association.
Valente Turtur, a cacao processing expert, during the training discussed the importance of each step in producing chocolates and “tableya”. He also demoed the step by step processing on producing the mentioned products.
Turtur is a former employee of the city government of Davao and is currently the chairman of the Philippine National Cacao Industry Council.
“My mission is to help other cacao farmers to grow in life, because in cacao you really earn. I hope this becomes your direction, because if you have no passion for what you are doing, you will never really come here,” Turtur said during the closing ceremony of the activity.
Meanwhile, DTI-Romblon provincial director, Noel DR. Flores, congratulate all the participants for the sucessful three-day training and he hope Romblon Cacao Growers Association can produce local product this year to be called as Marble Chocolates.
He also emphasize that producing chocolates and tableya from cacao is form of value-adding opportunity for their products.
Flores also said that the training was at the right time since some cacao plantation in the province are already in the harvestable stage.
