# Malagos Chocolate

Malagos Agri-Ventures Corporation (d.b.a. Malagos Chocolate) is a Philippine bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturer based in Davao City. The company was founded from an idea by founder Charita Puentespina. The couple leased cacao trees and made tablea with them. After collaborating with retailers, they connected with the Mars Cocoa Development Center, where they learned practices partaining to cacao. The company was commercially launched in June 2013 and had collaborations with Starbucks, The Tasting Club, AirAsia, Krispy Kreme, and other brands. They launched an international division in Canada in 2020.
In 2017, a museum was founded by the brand. Four exhibits are seen in the museum, like an information area, a chocolate lab, and other displays. Branches are found across the Philippines, with most of them in Davao.
The chocolates are made by cacao planted in farms in Davao City. The chocolate is then made in a factory, where it is made into chocolate. They partner with hundreds of farmers.
As of 2024, they have 56 total international awards. They gained awards for their dark chocolate and drinking chocolates. They had awards from the Academy of Chocolate, the International Chocolate Awards, UK-based Guild of Fine Food, the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund, and the World Drinking Chocolate Competition. Malagos was rated top 50 in the world.

## History
### Origin

The idea came from Charita Puentespina, when she went to the Salon du Chocolat in France. She enjoyed the dances, but she said to her daughter that she could "easily do it at home". in The firm's history dates back to 2003, when company founders, Roberto and Charita Puentespina leased farmland with cacao trees in Malagos in the Baguio District of Davao City. Charita Puentespina then rehabilitated the farm which enabled the harvesting of cacao pods from the trees. She used the harvested cacao beans to make tablea by roasting them in firewood then grinding and molding them. The resulting chocolate was found to have a silky flavor.

### Spread

After they created the chocolate, they bought a machine that could create chocolate for $9,500. Prior to the collaboration, they sold the products to a retailer in Singapore who distributed the beans worldwide. They originally made domestic chocolate, like drinking chocolate, but changed to bars when Sean Askinoskie, the founder of the chocolate brand Askinosie Chocolate, asked them for cacao beans. Since then, the two brands had a close working relationship. In December 2007, the cocoa sustainability team of Mars, Incorporated connected with the Puentespinas to establish the Mars Cocoa Development Center where the farm of the Puentespinas learned agricultural practices related to cacao. This venture led to the establishment of the Malagos Agri-Ventures Corporation in October 2012 and the firm began producing single-origin cocoa liquor. Malagos Chocolate was commercially launched in June 2013 and began producing other chocolate products.

### Present

In late 2016, all 300 Philippine branches of Starbucks used Malagos chocolate in their chocolate chip cookies. In May 2019, they sold their couverture chocolates at the International Food Exhibition of the Philippines. In mid-2019, the company held a partnership with food duo "The Tasting Club". In 2019, they released a recipe book titled the Malagos Book of Chocolates. In the COVID-19 pandemic, the company released an ad stating that Malagos was fresh. They also released an online grocery to continue sales during the pandemic. Malagos is available in AirAsia flights through a partnership. They also collaborated with Krispy Kreme through a regional campaign and with Filipino farm Cacao Culture. A restaurant chain, Max's Restaurant, created a product named "Malagos Chocolate Cakes" which are made using Malagos chocolates. A milk-tea spot, Honey Lemon from Hong Kong, also created two drinks with Malagos Chocolate. They partner with other 5-star-hotels and cafes.

#### International

In an interview in 2017, Rex Puentespina stated that Japan is their main export destination, even though trades started in 2016. They also started importing in Thailand and Singapore in 2017. In mid-2020, Malagos started shipping their products to North America, specifically Canada. According to the founder, the brand is being shipped to Canada for them to experience locally produced chocolate. Following the proposal, an official branch was opened in Canada.

## Museum and branches

In 2017, the Puentespinas opened the first chocolate museum in the Garden Resort. It is the first interactive museum in the Philippines. The first exhibit shown is the Puentespina Cacao Farm, where farmers harvest cacao to be made into chocolate. Infographics and videos are also shown in the museum. In another exhibition, a kids playground is presented where the mascot of the brand, "Beanie", appears. The third exhibition is where their chocolates are sold, and the fourth exhibition is where people can make their own chocolate. Other than the museum, there are branches in Metro Davao, and parts of Visayas and Mindanao.

## Products and services

Malagos cultivates their own cacao at their Bureau of Plant Industry-certified farm at the foothills of Mount Talomo. They are also responsible for the fermentation, drying, sorting, roasting of the cacao beans they use in their production of chocolate. A total of 50 people is employed at the farm. Their facility is situated 350 meters (1,150 ft) above sea level. Malagos uses Grade A cacao beans of the Trinitario variety which comes from a hybrid of Forastero and Criollo. The firm also buys beans from around 100 small-scale cocoa farmers in the Davao area. and supplies cacao seeds, seedlings and scions throughout Mindanao. In October 2017, it was reported that Malagos Chocolate along with other chocolate brands would be participating in “Salon du Chocolat” on October 28 to November 1 in Paris, France.
The company has dark chocolates, like a 65% dark chocolate bar, an 85% bar, a 72% bar, and a 100% pure unsweetened chocolate. They also have a salted caramel chocolate bar. The brand also has "cacao juices" which are made from the juice in cacao pods. According to a source, the juice has a "sweet tart flavor". Their packaging was, according to a source, recyclable paper.

## Reception

Because of their prominence, they gained a total of 56 international awards as of February 2024, adding to the 28 since 2019. On the ASEAN Food Conference 2013, the product was labeled the best in the Philippines. In April 2015, the Academy of Chocolate in London gave Malagos a bronze award for their 100% Unsweetened Chocolate. In 2015, the company received a silver award for its Malagos Dark Chocolate at the International Chocolate Awards in Hannover, Germany. They also won an award for their drinking chocolate. In 2016, the products gained a two-star accolade from the UK's Guild of Fine Food. That same year, the company won Bronze in the best Unflavored Drinking Chocolate. The company has also received recognitions for its unsweetened chocolate. In April 2015, it was awarded for the Best Unflavoured Drinking Chocolate (bronze), and another recognition in the following year (silver). Malagos garnered a bronze award each for its 62 percent dark chocolates and 72 percent dark chocolates bars in the 2017 edition of the awards.
In 2017, their beans were selected in the top 50 in the world. In May 2018, Malagos won five awards in the 10th Academy of Chocolate Awards in the United Kingdom. The brand also gained awards on the 2018 International Chocolate Awards. On September 14, 2018, Malagos won awards in the 2018 International Chocolate Awards - Asia Pacific. On January 12, 2019, Malagos received the title "Heirloom Cacao" from the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund, a partner of the United States Department of Agriculture. 15 farms have the title, including one in Vietnam. In the 2019 Academy of Chocolate competition, Malagos received three bronze awards for the Filled Chocolate category. In October 2020, the company won four gold medals in the World Drinking Chocolate Competition held in Hannover, Germany for their Plain Dark Drinking Chocolate. The company won three other awards in special categories, like Growing Country, Chocolate Maker, and Direct Traded. After the win, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez congratulated the company, stating "This is a validation of our nation’s never-ending quest for excellence in the field of cacao farming and chocolate-making."