AURO Chocolate
On day 3 of the Implementation Support Mission (ISM), the mission team had the opportunity to travel to Brgy. Subasta, Calinan District, Davao City, to visit the facility of one of the project’s anchor firms for cacao in Region 11 - AURO Chocolate, Inc.
During the visit, the mission team witnessed the production process in ACI’s facilities and interacted with farmers and employees.
Established in 2015, the Filipino tree-to-bar chocolate company has become internationally recognized for its premium products sourced from local cacao beans that deliver bold, distinctive tropical flavors, earning awards such as the Cocoa of Excellence in 2019, and the Great Taste Awards in 2021 and 2024, among others.
ACI faced supply challenges in 2021 that prevented it from meeting its clients’ requirements, despite having several partner farmer organizations covering approximately 2,000 hectares of cacao farms. In the same year, they became a partner of the RAPID Growth Project as an anchor firm, and were linked with Kiblawan Multipurpose Cooperative (KMPC) - a local farmer organization based in Davao del Sur, which now supplies ACI with cacao beans.
Their partnership with KMPC proved to be mutually beneficial. This partnership enabled ACI to increase supply volume from 2021 to 2025 while maintaining consistent quality. ACI, together with the RAPID Growth Project, provided technical assistance to KMPC - improving post-harvest practices and strengthening the farmer organization's capacity.
ACI is also a recipient of several investments from the project, including fermenting facilities, dryers, a storage warehouse, and equipment to improve production capacity.
Like the RAPID Growth Project, AURO Chocolates continues to uphold its strong commitment to farmer development and inclusive growth.