Meet the Woman Turning Local Cacao into World-Class Chocolate | So On-The-Go

During the event, speakers highlighted how Filipino chocolate—from locally grown cacao to tablea—deserves global recognition and strengthens the Philippines’ tourism and culinary identity. The presentation features Raquel Choa, founder and CEO of The Chocolate Chamber in Cebu, known as the “Chocolate Queen.” She recalls growing up in the mountains, drinking sikwate made from tablea, and how her 2008 discovery that cacao is the heart of chocolate set her on a mission to share tablea with the world. Dubbed “The Chocolate Queen” in 2013 and working with hotels by 2016, Raquel later partnered with the Department of Tourism (DOT) for Cacao to Beverage 101 and introduced Cacao de Bola as a Filipino chocolate innovation. Today she champions cacao farming, supports local farmers and chocolatiers, and continues to celebrate tablea as both heritage and livelihood.

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